A Dawn of Strength (A Shade of Vampire #14)(18)

Swimming to the surface, I gasped for air. I wiped my eyes and looked around.

All around me was utter chaos. Balls of red fire blurred my vision as they shot through the air from all directions. Black witches hovered over the waves while vampires splashed within them. I strained to see whom they were battling, but as I looked further toward the direction their curses were flying, I caught sight of a line of witches, stretching out as far as I could see, their bodies forming a barrier as they shot curses back toward the black witches and vampires.

Their colored clothing was distinct from the black witches, who wore only black garb. I could only assume that these were white witches. And if The Shade was beyond the barrier they’d formed, as I suspected…

A ball of fire shot toward me. I ducked beneath the water, narrowly missing it as it skimmed the waves above me.

The white witches are protecting The Shade.

I had to get away from this patch of sea as fast as I could—away from the black witches and their vampires, before somebody noticed me.

But where do I swim? Do I risk drawing closer to the white witches?

How am I ever going to reach the island now?

Chapter 12: Derek

My joy at discovering my sister was pregnant soon turned to anxiety as we made our way toward the Great Dome.

“You shouldn’t be here, Vivienne,” I said, gripping the handle of the Dome’s heavy door and pushing it wide open. “You’re too vulnerable. Now you’ve delivered your message, I want the two of you to leave again. Take two phones with you this time and return to Greece. We’ll call you once things have died down.”

“We just got here,” Vivienne said. “I really don’t want to leave you again, brother. Not now that—”

“But now you have more than your own desires to consider.” My eyes lowered to her stomach. “If something happened to you, I’d never forgive myself.”

As we all took seats around the grand table, Vivienne sighed. “Then we’ll stay just a couple of days before heading back.”

I shook my head. “I want you to leave no later than tonight.”

Vivienne exchanged a reluctant glance with Xavier. “Okay,” she said. “If you insist, we’ll leave tonight.”

I gripped her hand and placed a kiss on the back of it. “Thank you,” I said.

Averting my attention away from my sister, I took in all the members of the council who’d gathered around the table to meet with us. Satisfied that everyone was present, I began.

“Black witches,” I said, grimacing. “That’s what we’re up against now. My daughter and Caleb are dealing with our humans. In the meantime, we need to formulate a combat strategy. The only weak point we know of in these witches is their palms. Damage them badly enough and they lose their powers.”

“I am the only one here who can truly rival a black witch in terms of strength,” Mona said. “But there’s only so much pressure I can handle. If more than one black witch attacks me directly, which I suspect they will, I won’t be of much use once they’ve broken through my barrier. So you can’t rely on me. Nor can you rely on the other witches present on this island, whose powers are far less than mine.”

“So each and every one of us needs to be prepared to tackle a witch head on,” I said.

A deathly silence fell about the hall.

“But these witches,” Ashley spoke up, her voice shaky, “couldn’t they just end a vampire with a flick of their fingers? I thought we’re hardly any stronger than humans against them.”

I was about to respond when there was a thunderous banging against the Dome’s front door.

“Come in,” I growled.

Two vampire guards stepped in, propping up a soaking wet man between them. His clothing was ripped and bloody, and he had a nasty-looking burn on his chest.

“Micah?” Saira gasped. She was nearest to them, sitting at the opposite end of the table.

“Witches,” he wheezed, as Saira shot to her feet and sat Micah down at the table in her place.

I stood up and hurried over to him, and everyone followed my lead, gathering in a crowd around the werewolf.

I bent down to his level, staring him in the eye. “What do you mean, witches?” I asked.

“White and black,” he breathed, wincing as he tried to rip his singed shirt away from his red, raw skin. “They’re outside The Shade now, as I speak. In a battle. The white witches are protecting The Shade.”

White witches? Protecting The Shade?

Before I could begin to comprehend the werewolf’s words, my eyes shot to Vivienne and Xavier.

“Forget about leaving tonight,” I said urgently. “You must leave this instant.”

“No,” Micah rasped behind me. “You… me… we’re all trapped now.”

Chapter 13: Xavier

The moment Micah said those words, I knew what had to be done and from the look in Derek’s eyes, so did he. I didn’t bother to explain to Vivienne what I was doing as I scooped her up in my arms and hurried out of the Dome. I darted away from the small clearing outside the building and into the woods, where I ran as fast as my human legs could carry me.

“Xavier,” Vivienne said. “Where are we going?” Worry choked her voice as she tightened her arms around me.