Brothers 3

Chapter 37

The stench of singed hair hit just as someone crashed through the undergrowth. Isabel hissed a curse and reeled back as a body flew past James and towards her. Skipping out of their path she snarled with frustration, thrusting the fire at them. James lifted his head in time to see Eddie, hiding behind a tree as the flames chewed at the wood.

For a moment he couldn't breathe. His brother had come to help him, just when he needed it. Rubbing his eyes, he opened them just as the flames ran out of momentum and Robert was hauling him to his feet. Robert gave him the once over and Eddie reversed to stand next to them. James smiled, his body shaking with relief. Eddie met his eyes and winked.

"We thought we would check on you, baby brother."

"Focus, she isn't done yet." Robert kept his keen gaze locked on Isabel as she started to mumble another spell.

Eddie and James dropped into practiced combat stances. Having them by his side filled James with more confidence than he had thought it would. For so long he believed he was most powerful alone without someone else to drag him down or distract him. It was his job to clean up his own mess anyway. But now, he felt the energy radiate from his brothers and how it fed his own. Together, they might very well take on the witch.

Isabel was sneering at them, fury blazing in her eyes. James knew it was his fault that she had become this. He had taken her out of her life and used her for his own gain. The fact that she had fallen in love with him so fast showed just how innocent she was. He had destroyed that. The monster that was staring them down was of his own making. It had to end here. He wouldn't let her hurt anyone else.

Isabel mumbled a spell that sent a gust of wind at the brothers. James bounded to the side, grabbing onto a tree to keep from flying away. The bark cut into his palms and the wind howled like an injured animal. Eddie was thrown off his feet and Robert managed to claw into the soil and keep low, so he wasn't taken away.

There was heaviness to the air and James knew he had felt it before, when Isabel had attacked those wolves and struck one with lightning. They had to reach her fast.

Dead leaves and other debris crunched under his boots as James dragged himself towards Isabel. The wind was like a million tones pushing against his skeleton. Gritting his teeth against the growing discomfort James pushed on. In the corner of his eye, he spotted Robert trying to do the same, but his older brother was directly in line with the witch instead of off to the side like James. The wind was even stronger there. James didn't hold out hope for him reaching her.

Still, Robert crawled forward, cringing as stones and pieces of branches scraped his face. The smell of his brother's blood fuelled his rage and drove him on.

He was a few paces from her when the first bolt of lightning struck. Wild heat flared just in front of him, and he was blinded by luminous light. Buzzing rattled around inside his head, and he smelt burning flesh. It was only once his vision cleared that he realised that he had been flung back by the lightning and that the burning was his own skin. His right arm was covered in blisters and raw flesh. Strangely he didn't feel any pain from it, but he assumed that was a bad sign. Thank God the bolt had only hit the ground in front of him instead of his skull. Fried vampire would not be fun. There were still dark spots in his vision and when he stood everything swayed like he was on a raft in rough seas.

"Damn witch." James knew that a vampire's sensitive eyes were a gift most of the time but just as the sun bothered them so did sudden bright lights. It was too much for them to take. A persistent headache started behind his eyes, and he groaned.

Through the haze over his vision, he saw Robert reach Isabel. He was impressed that he had managed it considering how pinned he should have been by the gales.