Hellfire

Chapter Fifty-Eight

'The blood is pure.' Morrigan announced, her voice thick with an old Welsh accent, every word pronounced sharply and heavy with ice.

She dropped Henry, ignoring how he choked and clawed at the frostbite staining his throat, and turned her attention onto Yvette. She reached out and yanked the blood from her with a lazy command. It trailed in the air, glistening wetly, and Morrigan inhaled it. She clearly didn't like it. Her mouth pulled back into a sneer, her eyes shimmering with dislike.

'Impure.'

She let the blood fall and sink into the carpet as she cast her attention at every youngster.

'All impure.'

Danger flooded from her abruptly. Black ice slid up her arms, her fingers splitting open to release needle thin claws. Theresa stepped forward, trembling but determined to protect the youngest two, while the twins twined their hands together.

But Doc took her attention as barrelled in through the window, glass spraying in a cacophony and glittering shards. The moment Morrigan shifted her attention to the massive, burnt wolf baring down on her with his maw split into sharpened teeth, I surged forward.

My attention was fixed on Henry who still was coughing badly at her feet. I ignored that I couldn't see Lucius – that my body was roaring he was hurt somewhere and needed me. The youngsters had to be my focus - only them right now. Morrigan was on the cusp of a fresh culling ready to begin.

I snatched at Henry's arm and yanked him up, shoving him backwards as I slithered into Sam's mind.

'Run.'

It was an order spitting with fire, warning this wasn't up for debate. Sam was to get the children and run.

As Morrigan's mouth split apart, the flesh parting the length of her face to bare the teeth hidden beneath, the youngsters scrabbled to leave. Sam dove for Yvette, dragging her out and whispering reassurances, the twins only fleeing when she saw Sam was going to follow, but Henry didn't leave. He stupidly bared his teeth, his claws, and prepared himself to fight, and not knowing he couldn't. He couldn't touch her.

With a flick of her wrist, Doc was abruptly shoved to the floor amongst the shards of glass, his limbs unable to push himself upwards as ice snaked over him to imprison him, and within a heartbeat she was already turning her focus onto me as I stood before my youngsters – determined to give them time. I was trembling, trying my best not to launch myself forward and obey the roar in me to defend my family. I couldn't hurt her. All the Vortigerns would turn on me.

Morrigan tilted her head, the dead eyes searching me and growing increasingly colder. The line over her face sealed, but her mouth was now sliding into a confused frown. She approached me and, with the needle-claw, pressed it against the crook in my throat.

'What are you?' She whispered, inhaling deeply. 'You smell Vortigern, but it's not...yours.' The lifeless eyes flashed with emotion; vile hatred. 'Serf.'

She scratched me, slicing open my throat. I couldn't move. A command kept me still and a claw now rested against my forehead, threatening to sink in deep, ensured I didn't fight. Hot blood spilled from my scalp and she plucked a thread, hardening it to a frozen wire, and observed. It took everything to keep myself still and not set her on fire. Everything.

'Lucius'.' She whispered, her body beginning to grow.

Her body lengthened as she slowly took up the room, skin knotting with frost and blood, the horns curling out like old, gnarled branches.

'Lucius. Lucius shared?' She snatched at my throat with her massive hand, her power barely being used as she slowly crushed the air out of my throat. She gazed at me with an empty expression, her face a mask. 'Why as he given you my blood? He knows doing so is a betrayal. He knows this. Is he still being petulant? Trying to purposefully upset me and throw what I do for him in my face?'