Burned » Kai Parker

4

"Eva, look out!"

Dusting off the debris that had gathered on my body in my tumbling fall to the ground, I shot my head up, tensed for the next attack.

Another Heretic, red-veined eyes filled with fury and hunger, was advancing toward me in a speedy blur.

"Motus!" I automatically yelled, palm thrust out. But my magic was weakened, suffering from significant overuse in this taxing battle. I'd been holding my own longer than the rest of my coven, but really, all I'd wanted to do was let myself lose control, despite how hard my father worked to help me find it. Lose myself, let the magic become me, but doing that, I realized, meant putting my coven at risk. It wouldn't only be the Heretics getting hit.

I needed time to recharge. Time that none of us had.

The spell, which was meant to send an individual flying, only made the bloodthirsty Heretic stumble back a few steps, as if all I'd done was give her a light push with the palm of my hand. Did zero damage, but definitely succeeded in making the centuries-old brunette angrier.

She growled, fangs bared, then lunged for me.

"Phesmatos superous em animi!" Came the familiar shout, causing the vampire to crumple with her hands fisting into her hair. It wouldn't hold her down, but it was enough to save me from getting my carotid torn open.

My father, the one responsible for bringing the Heretic to her knees, nodded encouragingly at me, feet away. Only he could manage to miraculously keep his level head, for my sake, when the reality was, we were sinking here. Faster than any of us could swim.

"Run, Eva," he said firmly.

Chaos was all around us, as my coven began losing the upper hand on the group of rogue Heretics proceeded to hit us harder, with the intention to break us, to destroy. A lesser witch would've heeded his advice and escaped with their tails tucked.

Not me. Not ever.

"No," I said through gritted teeth. "Papa, I'm not going anywhere."

He shook his head. "You and your brother should go, mijita. The rest of us will–"

"No!" I screamed, then felt like tearing my hair out, both out of frustration and anguish. This was starting to feel like a losing battle and something in my gut felt terrible, nagging at me to the point of distraction. A dangerous thing, on any battlefield. "We don't leave each other behind. Ever. The Geminis should be here any second." But then doubt crept in. "Shouldn't they?"

We'd sent them an emergency alert via messenger spell as soon as the situation started to take a bleaker turn. They were by far our strongest ally, out of those who resided in the Five Covens, so the choice took no consideration. It was obvious, but now, I was terrified that it may have been the wrong one. Because time had stretched on, with only a few Heretics down for the count and still more coming at us, and the coven were nowhere to be found.

"I don't think they're coming." His eyes were lacking their usual light, his optimism evidently dying. That had to be the scariest thing of all. If Miguel Rodriguez was finally losing sight of the brighter side of things, one couldn't help but follow his lead. "We need to finish this alone."

My mouth parted in shock. "Well, maybe something went wrong with the messenger spell. I could whip up another, I have enough magic–"

"No." His tone brooked no argument, but it was still soft, apologetic. "They aren't coming, Eva. I don't understand why, but they aren't."