Chapter 82 Free her
ZORA
He had them few feet above the ground.
I stared at him.
The action was strenuous in him.
He looked tired, and his skin was deviating from its usual paleness.
Even from where I stood, I could see a little bit of paleness.
Lucas laughed, "Go ahead, kill them. They would be resurrected back when she dies and the ritual is complete."
Ryker looked at me.
"He's right." I hoped my eyes conveyed the message, "They have some sick notion. It's a family problem."
Ryker frowned.
"Oh." His voice reached me.
A freaking mind link!
Ryker let them go.
The both of them scooted far away Ryker, their eyes wide with fear.
"Go on," Lucas urged, "Move to the center."
Ryker raised his hand up and did exactly as he was told.
Scarlett stood now and circled around him, "Do you know why I'm here?"
Ryker barely spared her a look. His eyes were trained on me, "I don't care. I'm not interested in finding out."
Scarlett’s face twisted in anger. "There goes that annoying trait of yours, but I'll tell you either way because you are going to die either way. Both of you."
Ryker's jaw ticked, but he didn't say anything.
Scarlett was livid with anger.
"Can you take a moment to actually understand the gravity of your situation and take your eyes off her?" She snapped.
"No." Ryker answered.
Lucas laughed, "Staring isn't going to change what's happening. "
"You killed the only boy I've ever loved in your stupid quest for revenge, and now, the table has turned on you. You'll watch the person you love die."
My heart skipped a beat.
Ryker loves me?
Hehe... that's far-fetched.
I was curious, though.
"What did your love do to Ryker to warrant his death?" I asked.
Starker shrugged, "Killed Ryker's father and sister. Not a big deal."
Ryker's eyes narrowed.
She's trying to evoke a reaction from him.
I gave her a sweet smile, "Glad Ryker killed him then and wiped out his generation and pack."
Lucas kicked me hard.
I fell to the floor, his boots holding me in place.
Ryker took a step forward.
"You move, she dies." Lucas warned.
Ryker gritted his teeth in anger, "What do you want?"
"What I want?" Scarlett laughed, "Oh dear, I-"
"Not you," Ryker cut her off coldly, "him."
Scarlett was livid with anger.
Lucas laughed, "What do I want? Pay back for killing me. Thank God for my family and their connections to the best witches in the world, else I'd actually be dead."
"Yeah, your existence is a reminder that I need to do better next time, so I'll ask again. What do you want?" Ryker said grimly.
"Maybe if you go on your knees and beg for her life. I might actually spare her and kill you alone." Lucas replies.
"What, Lucas? Are you insane?" The mother yelled.
"Relax, mother," Lucas cajoled, "Have you seen him? He's an Alpha king with an ego the size of an ocean. He's not going to b-"
Everyone stopped in a stunned silence.
You could hear a pin drop without even trying hard to listen.
Ryker was on his knees.
"Please.." He said in a low voice, "Let her go. Do whatever you want with me, but let her go."
Lucas cackled, "Who would have thought?! I never imagined a day like this would come. Okay, mum, I take back my words."
"The council were right," Scarlett muttered, "She really is your weakness."
"She's going to die regardless," Lucas shrugged, "What I can as a merciful being is kill you first."
Lucas’s brother charged towards Ryker, holding a dagger.
Scarlett had twim daggers out, and I was still trapped in between Lucas, a bit weak.
I didn’t know if I could get my silver threads to move.
Time seemed to stop.
Scarlett and Lucas are both charging towards Ryker in a bid to have the first kill.
Ryke4 wasn't moving even though he knew what was coming for him.
I lashed out my silver threads in desperation towards Scarlett, hoping to deal with her first before moving to Lucas’s brother.
Scarlett is suspended in the air, my threads glowing as they sucked the life out of her.
Everything was happening in slow motion. Lucas' brother swung his arm and aimed.
An arrow from nowhere whistled past my ear and struck him in the heart, coming out the other side.
He slumped, dying instantly.
I freed myself from Lucas by sweeping him off his feet.
He landed on his butt in shock.
I used that opportunity.
I ran towards Ryker, hugging him.
"Heyy," I whispered, "You're okay."
"I need to die either way. I don't have much time left. Leave me, take the kids, and go. Marissa is somewhere around."
"She's the one who shot the arrow?" I asked.
He nodded.
Lucas screamed, "Oh, you son of a bi-"
He was cut off, my silver threads were around him.
Lucas’s brother and Scarlett were dead, their lifeless eyes staring up at the dark sky.
Ryker moved from my embrace and was in front of Lucas in a blur, his eyes red, just like the beast's.
In one fluid motion, Ryker tore Lucas’s legs from his body, followed by his hands.
I still had Lucas up with my threads. They weren't harming him, just holding him up while Ryker finished with him.
"You both are going to regret this!!" Lucas screamed.
I ignored him.
Lucas sister came for me next, her father in tow.
Marissa shot another arrow, killing Lucas’s father in mid step.
Lucas’s sister screamed and lunged at me.
Their mother was frozen in horror, muttering low incoherent words.
I'll come back to her after I'm done with her daughter.
Lucas's sister managed to land a blow.
I split my threads and thought about ending it with my threads.
"Not good with combat?" She taunted, flashing her claws.
I took her bait.
My claws were out almost instantly.
She nodded, smirking at me.
She lunged first, faster than I would have imagined.
I met her head on.
Our bodies slammed against each other, her nails slashed across my cheek, a hot feeling of pain blooming instantly.
I didn’t stagger. Instead, I circled her, "You really should’ve stayed in your brother’s shadow. Where no one knew of your existence."
I lunged.
My fist hit her ribs, a satisfying crunch filling the silence.
She hissed in pain and lunged again, aiming for my throat.
I sidestepped her and hit her spine with my elbow.
She recovered fast and attacked again. I shoved her off, my claws slashing her arms and drawing out blood.
I must have touched a major artery.
Overhead, I could still hear Lucas screaming and crying.
The mother was crying, muttering words under her breath. I almost felt sad for her.
Lucas’s sister laughed, blood dripping down her arm. "Is that all you’ve got, Zora? I expected more."
"Trust me," I snarled, "I’m just getting started."
"Haven't you deduced it yet? I'm not some helpless girl your brother managed to imprison," I added, "I am the monster you all should’ve feared all along."
With that, I directed my threads towards her and snapped her neck. I am done with this fight.
Lucas scream had died down now.
Ryker's body was filled with blood, and he was staggering his feet now, his eyes bloodshot red.
Only the mother was left, and honestly, I didn't know what to do with her.
I deemed her harmless as she only looked like a crazy woman and went to Ryker's side.
Lucas was a mess and unrecognizable.
"Are you okay?" I asked Ryker softly,
"Yeah," he whispered, leaning on me, "Let's go back and have you on your way back to Idaho."
"No!" Marissa screamed.
I turned in him to see a dark curling swirl of smoke hit Ryker's chest before I could react.
The mother laughed, looking more crazed than she was.
"I know what he is," she cackled, "And I just helped him speed up the process. He doesn't need the bond to be a beast anymore. In exactly one minute, he'll be-"
Marissa struck her in the head and rushed to our side.
Ryker stared at me sadly,
I turned to Marissa, "We're never going to make it to the pack in time."
"Didn't your mother's grimoire have something to do with teleportation?" Ivan asked.
She was right!
I'd read it out of boredom then.
I grabbed Ryker’s and Marissa's wrists and concentrated.
The silver threads were the last thing I saw before everything became too bright.
We were at the palaces backyard.
Wesley was there, pacing around.
Ryker collapsed on a bench, breathing hard.
I have only seconds literally to save him, or else I might have to make the most difficult decision of my life.
"Lay him inside the circle," I said to Marissa and Wesley as I drew a circle with seven triangles like I'd seen in my mother's grimoire
"Are you sure?" Marissa asked as they laid him in the circle . He was too weak to do anything except stare at me.
Cold sweat broke out in his forehead.
"He's dying, I have to save him. Nothing else matters, and there's no time. Set a time for thirty seconds, please.
"You have to offer your price first, see if it's accepted or not!" Marissa yelled, her voice filled with worry.
"No," I snapped, harsher than I intended, "It doesn't matter. Price comes after I've saved him."