The wraith was in a rage.
Devyn took his time as he approached his enemy.
The wraith kept his wild eyes fixed on Devyn. “I was sent here by them to end you, Devyn of Boylbury.”
Devyn was surprised. “Who would that be?”
“A mastyr who’s grown in power since he joined forces with the dark fae, Mitrana. You know the vampire: Mastyr Leonus.”
Leonus.
“I’ve heard of him.” Devyn only knew him by reputation and by the long scar that marred his face all down the right side. Word was he’d aligned himself with a dark fae and this wraith just confirmed it.
“Mitrana has imbued me with strength beyond your ability. So let’s see what you’ve got, Mastyr. Though I’d be curious to know how your fae made you disappear like that.”
Devyn had no intention of revealing information about Emily’s ability to time-path. He watched the wraith carefully. He was big and muscled for a wraith. He reeked of power.
Devyn used his increased speed and flew past him but inside the circles the wraith kept making high in the air.
The wraith shrieked and turned. He sent a red blast of battle energy from his hands and arms.
Devyn turned and met the red, fiery streaks with his own blue battle power. Sparks flew fifteen feet in the air, both red and blue.
He circled. The wraith followed.
Devyn felt his strength now, more than anything he’d experienced before. The wraith shouted and shrieked again, doubling the stream of killing energy.
Devyn responded, increasing his own flow in a strong steady stream. He felt the wraith begin to diminish. Devyn pressed on, flying closer, his arms and hands outstretched. His body vibrated with more power than he’d felt in his life. On he pushed, until the red bursts lessened and began to flicker.
The wraith shriek
ed and tried to match Devyn, but he was done for.
Devyn released a final wave. It fried the wraith, dead center in his chest and sent him plummeting to the cobbled street below.
A crowd had gathered, made up mostly of the Guardsmen and shifters from the Wild Boar. A few of the local residents appeared in windows and doorways.
A cheer went up as Devyn dropped down to stand on the pavers. He checked the wraith to make sure he was dead. Smoke rose from his chest. His eyes were open, dilated and glazed. He was gone.
Devyn caught sight of Emily who stood with the mother troll now cradling her daughter in her arms. Tears flowed down the woman’s cheeks.
His arms and hands trembled from having released so much power. Even so, he drew his phone from the pocket of his leathers and let the Communication Center know he’d need a clean-up crew. He was told a Guard patrol would be arriving anytime.
Glancing at the wounded female vampire, he had one more call to make. When the former Guardsman picked up, Devyn said, “Rez, I’ve got an Invictus woman you need to look at. I’m in Millerell.” The woman had wavy brown hair which matched the description of Rez’s abducted, missing daughter. Devyn had no idea if this was her. The Invictus mating process created such a violent shift in personality, it obscured the natural features of the realm-person involved. But Rez would know his daughter.
“On my way.”
Devyn felt somber as he tucked his phone back in his leathers. He wasn’t sure anyone had been so badly beaten down by the Invictus scourge as Mastyr Rez. He used to serve in the Tannisford Vampire Guard until he’d lost his wife and two young sons to an Invictus slaughter. But maybe even worse, his teenage daughter, Isobel, had been taken during the same attack. For the past two years, Rez had been hunting for her. Maybe this one, still alive, was his only surviving relative.
Rez wasn’t far away since he lived in Boylbury as Devyn did. They were neighbors. He’d arrive in the next few minutes.
Emily returned to him as the Guard patrol arrived, four vampires strong. Each gathered near the Invictus wraith first.
“Big motherfucker.” The leader of the squad, Ephraim, was a near-mastyr and was expected to come into his power in the next year. He shifted to meet Rez’s gaze. “He looks over-sized for a male wraith. What was his power level like?”
“Formidable and unexpected.”
He shook his head. “I thought we had them all.”