But even as she had this thought, a vibration passed through her and she had the worst feeling that something had gone wrong in Merhaine.

*** *** ***

With lightning speed above the ground, Gerrod swept past the frontline. He could see the troll family under attack by a wraith in flight circling above like, the vulture she was. He was battling deep in Shepherd County, in a rural area, his vampire ability to see at night setting the landscape in a glow. The creature would dive in, and strike, hurting one or the other of the three realm-folk huddled together.

Her partner, a vampire, also moved with astonishing speed, a sure sign they were symbiotic, a joined pair. The perversion of becoming Invictus added tremendous power and unfortunately a seemingly endless desire to do harm to the helpless.

The vampire was less subtle and jerked the husband away from mother and baby. He carried him a hundred yards distant and began to feast. The troll’s legs flopped up and down.

Derek pathed, We see them, Gerrod. Jason’s on his way.

Stay back for orders. Let me get this pair shredded and the family to safety.

He heard the troll baby shrieking and could see that it bore slices on its arms.

Fury tightened Gerrod’s chest. He readied his power as he flew in their direction, just a foot off the ground, upright, his hands and arms vibrating, ready to release killing streams of energy.

But just as he detected movement to both his left and his right, he was suddenly somersaulting through the air. His limbs were caught in what he finally recognized as some kind of netting.

With his face smashed into the netting and near the ground, his body upside down, he watched the wraith go in for the kill and finish the family off, shrieking her victory as she then flew in his direction, her eyes dark with blood-lust.

He couldn’t move. He couldn’t harness his power. And he couldn’t telepath his Guards.

What the hell had the Invictus done to him?

Then he smelled it: Fae magic, something done with oils. The netting was covered in it and in a flash, darkness spread over his mind, then nothing.

*** *** ***

Abigail got a strange sick feeling deep in her stomach, a stronger version of what she had felt earlier. She wiped the last of the tables. The hour was past eight and she was ready to close. Bakeries weren’t known for evening traffic and the last of the staff had just left. Megan had gone home hours earlier. Both Joe and Abigail had insisted on it.

But Megan had also insisted that she reschedule for the next few days so that Abigail could go back to Merhaine and make her final decision.

Now, as she grabbed her purse and took one look around, her gut tightened a little more.

Abigail.

Her heart twisted into a quick knot. That was Gerrod’s voice, so faint, but she was sure of it. Something was wrong, terribly wrong.

She had to get to Merhaine.

She switched the lights off and nearly fell backward because a short figure was on the other side of the door and now knocking in swift jabs on the glass. “Abigail, tis I, Augustus.”

She pulled out of her sudden shock, moved to the door, and let Gus in. He danced from foot to foot, clearly upset. Tears coursed down his face. She flipped the lights back on.

“My God, what’s the matter? What’s happened?” Then she felt it. Somewhere, far away, Gerrod’s blood called out to her. “He’s blood-starved again, isn’t he? But there’s something more.”

“The Invictus have him.”

“What?” She weaved on her feet, but Gus grabbed her arm and kept her from toppling over.

She planted her back against the wall to steady herself. “Tell me everything.”

The recital spoke of Gerrod bellowing, growing weak, something about socks, and that the Invictus, the same night that she left Merhaine, had begun attacking various parts of the realm. At least a score of realm-folk were dead and dozens missing, some even from the more prosperous neighborhoods.

“This sounds like war has been declared.”

Gus mopped his face with an embroidered handkerchief. “Can you help us?”

“I don’t know. I want to, but Gus, what can I possibly do that Gerrod’s Guards can’t?” But she had to go. Gerrod needed her.

“We can’t get through to Mastyr Ethan and no one can pass the boundary to Bergisson Realm.”

“Good God.”

How frivolous her former concerns became in this moment, as in could she handle becoming a vampire, when Merhaine and its citizens were in so much danger.

Yet, what could she do?

She certainly couldn’t face down an entire army of Invictus pairs.

Her heart thumped hard all over again. She could feel her blood thickening again, really fast, apparently anticipating what needed to be done.

She put her hand on Gus’s shoulder. “Take me to the castle and we’ll go from there. Okay?”

“I have the car waiting.”

“No,” she said. “You need to bring one of the Guards here. I know that each of them have nearly Gerrod’s level of speed.”

“Right. That’s the way to think this through.”

He got very still. He closed his eyes, sinking into his inter-world telepathy. He jerked forward a couple of times, ‘pathing’ missteps perhaps.

Finally, he opened his eyes. “Derek will be here in three minutes. He was already at the castle trying to contact Ethan again. But he couldn’t get through. Nobody knows how to get Gerrod back.”

Abigail made her own phone call. “Hi, Meg.”

“What’s going on? I know that tone of voice.”

“I’ve got a vampire to save.”

She could feel Meg smiling. “Come back to us when you can.”

“I will. Take care of my cats?”

“You bet.”

When Derek arrived, he had blood smeared over one cheek and on both arms. She withheld a gasp and forced herself to take deep breaths. “I am sorry, Mistress Abigail.”

“It doesn’t matter. Not even a little.”

She turned to Gus. “Thank you for coming to get me. You did the right thing and I’ll do what I can to bring him back.”

She stepped into Derek, slung her arm around his neck and put her right foot on his left instep. “Take me to the castle. Now.”

She buried her face inside his shoulder and his strong Guardsman arm held her tight against him.

A moment later she was air-borne, the wind whipping by her, the smell of the Ponderosa pines sharper because of the speed.

Minutes later, Derek slowed, came to a stop, then cried out, “Oh, shit.”

He flung her to the ground to protect her since three wraiths flew in circles in the front yard of the castle. Beneath them three bonded vampires levitated a foot above the ground, all waiting.

But she opened her path to Gerrod and found him. I’m with Derek. Three wraiths, three vampires. What do they want?

Oh, dear Goddess.

Gerrod, what do they want? You must tell me.

You. They’ve come for you. Why did you come back? They can’t breach human territory.

I came back for you.

Dear Goddess, no. I didn’t want this.

She felt his guilt and knew to prolong the conversation would only create further agony for him. She cut the communication short. Whatever she did next had to be her decision.

She reached out to Derek, pathing toward him and found his telepathic frequency. You must leave.

Never. He glanced at her then back, ready to battle the enemy. He had already extended the boundary of his power creating a massive shield in front of her.

“We want the human, Abigail of Flagstaff. She must come with us. If she does not, Mastyr Gerrod will die, within the hour.”

“You lie,” Derek shouted.

“They’re not lying,” Abigail said, drawing close to him. “I just pathed with Gerrod. He’s close to death, an hour, no more, unless I can get to him and save him.”

“You know what they’ll want.”

She glanced up at the wraiths. For us to complete a symbiotic Invictus joining.

Exactly. They might even be able to force it.

If it came to that, she pathed, meeting his gaze fully, Gerrod and I would die first. For now, I’m his only chance at survival. Please trust in that.

He stared hard at her, holding his power steady, protecting all the castle inmates, even herself. She could stay here and survive. The wraiths and vampire companions would not dare to challenge him. He could take them all right now and they knew it.

But above all, Derek was sworn to protect his mastyr. The Invictus pairs knew that as well.

“I want to know one thing,” he said, addressing the nearest vampire. “How did you know Mistress Abigail would be here tonight.”

The wraith closest smiled. Her fangs were very yellow, her lips almost black. “One of our pairs is fae and has foreknowledge of events. This she saw.” The wraith flew and waved a hand at Abigail. “Watch what she does. She will move past your power.”

“That’s not possible.”

Oh, but it was. Abigail was half-bonded with Gerrod and felt a knowing deep inside that she could do exactly that.

She pushed past Derek’s vast field of power.

Derek kept his power steady but he cried out a powerful, ‘no’, that echoed through the forest.

Abigail knew what she had to do. She squared her shoulders. “All right, which one of you bloodsuckers is giving me a lift to the wastelands.”

The tallest and most brutish Invictus vampire moved forward, dropping to stand on the ground. His smile revealed another pair of yellowed fangs. Did Invictus vampires always have yellowish fangs like their wraith-mates?

“I am here for you,” he said. “And it will be a ride you’ll never forget.” She really didn’t like the sound of that.

When Derek tried to stop her, she turned to him and pathed, This is our only hope. Protect the castle and I’ll do everything I can to bring Gerrod back.

Derek seemed to settle into himself as he nodded. “Very well.”

She slowly put her arm around the Invictus vampire’s neck and planted her foot on his left instep. He levitated. She would have buried her head, but he forced it back instead and the next moment, his fangs were buried in her neck and she was moving.