CHAPTER 187

"And then what? An ambush?" He could hear the anger in her whispering voice. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

"Revenge." Dana had caught up to them, her blade still folded up in her right hand. "Don't tell me you can't sense it. Something happened back at the cabin, and now we're out here to fuck up his day, right?"

Mike nodded.

"What happened, Mike?" Yuki crossed her arms. "We have a few seconds. Tell us."

"Velvet's dead." There were no tears to be shed, not right now. The words only served to fuel the fire that raged inside him.

Yuki gasped. "How?" she asked.

"Don't know. Felt her being ripped away in the Dreamscape." He looked over at Dana and was surprised to see that her bloodshot eyes were now brimming with tears. "Dana?"

"What?" She looked at the two of them in puzzlement, then wiped a tear from her face and examined it. "That's weird. It's like I feel it, but I don't."

"We can worry about it later. I'm going in. Anyone with Leeds is fair game." He turned to go, but a wall of snow blocked his departure.

"Not good enough." Yuki hopped over him and stood on the snow pile with her arms out. "You're mad, and that's fine. But you're also being stupid about this."

The red lights briefly appeared, swirling around Yuki like angry bees, but he pulled them back inside his body.

"You don't understand, Yuki. He has to pay." The trees around him groaned in agreement, and he could feel the ground rumble in anticipation. The forest was silent as a tomb, and had been for most of his hunt. The wildlife had recognized that he was the top predator and was doing its best to stay out of his way.

"And he will, but we have a plan. Capture him, yes, but tear him apart? He can't be killed. If you go in there looking for murder, all you are doing is costing us time."

Mike growled. "And so what if I am? Let's tear him apart, devote every day to a unique brand of torture! Drown him, stab him, set him on fire, rip off--"

Sharp icicles appeared in a circle around him, trapping him in the center. Their sharpened points were at neck level, and even the act of turning his head pressed one into the soft flesh beneath his ear.

"We made each other a promise, do you remember?" Her ears twitched as she glared at him. "I would be your weapon, remember? And in return, if you should ever lose yourself like Emily did..."

"You would stop me." He glowered at her through the ice. "But this isn't about learning dark magic or trying to gain power. This is about justice, Yuki!" The swirling lights shifted around him, passing through the ice and melting it.

"Don't." Dana got in between them. "Take it from someone who gets it. You aren't being logical, Mike. Not only are your emotions out of control, but so is your magic."

"Why are you stopping me?" He pushed forward against the nearest icicle, his magic circling the conical shape and turning it to ice crystals. "You both understand how this feels!"

"And that's exactly why we're stopping you." Yuki shook her head. "We came to help you, but you need to do this the right way."

He took a deep breath, focusing on her words. Of all people, Yuki would know best how this had felt. Emily had been the love of her life, and that same woman would abandon her on another world and steal her eye.

The eye. Mike put his hand in his pocket and caressed the glassy orb. The owl had hastened her own death just to hand over a way to contain Leeds. Was he really willing to risk everything just to feed his own desires?

Yes, you are. A band of darkness stole through the forest, seizing both Yuki and Dana around the waist. They both cried out in surprise as they were ripped away from him. Dana dropped her sword, the blade pinging off of a nearby rock. Come for me, Caretaker! Show me how strong you are without your allies!

His magic ignited, destroying his icy prison and scattering the snow around his feet. He paused just long enough to pick up Dana's sword and then sprinted through the woods.

Hesitation had cost him. He had decided to hear out his friends rather than act, and he was about to lose someone else, he could feel it. One by one, the branches would be pruned until all that was left of him was a weapon.

Yes, that's right. Come for me, mortal. Take your revenge.

The red motes were now spreading out into the forest, each one hissing with sinister energy as it disappeared into the woods. His footfalls were so fast that he almost didn't feel the ground. It was almost like flying.

You're worthless, you little pervert. His mother's voice was harsh, grating against his very soul. You only care about them because you can stick your dick in them.

"No!" He screamed in response, desperate to stay focused on Leeds' location.

They represent power. Amir's voice was smug. You fear losing access to the power they provide. And you will fail.

"Not true!" Trees were now bending out of his way, their branches moving up to allow him safe passage. "They're important to me because of who they are, not what they can give!"

You'll make a mistake. Sarah laughed in his mind. It won't be the first time, or the last. So who's gonna die this time?

They were all laughing now, his mind filled with their echoes.

When he burst into the clearing, he saw that in the middle Leeds had constructed an altar out of wood and stone. At its center was an upside down cross, and a group of Nirumbi were frantically trying to strap Yuki onto it. The kitsune was fighting them, but the shadow bands kept grabbing at her hands and feet. Standing above the altar, Leeds was doing a little dance as the Nirumbi worshipping him from below turned to face Mike. There were maybe a hundred of them, each one with a fanatical glint in their eyes.

Behind the altar, a bonfire had been lit. Dana was being dragged toward it, a panicked look on her face.