Loving Madness

47. Showdown

Golden Hour- JVKE

Fury builds within me and I struggle to contain it. I shoot Mason a message telling him to have everyone but the Spirit Walkers and I leave. I cannot be around anyone right now and I would love nothing more than to rip Siobhan's mate's head clean off of his shoulders. I want to torture him as he knew Kurt was being tortured. But I need answers first.

'How did he hide this from me for so long?' I question the woman in front of me, trying to distract myself from the rage within. Once the room is clear, the woman answers.

'My best guess is that he's been using a looper and duplicator spell since Siobhan's Father was supposedly murdered. This kind of magic, used so often for so long, eventually becomes ingrained in you. It's a permanent shield that only grows stronger with time. I doubt anyone could ever uncover his actual mind, it's been active for so long, it essentially has its own mind. He is two different people at this point. His magic likes you because next to itself, you are the most powerful being.' The woman rubs her temples gently as if trying to push away the memories.

'Another thing, he is not Siobhan's mate. Once he is killed the dark curse will be lifted and Siobhan, while devastated, will know the truth.' My heart aches for Siobhan, but I know I will be there for her, as well as everyone else.

'What do I do? Is this something that can be fought?' My mind is at such a loss that even my internal voice stumbles trying to speak.

'Well, from what I've seen, he thrives on chaos. He's one of those people that is only content to live in disorder. With a Queen, the order is going to be provided again, which makes you a threat. Unless you take him out, there is never going to be peace for you. I doubt he will kill you directly, but I would be worried about your mates. The quickest way to throw all four kingdoms into absolute chaos is to kill one of the Queen's mates.' Her words echo around in my head, not entirely making sense. It takes me a moment to process them, but when I do, I'm sprinting from the room, desperately prodding at Mason, Kurt, and Sebastian. Mason is shocked at my intrusion and slightly irritated, as usual. Sebastian's mind is a quiet storm right now, waiting to unleash his dark powers on whatever is necessary, which is the norm for him. Kurt is calm, too calm.

I sprint through the castle and know there is only one place Cody would have taken Kurt. Almost immediately, Mason and Sebastian are by my side trying to figure out what's going on. I simply open my mind to them because I'm too panicked to give him a coherent answer. I use my power to fuel my speed and whip through the hallways like a ghost. Nearing the cavern, I know something isn't right. The three of us look at each other, trying to put out fingers on it. We burst into the cavern together and it's empty. There isn't anything here.

My face ignites in fiery pain and I know Cody has started his endgame. He has done the same thing to Kurt that Serena did to his fake mate. I cry out very quickly and use my anger to push the pain away. I have never felt this kind of anger. My skin is flickering faster and faster with bolts of purple. Smoke pours from my fingertips and my toes. My eyes are permanently smoky purple. My feet lift off of the ground, my power keeping me suspended. I don't hold anything back and let my beast take over once again. This time it is different. Both my beast and I are angry, quickly coming into a murderous rage. We gather all of our power into a ball and send out a blast. Everyone will feel it, but it wasn't a blast meant to hurt anyone. It will simply bounce off of Cody and tell me exactly where he is.

Mason gasps at the pure power flowing through him and he looks at me in awe. I see myself through his eyes and wish I could appreciate the goddess in them, but I don't have time. I get two hits back, almost at the same time, but one is a moment after the other. Sebastian is basking in the darkness radiating from my skin, getting drunk off of the evil thoughts that egg his powers on.

'He's teleporting. We can keep tabs on her. You need to gather power blockers and dismantle his powers.' The oldest woman's voice rings throughout my head and I know they are all four searching for Cody. I thank her and stop for a moment. I need to consider my options. Even if I release all of my power right now, my power cannot hurt my mates, it will skip right over them. However, it will hurt anyone else in the way. I turn to Mason and hold his hands in mine.

'I need you to evacuate the castle. Get everyone and everything out immediately. Have them thrown out if you have to. As soon as everyone is out, the four Spirit Walkers will help you set up a barrier around the outside of the castle. I want the barrier to prevent any magical energy from escaping. That includes any magical beings.' He nods to me and places a gentle kiss on the top of my head and rushes to meet the others back at their bodies. 'Sebastian, I need you to draw on all the power you can possibly gather, dark or not, and help me. I don't want a single particle left alive in this castle aside from you and Kurt.'

His answering dark smile grows as he grows. Taller and taller, beautiful smoky royal blue begins radiating off of him. It flows from within him and his powers stroke mine sensually, taking turns egging the other on.

I feel the castle begin to reject people inside of it. The castle itself is a magical being and is designed to work with my mates and my magic only. It will listen to Mason's magic and has already begun safely ejecting all the inhabitants. Mason soon begins manipulating the shield of the castle and it is time for me to begin. I draw all of my power to my chest, letting it sit there, feeling it, crafting it, loving it. It grows and grows and I add my anger to it. The air is thick with my power and it's getting hot in the room.

Purple flames lick at my toes, engulfing my ankles and soon my whole form. I don't feel the flames, just the tickles along my skin. My anger has transformed my power into something I didn't know existed. Wings of fire sprout from my back and my feet lift from the floor. Siobhan was my friend, I consider her a sister. Her fake mate would die today, no doubt about it, but she would be better off for it. I love her and her mate betrayed her. The empty spot in my chest oozed with pain and nastiness over the thoughts of what she would feel. I let the fire wash over the hole, cleaning it and cleaning me of the thoughts of the aftermath.

I bring my power to the surface, letting it build and build just under my skin. I feel bloated and uncomfortable with the amount of power I'm letting sit. It wants to be free, to do its intended job, but Mason isn't ready. I feel my pulse all over my body and in my fingertips when a small thrumming catches my attention. There's another heartbeat. It isn't mine, and it isn't Sebastian's.

'Focus Mayslee,' My powers whisper to me. 'You know what that sound means, but you have to focus. Don't get distracted.' I give myself two seconds to store that new piece of information in a drawer and lock it tightly. The heartbeat only fuels me further in my anger. I thought I had everything to lose before, but the stakes just got higher. I quickly hide all of these thoughts from Sebastian, not wanting to distract him.

Only a few more seconds. I tell the power, feeling like a proud mama at the beautiful power I've gathered. The tightly sealed draw wiggles in the back of my mind as the thought of being a proud mama flashes through my head. Finally, Mason has finished. I set my intentions with my powers one last time. I tell it to target Cody and the thing she is feeding. There will be no survivors this time.

I unleash my power just as my soul begins to rip. An unimaginable pain rips through my body. I barely notice as the power eliminates Cody and Siobhan's father. He did it. He fed Kurt to his monster. My power falters and I fall to the ground in a heap. I was two seconds too late. I can't breathe, I lay there gasping like a fish out of water. Mason, for the first time ever, is left in absolute shock. He doesn't know what to say and begins to try to take some pain from me. I shove against him and scream at him to stop. Sebastian looks at me with a pity that enrages me. He knows where I'm at right now. He knows what will happen soon. He knows how and why I feel the way I do. I deserve to feel this pain, it's the least I could do for Kurt. My sweet, beautiful, wise little cub.

Darkness and despair swallows me whole and I can't see which way is up. There is no way out, I don't have any fight left. There isn't any reason. My powers whisper to me to fight, but I have no will left. There is no room for anything in my heart or mind except the soul-splitting guilt and sadness. My brain cannot register anything else. My vision clouds over slowly and I don't fight it. I let the peaceful unconsciousness conquer me. There is no more threat to my people, they can be happy. I will never be, I will forever be locked in this moment. So, I do the only rational thing I can, I give up. I let the darkness swallow me for the second time in my life.