CAMILLA’S P.O.V


    I watched in pure horror as more skeletal hands began to pop up through the ground. Some even


    climbed up the edge of the cliff. There were too many of them to number and I watched them walk in a


    single file into the forest. They were headed for whatever backup that Ryker had nned. I fought


    against my bindings but it was no use, she had tightened it so much that I couldn’t move an inch. I


    could feel hope slowly start to dete as the reality of the situation seemed to dawn on me. I was going


    to die here and Ryker was going to witness it.


    “That should keep your friends busy for a while, don’t you think?” she hummed before turning to me. “I


    hate to ay it, Cami, but I expected more from you. You are after all the most powerful person on the


    net right now and here you are stumped by a simple spell. It is disappointing to say the least but it


    works for me. Now, where are our guests?”


    She seemed impatient and I couldn’t help but wonder who or what she was waiting for. She paced for a


    bit before focusing her attention on the altar that she had set up. She wouldn’t tell me much but I knew


    she nned to sacrifice me and take away my powers. I looked over at Ryker who seemed lost in


    thought. He was biting the inner corner of his cheek and refusing to look at me. I wasn’t sure if it was


    because he couldn’t or because he wouldn’t.


    I knew Ryker would be no help from where he was so I improvised. I found a sharp edged stone and


    started to cut through the bindings. It was torturous and slow and I felt like I was doing more damage to


    my hands than to the vines but I couldn’t stop. I needed to get out of here and I needed a n before


    whoever she was waiting for arrived. I was halfway through my bindings when I heard footsteps and a


    familiar scent filtered into my nose. I saw Ryker stiffen meaning he had noticed it too.


    I turned to Reina. “This is some kind of sick joke, right?”


    She just smiled cruelly at me. “I thought it would be good to have a family reunion, don’t you think? I


    would never leave children as orphans. I am fair to all.”


    I watched as Kevin breached the clearing with both my children and a growl erupted from my throat.


    Ryker looked hurt and betrayed and I realized that he hadn’t known that Kevin was behind it. He must


    have lied his way into the pce and of course Ryker believed him- he trusted him.


    “If you hurt my kids,” I warned but she simply waved me off. I watched her carefully as she sashayed


    over to my daughters. She stopped in front of Audrey who was staring at her with hatred in her eyes.


    “Hello, little girls.”


    “I know you, I saw you,” Audrey said and my brows furrowed in confusion. Even Reina looked intrigued


    by her


    words. “I don’t like you.”


    That seemed to please Reina. “Good, because this would have been a lot harder if you did.” She


    reached out to touch her but Audrey was faster, she kicked Reina in the shin and ran to Ryker who was


    closer.


    Reina was pissed to say the least, her face burned a bright red and for a second, I feared she was


    going to do something. I was poised and ready to strike if she did but after a second, she exhaled


    deeply and smiled.


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    “Run if you must girl, I will find you, I suppose giving you some time with your father is no harm. Kevin,


    put the baby on the altar and get me the things I need. We barely have fifteen minutes to get this right.


    Time is of the essence.” I watched Kevin hesitate. “What is it?”


    “You said you would heal me,” he said slowly and I saw a sh of something in her eyes, something


    akin to anger but it was gone within a second.


    She made her way over to Kevin and took Aurora from his hands. I worked on my bindings faster


    wanting her ckened hands off my child. She ced both hands on Kevin’s cheeks and smiled. I


    didn’t know what was happening at first, but suddenly, he screamed. I watched as more life bled out of


    his cheeks. He fought against her hold but there was nothing that he could do about it. I watched the


    very essence of him bleed out until he was nothing but a lifeless shell that crumbled to the ground.


    For someone who had just taken a life, Reina looked unfazed. She simply wiped her hands clean and


    walked over to the altar where she gently ced Aurora. I waited until she had taken a few steps away


    from my daughter before I broke free of the bindings on my wrists and worked on the others. She had


    her back turned to me so I had the opportunity to work a lot faster. By the time I was done, I took a


    protective stance in front of my daughter.


    “This is how it is going to work,” I began slowly. “You and I are going to talk like adults and my family is


    going free.”


    She raised a brow in amusement. “It is amusing that you think you can beat me but I will humor you


    this once. I’ll give you a minute head start. I have a few to spare before I kill you. Do your worst


    sweetheart but I’m not dropping the spell.”


    She kicked Ryker’s fallen knife towards me. I could see that Ryker wasn’t pleased with my idea but he


    knew what he had to do. There were too many people who could get hurt here. I knew the exact


    moment he got free. Audrey had been helping him undo his knots and Reina was too proud to notice it.


    “Run,” I whispered to my mate and he grabbed our daughter. Reina noticed as soon as Ryker stood to


    his feet and she cursed. She raised a hand towards him and I knew she was going to use her powers


    on him.


    In that moment, I felt a panic stronger than I had ever felt in my life. I didn’t even realize when the


    scream erupted from my lungs punctuated by a ringing in my ears. There wasplete silence at first


    and then the roaring of water as it exploded from beneath her feet. She was thrown into the air and


    even Ryker stopped to look back at me. I couldn’t believe that I was responsible for that, I refused to


    believe it.


    Ryker turned with our daughter and took off. There was a cave nearby that he could drop her before


    coming back for Aurora.


    My hands shook with the force of the water I was holding up but I only needed it for a second. Once


    Ryker was out of sight, I let it drop and Reina fell to the ground with a loud thud. She coughed out


    water and turned to me with eyes burning with rage and hatred. She slowly stood to her feet and I knew


    that I wasn’t going to get it easy from her.


    “I see you managed to break free of the bonds. Why don’t we make this even, hm?” she asked before


    swirling her hands and revealing two balls of ck fire. “Why don’t we have a little fun?”


    Before I could process what was happening, she threw them both not at me but at Aurora. I barely had


    enough time to erect a wall of water that broke on impact. She was terrifying at best with her eyes as


    ck as coal. She threw ball after ball in quick session and it didn’t take me long to realize that she


    was just trying to wear me out.


    “Where is your precious mate, Cami?” she teased. “He left you here by yourself. How does that feel


    knowing that he doesn’t give a rats ass about you?”


    I pulled up water from beneath her feet making her fall on her ass. There was a river beneath us that I


    could easily pull from. I just needed to get her close enough to the edge to push her into it. she was a


    strong fighter and an even greater witch, it wasn’t going to be easy to get her there especially not as I


    was trying to defend both myself and my child. I looked around wondering where Ryker was. It


    shouldn’t take him this long to get back.


    “I don’t want to hurt you, Reina,” I offered up as she slowly stood to her feet. “We don’t have to do this.


    We can end this peacefully.”


    “That’s so bad because I want to hurt you. I want to watch you plead for death and not get it. Most of


    all, I want to hurt your pretty little goddess, I want her to know that I took out her favorite soldier and


    there is nothing she can do about it. I am going to make it hurt and I am going to love every second of


    it.”


    She opened her mouth and ck smoke started to rush from it. I knew what it was immediately- it was


    death. There was nothing my water could do against it. Just as I had decided I waspletely


    helpless, I felt something begin to buzz beneath my skin. My hands shook and the more I looked at


    them, the brighter they got until what looked and felt like warm heat burst out from my finger tips and hit


    her directly in the chest.


    She was thrown back by the force and I saw the ck smoke dissipate into thin air. That singr hit


    seemed to have done so much damage to her because she struggled to get back to her feet. There


    was shock and slight worry in her eyes. She never expected me to be able to do that.


    “I-” she began but was cut off by the glint of a knife by her throat.


    “I would be careful how you finished that sentence,” Ryker warned and I let out a sigh of relief when I


    recognized the dagger in his hands.