Balor (Balor’s Saints MC #1)

Chapter Eleven

Balor

It had taken far longer than I’d have liked, but we’d finally located Belladonna. Her father hadn’t gone as far as I’d assumed he would. The issue was getting her out of there and giving us space to finish what we’d started. I gathered the shadows around me and gave them the command to seek out my mate and bring her to me. I hoped like hell they wouldn’t freak her out.

“Are we just going to sit and wait?” Jackson asked.

“Do you have a better idea?” I folded my arms and leaned against a tree. “If we send in your undead army, what do you think would happen? I can’t have Clay turning into a bear and trying to retrieve her. Collin could very well get himself killed.”

“What about Ben?” he asked.

I shook my head. “Too risky. Can you imagine what they’d do if they got their hands on him? All that power at their fingertips? I’ve seen vampires under mind control before. It’s not pretty, and this coven seems like the type who would try to pull some shit like that.”

“Exactly how long will this take?” he asked.

I stared at him, wondering when he’d developed the attention span of a child. Before I could even give him a response, I heard Belladonna, and her father bellowing for her to return.

“Looks like you don’t have to after all,” I said.

I moved forward and searched the area for her. My shadows were keeping her obscured as she raced away from her remaining coven members. The moment she saw me, her eyes went wide, but she didn’t slow. If anything, she seemed to pick up speed.

I held out my arms and she hit me like a ton of bricks. Holding her close, I breathed her in. “I’m so glad you’re all right.”

She nodded, burying her face against me. “I’m scared, but fine. What the hell was that you sent to me?”

“Shadows. They won’t hurt you.”

She took a step back and eyed me up and down. I knew she noticed the changes, but I didn’t have time to tell her everything right now. We needed to destroy her father and the others as quickly as possible. The sooner they were gone, the better off everyone would be in Darkwood.

“Your mate here is jacked up on magick,” Jackson said. “New and improved Balor Hades.”

“So I see,” she murmured. I didn’t see disgust in her eyes, only intrigue. Looked like we’d have a long discussion about this at some point. Preferably after everyone else was dead, and we’d had some time to rest.

“Everyone ready to fight?” I asked.

Belladonna nodded. “Count me in! I want some payback.”

As much as I wanted to argue with her, I knew better. If she wanted to fight, I wouldn’t stand in her way.

“Everyone be careful,” I said, before striding forward and launching the first spell.

* * *

Belladonna

I’d nearly lost all hope when those weird shadows had approached me. At first, I’d thought they meant to hurt me, until I realized they were releasing me from my restraints. They’d clung to me, hiding me from everyone else, and helped me slip past my father and the guards he’d assigned. Then I’d seen him. My avenging angel. Although, angel might not be the right term. The Balor who I saw now wasn’t the same man I’d left when my father had kidnapped me. This one was darker, more sinister, and death followed in his wake.

The battle was chaos. Balor’s Saints MC and my father’s forces collided with a thunderous roar. Shouts filled the air, mingling with the crackle of supernatural energy. I stood back, watching with a critical eye, taking in every detail of the battlefield.

Balor was a force to be reckoned with. I’d seen him angry before, but never like this. His blue eyes glowed with an eerie light as he channeled his magic. He didn’t rush into battle, but waited, watching, calculating. I’d never been more glad he was on my side. Balor’s expression remained calm, detached. As if he were merely orchestrating a symphony of destruction.

My father was an imposing figure on the battlefield, his robes billowing around him as he shouted commands to his coven. The club wasn’t holding back as they engaged in brutal hand-to-hand combat with the witches and warlocks. Men fought with fists and daggers, while others unleashed their own magic.

The metallic scent of blood hung heavy in the air, and I shivered as dark magic swirled around me. Balor’s power was like a living thing, tendrils of shadow creeping along the ground. I’d known he was strong, but this… this was something else. I couldn’t have ever imagined it, no matter how hard I’d tried. I’d never seen anything like it before.

My father flung his hand out, and a burst of light and sound exploded toward Balor. My mate stood there, watching as it got closer and closer. At the last moment, he held up his hand, the shadows wrapping around him as they absorbed the attack. My father’s hands shook as he grabbed a potion from his belt and hurled it at Balor. The glass shattered, the contents spilling onto the ground and scorching the earth. A wall of fire shot up, creating a temporary barrier between the two men.

I could see the strain on my father’s face, the way his body trembled as he fought to keep the fire from going out. He was weakening. I didn’t know if it was from the power he’d expended, or if my father was an old man who didn’t have the strength to win this fight.

“Don’t just stand there!” he shouted at the coven. “Kill them! Kill them all!”

The coven members moved forward, but the bikers I’d observed in our few encounters over the last week or so didn’t back down. Collin and Ben remained with me, while the others stepped into the fray. They met the witches and warlocks head-on, fists and magic flying. Balor’s men were outnumbered, but none of them seemed worried.

“Did you really think you’d win?” Balor asked, his voice carrying over the sounds of battle. “That you’d take my woman, my child, and there would be no consequences?”

“You’re a fool,” my father said. “I’ll never let her go. She’s mine. My daughter will never be free of me. Not even in death.”

Balor’s jaw clenched. “We’ll see about that.”

I could see the tension in Balor’s shoulders, the rage simmering just beneath the surface. He’d been holding back, I realized. The club was protecting me, making sure none of the coven members could get close, creating a barrier between them and Balor. Because if he didn’t have to worry about me, he could use his full power.

The ground shook as more magic was unleashed, and I watched in horror as several coven members fell to the ground, lifeless. From what I’d heard of him, I knew Balor could be ruthless, but this… I hadn’t realized how dangerous he truly was. Hearing and seeing were two different things.

“Balor?” I called out, needing to know he was still in there, that he hadn’t been consumed by the darkness.

His gaze met mine, and I saw the man behind the power. The one who’d held me close, who’d made me feel safe. “Get her out of here. Take her to our home and don’t let anyone near her.”

“I’m not leaving you,” I said, my heart breaking at the thought of abandoning him.

“Now!” Balor snarled.

The bikers moved me behind them. Jackson’s eyes glowed with power, his hands outstretched as he muttered something under his breath. He stood still, his gaze fixed on the undead creatures clawing their way out of the ground. His expression remained calm, eerily so, as if commanding an army of the dead was a routine occurrence. His hands moved with precision, fingers twitching in a controlled dance. The air around him grew colder, and I saw his breath fog the air.

The ground trembled as more wolves and mountain lions rose, their bones clattering together. Shadows wrapped around them, holding them together in a grotesque mockery of life. The creatures moved with fluid grace, their skeletal forms blending with the darkness. Jackson’s eyes glowed faintly, the only sign of the power he wielded.

“Go,” he whispered, his voice barely audible over the growls of the undead animals.

As the animals obeyed his commands, more figures emerged from the woods… humans. Jackson had unleashed an undead army against the coven. I shivered, taking in the tattered clothes on the rotting human corpses. Some were nothing more than bone. The animals had been dead long enough only bone remained on them as well. It didn’t keep them from destroying anyone who was in their path. Their teeth ripped into flesh, and their claws slashed at the coven members.

I watched as his hands twitched again, another set of wolves appearing from the ground. He looked… tired. As if controlling the creatures took more effort than he let on. His breath came out in short bursts, each exhale a puff of white in the cold air.

“Jackson,” I called out. “How long can you keep this up?”

He didn’t look at me, his focus on the creatures. “Long enough. They’re turning the tide. Balor will have the advantage soon.”

I could hear the growls and snarls of the undead animals, the sounds mingling with the screams of the warlocks. The ground trembled again, and I realized it wasn’t just from the creatures. It was fear. The coven members were terrified, and their magick was starting to slip out, completely uncontrolled.

Jackson’s hands stilled, and he took a deep breath. “It’s done. For now.”

My father screamed in outrage as the wolves and mountain lions charged toward the coven members. The warlocks were able to take down some of them, but the animals seemed to be endless, and even those knocked down or taken apart, seemed to reassemble and get back up again. I watched as one warlock or witch after another fell, until only my father was left standing.

Even though the necromancer no longer seemed to be orchestrating their moves, the undead creatures wouldn’t stop. I didn’t know if he’d commanded them to keep fighting until the coven was gone, or if they were only functioning off his residual magick right now.

I glanced at Jackson, noting the pallor of his skin. “You need to rest.”

He nodded, his eyes closing for a moment. “I’ll be fine. Just… need a moment.”

Balor’s presence washed over me, and I turned to see him striding across the field. His eyes glowed with dark power, and blood spatter covered his skin. I felt a shiver run down my spine. He was a force to be reckoned with, and I had no doubt he’d just proven it to the coven.

“Jackson.” Balor’s voice was a low rumble. “Good work.”

Jackson inclined his head. “Thank you. It was… necessary.”

More people joined the fight, ones I’d never seen before, but it was clear they were on Balor’s side. Were they residents of Darkwood? I saw a man with long black hair raise his hands, the earth trembling beneath his feet. A warlock flew backward, landing hard enough his neck snapped. Another man’s hands glowed with magic, and he flung spell after spell at the warlocks.

My father’s coven didn’t stand a chance. Not against the power Balor wielded and the men who had come to help him. My father’s face turned red with rage as he watched his men fall. He focused on me, and the hatred in his eyes made me stumble back a step.

“You,” he spat. “This is all your fault. You couldn’t do as you were told. You had to run away. And now I’ll have to kill the man you seem to love so much.”

“Won’t happen,” Balor said. He raised his hands, and the shadows that seemed to follow him everywhere shot out. They wrapped around a few coven members, and I watched in horror as they fell to the ground, no longer moving.

“You’ll pay for this,” he said, his gaze locked on Balor. “I’ll see you dead.”

“Many have tried. All have failed.”

The remnants of the coven members and the undead army littered the battlefield, a macabre testament to the chaos that had unfolded. The air was charged with energy, sparks flying from errant spells and the deepening shadows cast by the setting sun. It was as if the world itself held its breath, waiting for the final act to play out.

Balor’s eyes glowed with a confidence that bordered on arrogance. The dark power still clung to him, a palpable force that made my skin prickle. He looked every bit the devil his name implied, and I knew my father was right to fear him.

My father’s lips pulled back in a snarl, his angular features twisted in rage. “You think you can take what’s mine and I’ll let you live?”

“You’re repeating yourself, old man. And I think you’ve already figured out I don’t give a fuck what you want. I’m taking back what’s mine. And I’m going to enjoy ripping you apart to do it.” Balor gave a tight smile.

My father threw a potion at Balor, and he dissolved into shadows. I gasped as he reappeared farther away, his eyes glowing even brighter. Balor raised his hands, and I saw a black ball of death magick form, crackling with power. My father tried to counter the attack, but it was clear he was weakening. The black ball hit him in the chest, and he staggered back. His eyes widened as he collapsed to the ground, life slipping from his body.

Balor moved closer, shadows trailing behind him. “I told you not to touch my woman. Or my child.”

My father gurgled as blood pooled on his lips. “You won’t win. She’ll never be free of me.”

“She already is,” Balor said. He raised his hand, and the shadows lashed out, slamming into my father. I stared, unable to look away, as the life left his eyes, and his body slumped to the ground.

I’d known this would end only one way, and that someone like my father could never be allowed to live. But until this moment I hadn’t realized how much it would affect me. He might have been an awful person, and power hungry, but he was still the reason I existed. I felt torn between feeling as if I should mourn his loss, and relief that he’d never hurt anyone again.

Balor turned to face me, and I saw the shadows still swirling around him. My heart stuttered in my chest, fear lodging in my throat. He was too powerful. Too dangerous. And he was mine.

* * *

Balor

I took a step forward, and then another. Belladonna watched me. I wasn’t sure if she’d welcome me. I was covered in blood, all from the coven she’d called family her entire life. The magic still crackled in the air. I knew she could sense it. I saw the way she trembled, but she didn’t back away. If anything, she moved a step closer. Her green eyes glowed, and I wondered if it was from the power I sensed in her, or something else entirely.

I reached her side and pulled her into my arms. She settled against my chest and I breathed her in. My hands shook as I pressed my lips to the top of her head. I’d been scared I’d lose her. Now that she’d seen what I was capable of, the way I’d easily slaughtered her coven, would she want to remain with me? This power of mine, it wasn’t of this world. I’d heard the whispers in my family before, that our power came from dark gods. I’d never believed it until now. The darkness surging inside me was proof enough I was the closest thing to a living god in this world right now.

“Are you all right?” I asked.

Belladonna nodded. “I am. You saved me.”

I leaned back and tipped her head up. “You saved me too.”

She really had, even if she hadn’t realized it. I was no longer hiding who I was, had embraced my family’s legacy, and would stop at nothing to protect the people of Darkwood… including my mate and child. From this point onward, I knew my future would be different from what I’d envisioned before. And I was okay with that.

I looked around at the clearing. It would take time to clean this place up. The ground was littered with debris, and the faint mist of magick still hung in the air. The scent of smoke lingered, and I knew it would take a while for that to dissipate. Thaddeus Kline’s body lay on the ground, his eyes wide open and staring at the sky.

My gaze went to the members of my club. They’d done so much for me, and never asked for anything in return. I hadn’t planned to reveal my true self. I’d hoped to keep my identity a secret a little while longer. If it weren’t for Belladonna, if the coven hadn’t wanted her, I might have succeeded. But I wouldn’t change a thing. This moment had been a long time coming. I’d been hiding in plain sight. Now…

I was free.

I reached for Belladonna’s hand, curling my fingers around hers. I felt the way she trembled, and I knew she’d been scared. I’d make sure she never had to face that fear again. I’d protect her and our baby.

I saw the way Belladonna looked at me. The way she studied me. She’d saved me. She didn’t even realize it. Whether I’d known it or not, I’d been waiting for her. I’d needed her. She’d given me a reason to keep going. The town would be safe now. The Coven of Eternal Night had been annihilated.

Since some of the Night’s Bane Coven had been present in the previous fight, there was a chance they could come back for retaliation later. I’d need to ask someone to keep an eye on them. If they so much as hinted they were going to come to Darkwood, or attempt to hurt the people I cared about, I’d wipe them off the face of the earth.

I looked at the men around me. “Let’s head back. Our work for the night is done, but we’ll need to cleanse this place after we’ve gotten some rest.”

I kept hold of Belladonna’s hand as we made our way back to my bike. I’d make sure she had everything she needed. When we reached my bike and swung my leg over. I settled Belladonna behind me, her arms coming around my waist. I reached back and pulled her closer. I felt the way she relaxed against me. I’d make sure she knew she was safe. I’d protect my family, no matter the cost.

It was time to go home.