Fake Mate of the Enemy Shifter (Red Oak Shifters #2)

6. Cassia

Chapter six

Cassia

A s Grey collapses next to me, guilt seeps into my stomach, nauseating me as I force myself up to my feet. Faint pain echoes through my body from the strength of his force spell, but I could be in worse shape if I didn’t blind him and knock him out.

I didn’t even know I could do that spell! The urge came to my mind, and I… did it.

I stare down at him, still reeling with shock as the sounds of battle clash in the background. When approaching footsteps get closer, I look up as one of the few groups of back-up Moonveil witches hurry over to me. “He’s unconscious.”

Kila, one of Morgana’s and Lucian’s most trusted, steps closer to me. “Good. We’ll take him with us to the castle.”

My eyes sweep over the group, not spotting the person I’m looking for. She must be in one of the other back-up groups. “I thought we were attacking at sunrise. It’s barely past midnight!”

Kila shrugs as she motions for two witches to grab Grey. “We received word from Morgana that the attack needed to be moved up since the rest of Everblade would be arriving in the morning. This gives us a chance to regroup and heal before dealing with them.”

I guess if I had stayed in the castle, I would’ve found out the news with everyone else. It’s still a shock, though. Grey and I just… we bonded.

And I stabbed him in the back just as he accused me of doing. At least I knocked him out to spare him any more pain.

“Come with us to the castle. Let’s finish this,” Kila tells me with an excited glint in her icy eyes. She runs forward, her blonde hair streaming behind her as the other witches follow.

I want to run home instead, but if Gliselle is on another patrol, that means she’s most likely already fighting at the castle. Nervousness tremors in my stomach at the thought. What if she gets hurt?

I can’t just abandon her!

As the patrol rushes to the castle, I follow them, adrenaline surging through my veins. Some of the others have eager smiles on their faces. Others have wary looks. We all know that it’s too late to turn back now.

The battle is on.

By the time we reach the castle, it isn’t hard for me to tell that the battle is already tipping in our favor. Not only did we catch Everblade off-guard, but we’re hitting them from two different sides. Inside and outside.

A quarter of their forces are on the other side of the territory too and telling from the swarm of Moonveil witches around me, we outnumber them right now.

I dodge past small tussles in front of the castle, my eyes darting back and forth to look for Gliselle and her long, dark blonde hair. All I see are sparks of light, flashes of thick fur, and sprays of blood. My breathing grows shallow as I stumble into the foyer, the sounds of grunts, growls, and cries echoing around me.

A dark brown Everblade wolf leaps on top of a Moonveil witch, her large jaws snapping in front of his face.

I throw my hand up, knocking the wolf back with a force spell and giving Dorian enough time to scramble to his feet.

The wolf snarls at me, saliva dripping off her fangs. She lowers the front of her body, preparing to lunge at me in retaliation.

My stomach twists as I stand in the midst of an already blood-covered floor. I don’t want to add to the mess. I never wanted this in the first place.

My eyes dart up to the large windows that face the front of the castle, my hands forming tight fists. My teeth grit as I focus all of my energy on the glass, making it shudder before cracking.

The wolf looks up just as the window shatters and rains down glass between us.

I whip around and run down the main hallway, dodging past most fights and aiding others without seriously injuring anyone. We’re supposed to be here to capture and take over. Not to kill and maim.

A Moonveil witch and Everblade witch face off up ahead, their spells crackling and sparking in the air around them as they deflect, dodge, and attack. The Everblade witch holds both her hands up, lifting Jules into the air.

Jules gasps and flails her arms, trying to break free from the levitation spell and get back onto the ground.

“No,” I breathe out as I watch Jules be lifted higher and higher. I look behind the Everblade witch where there is an open door leading to an unknown room. With a shout, I sweep my hand toward it, using force to shove the Everblade witch backward.

She gasps and stumbles into the room before I draw my hand back, slamming the door shut to trap her.

Jules screams as the levitation spell breaks, making her plummet toward the ground.

My mind can’t think of a spell quick enough to stop her fall, prompting me to sprint forward until I’m right under her. I hold my arms out, but the impact of her fall still knocks us both to the ground. We hit the floor with groans of pain, unable to move at first.

“You’re crazy, Cassia,” Jules says breathlessly before giving me a grateful look. She’s only a few years older than me at nineteen, and blood splatters stain her yellow dress with a white corset. She pushes herself to her feet and helps me up, her eyes moving up and down the hallway with a glint of wariness in them. “I think the battle is waning. We’re winning… right?”

“From what I can see,” I tell her. It doesn’t feel like anyone is winning, though. Perhaps, just Morgana and Lucian. It was their idea to take over Everblade. “Have you seen Gliselle?”

Jules points farther down the hall toward a staircase. “Up the stairs where the guest rooms are. She was healing Jareth.”

“Be careful,” I say, giving her arm a comforting squeeze before running to the staircase. She’s too young to be thrown into a battle like this, but she has to stay brave.

This is almost over.

I take the steps two at a time, the muscles in my legs burning as I move as fast as I can. Just before I can reach the top of the staircase, a bright blast of light flashes in my vision, briefly blinding me. I stumble and hit the railing on my side, sending a surge of pain through my body.

An Everblade witch tumbles down the stairs past me, their clothes smoking from the lunar blast spell one of the Moonveil witches used.

I blink a few times, trying to get rid of the odd shapes and waves in my vision. Shouts echo up and down the hallway ahead, coaxing me up the stairs at a slower pace than before.

“Get on your knees! Face the wall!”

“I’ll incinerate you if you don’t get down!”

I stumble into the hallway, my stomach churning at the sight of Everblade wolves and witches being lined up against the right wall. They’re bloody, battered, and defeated, unable to fight any longer. I have a feeling this is happening downstairs too because the snarls and shouts of spells are becoming less and less prevalent.

“Cassia!”

A sigh of relief breaks from me as I see Gliselle crouched near Jareth at the other end of the hallway. I run over to her and embrace her the moment she stands, my arms winding around her thin figure. “I was looking all over for you.”

Gliselle smiles and strokes my hair. “It’s okay, dear. I’m okay. But are you? Let me look at you.”

I stay still as she cups my face and turns it side to side, inspecting me as she used to do when I was younger after training sessions. She may not have birthed me, but she’s my mother in every sense of the word.

Soon after birth, her own baby died, leaving her and her partner at the time, Silas, heartbroken. I was found a week later, and instead of turning me away to mourn, she took me in.

She fed me from her own breast. Referred to me as her daughter. Raised me on her own after Silas’ sudden death when I was only two years old.

I can’t imagine ever losing her.

“I’m okay,” I assure her. “I didn’t know the attack was happening earlier than planned.”

Gliselle nods before looking at the surrendering Everblade wolves and witches with a frown on her face. “We were sleeping when we got word to come early. If we’re going to capture the next wave of Everblade wolves and witches, we’ll need some time to recuperate. Can you help me heal whoever is injured?”

“Of course,” I reply as I nod. I’d rather stick by her side and make sure she’s safe until all Everblade wolves and witches are captured and no longer a threat.

Gliselle cups the back of my head and kisses my temple. “I’m glad you’re okay, dear.”

I smile at her, feeling an ache in my chest when I see slight streaks of gray in her hair. I hate seeing her get older because that means I have less time with her left, and I don’t like spending these years fighting battles I don’t want to be a part of.

What other choice do I have, though? I can’t run. I can’t join another coven. I can’t say no.

I’m stuck, and the only way out is to dig six feet below.