Part 25 (1/2)

”The heck?” my dad shouted, coming to my side. ”Are we being attacked by rabid priests?”

I was about to answer my dad, when Lilith growled.

”Whoa,” my dad said. ”You don't need to be like that. It was an honest question.”

Through Lilith's heightened awareness, I picked up the scent of what was bothering her: a Sensitive. When on a.s.signment, the Order always traveled with someone conversant in magic. This Sensitive fought for the Order on the astral plane. He or she broke wards of protection, threw counterspells, and the like. Lilith could sense an impending attack. I had to do something quickly, or the tide of this battle might turn.

”Fine, be like that,” my dad muttered as he rolled up his sleeves and waded into the battle. He picked up a nearby bit of smashed wood and held it like a club. Without a moment's hesitation, my dad whacked one of the two guys squaring off against Sebastian on the back of the head.

In the movies, the hunter would have dropped like a stone. Instead, he looked really, really p.i.s.sed off as he turned around to see what'd hit him.

The image of a black-robed priest bearing down on my dad with murder in his eye brought it all back-the night I walked in on the Order after they'd slaughtered my coven. I'd lost my best friends-no, more than that, my surrogate family-that night. They were dead because I hadn't acted soon enough. I would not let the Order take my family from me again.

No way in h.e.l.l.

Lilith's power surged through me like an electrical storm. My fists sparked with static. The charge raised the hair all over my body. Spits of lightning snapped with pinp.r.i.c.ks of pain out of my pores.

I felt the eyes of the Sensitive focus on me. He 'd hidden in the shadows of the coatrack, but, with Lilith's perceptions, his magical aura stuck out like a flare to me. I could see too that he 'd been using a spell to try to contain Sebastian and Matyas's magic.

Well, that just made me madder.

The charge I'd built around me released with a thunder-clap.

Flaming coat bits flew everywhere. The rack twisted into a melted heap. The Sensitive collapsed, though my magical senses revealed that he was still alive.

The room, meanwhile, went dead silent.

Every head in the room stopped and stared at me.

”You,” I said to the nearest witch hunter, ”are not welcome here. Get out.”

They got the hint. Though they had the reputation of never backing down from a fight, they ran away. I 'd never seen anyone scramble to their feet so fast, much less such an orderly, hasty retreat. They left the Sensitive where he 'd fallen and disappeared into the night.

”Dudes, you forgot somebody,” Marlena said, noticing the guy I'd zapped.

”He should probably get to the hospital, if I can ever get a d.a.m.n signal,” William said, his phone still pressed to his ear.

”They were probably jamming it,” Sebastian said and looked at his ruined palm with a grunt.

”d.a.m.n, that was fun,” Smitty said with a laugh.

”I think I'm going to faint,” said Larry, as Walter put a steadying arm around his shoulders.

”I broke a nail,” muttered Izzy. ”G.o.dd.a.m.n it.”

”Are you planning a full a.s.sault for the real wedding?” Matyas asked wryly. ”Because we definitely rehea.r.s.ed that.”

”Who's going to pay for the damages?” My mother was worried. ”Look at this place.” ”Uh, I'm afraid I can't officiate at your wedding,” the minister said, coming out from behind the altar on shaky legs. ”I no longer have a church.”

”Yeah,” I said, feeling Lilith's power melting from me. I sat down on the floor, feeling wasted and drained, ”Yeah, sorry about that.”

”How did they find out about us, anyway?” Matyas asked.

Normally, I would have accused him of tipping them off. But he seemed genuinely concerned, plus he'd been fighting for his life along with the rest of us.

”The dream,” William said.

”The astral wedding invitation,” Sebastian agreed with a shake of his head in my general direction.

”Oh, yeah, I had a dream about the wedding,” said Marlena. ”It was the weirdest d.a.m.n thing.”

”We all had it,” Izzy said.

”Apparently, Garnet forgot to set a friends-only filter,” William said.

I looked out at the shattered remains of the church I was supposed to be getting married in, and I started to cry.

It was never going to happen now, was it? I had no cake, no band, no reception hall, no flowers, no bridesmaids' dresses, no license, and now no minister and no church.

I put my head in my hands and sobbed.

An arm slipped around my shoulder. ”Hey,” said Sebastian. ”It's going to be all right.”

I broke. ”All right? Are you insane?” I went down the laundry list of everything that had fallen apart one more time. ”And now you have to buy a new church for the Unitarians. You can't even say no one's been hurt. They shot you with an arrow. Again.”

He tucked a loose lock behind his ear. Gla.s.s fell out of his hair.

”Actually,” he said, cradling his b.l.o.o.d.y palm in his lap. ”It could have been a lot worse. They usually carry machine guns.”

Unbidden memories of my coven came into my mind. They'd been gunned down, unarmed, in their own home.

Sensing my tension, Sebastian pulled me closer against him.

”Yeah,” William said absently. ”Why no guns?”

Matyas lifted a hand toward the stone altar. ”I'm surprised they brought the longbow in. This is a church. It's an old tradition of respect not to bring weapons into G.o.d's house.”

”Does G.o.d live in a Unitarian church?” Walter asked.

”If you were a true believer, would you take the risk?” Matyas asked.

”They shot Sebastian,” William pointed out.

”In their mind, he's the devil incarnate,” Matyas said. ”Like I said, they probably bought an indulgence or something for that one.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. Tears threatened to spill again. I took in a ragged breath. ”I can't even believe this conversation. Why can't we have one normal minute?”

Sebastian squeezed me even closer. He looked out over the a.s.sembled crowd. I followed his gaze. Everyone had begun to form groups. Larry and Walter were righting chairs. William had found a broom and was sweeping up bits of broken gla.s.s. Smitty seemed to be regaling Izzy and Marlena with embellished tales of former glory. My mom and the Unitarian minister were in some kind of tight knot of negotiation near the shattered coatrack.