Free Blood Tied by Jacob Z. Flores Page B

forth. That was all the answer I needed. The banshees were here.
     
     
    A FEW seconds later, silent chaos erupted all around us. Six banshees with white, waist-length hair blinked into existence inside the library. Before anyone could act, they let loose an ear-piercing scream that put most of the room out of commission.
    Those closest to the banshees when they appeared were hit the hardest. The sheer force of the sonic scream sent them tumbling across the room, where they fell. Among the unconscious heap were Mr. Proctor and his daughters, Charlotte and Miranda, as well as Mr. and Mrs. Stonewall. And Ben.
    In just one move, the banshees had managed to take out two of the High Priests. Individually they could steamroll over most. When they worked together, they became a tank.
    Edith Stonewall found that out the hard way. She had erected a force field around herself and her two younger siblings, but she had been unable to maintain the barrier under the concentrated scream. She and the young Kate and Keaton fell to their knees before passing out.
    The banshees closed their mouths to gather their breath and surveyed those they still needed to put down.
    Thad, get out of here! a voice wailed inside my head. It was even louder than the banshees’ screams, and it made my teeth hurt. It was Elliot, using his telepathy. They’ve come here for Aiden, and they intend to kill him .
    My gaze met Elliot’s, who kneeled next to his fallen family. His eyes were saucer wide in terror. Whatever he saw in the dark fae’s minds was evidently not good.
    I wrapped my arm around Aiden’s naked waist and pulled him close.
    “What are you doing?” he asked. Fiery tendrils snaked off his fists. He was clearly ready to fight, not retreat.
    “We need to get out of here. They want to kill you.”
    “Let them try,” he said. His temper raged as hot as the fire burning from his palms.
    “I have to keep you safe.”
    He shrugged out of my embrace. “I don’t need anyone to keep me safe.”
    Was he kidding? Now wasn’t exactly the best time to be arguing or be offended that I’d inadvertently challenged his manhood, or fairyhood, or whatever he called it.
    Thad! Elliot yelled inside my head again. Move it!
    One glance over my shoulder revealed the cause of Elliot’s unease. The banshees had set their gazes upon Aiden and me, and their yellow eyes burned in hatred. They flew toward us, their gray, tattered dresses fluttering about them as they joyously prepared to bring death.
    I shielded Aiden with my body and erected a wall of ice. The banshees tore through the barrier with their silent screams, and the force of the explosion sent Aiden and me careening away from the exit.
    As I struggled to get to my feet, one of the screaming dark fairies spasmed in pain. Pierce, who still appeared wobbly from the initial onslaught, unleashed a thousand volts of electricity that instantly fried her. She disappeared in a puff of fog.
    The remaining banshees howled in silent grief. Two of them converged on my older brother, clawing at his skin. As Pierce fought them off with my father’s assistance, the three remaining dark fae advanced toward where I crouched over Aiden.
    Before I could summon my powers again, a sudden rush of wind slammed into the banshees. They crashed into the table that had been set for our feast. Adam Proctor stood to my left, his hands outstretched. He’d tapped into his air abilities to keep them pinned against the wall.
    Roots exploded through the wood flooring. They wrapped around the trapped banshees’ necks and snaked across their open mouths, gagging them and rendering them unable to access their power. Adam’s mother, Camille, who had the ability to manipulate plants, had evidently made use of the trees that grew around Blackmoor Manor to silence them.
    I focused my attention on where Pierce and my father battled the remaining two banshees. In his stone form, my father yanked them off Pierce and hurled them across the