Chapter 21

I could hear Riley and Terrell running from behind me, yelling for me to stop, but I didn't listen. After a moment's hesitation, I sprinted as quickly as I could across the field to where the fight had begun. No one looked in my direction once the fight had started and just about half way across the field, roots wrapped around my angles forcing me to stop.

I looked back and saw Terrell chanting a spell and running at the same time with Riley on his heels. I tried to step forward but the vines were too strong. I used a different approach and shot flames at the plants. But where one would burn and decinagrate, another would quickly take its place.

A hand came down on my shoulder but I slapped it off. I was mad, confused, surprised, and heartbroken all at the same time. I couldn't tell which emotion was which so I became angry. Terrell walked around me until he was standing between me and the fight.

"What the heck is going on, Terrell? What are the wolf packs doing here?" I barked at him.

"Crystal, just let us explain." Riley finally caught up to us and was gasping for air.

"So this was your big plan?" I asked them both. "You thought it would be a good idea to invite all the wolves here to fight for my hand, while I remained unconscious and when I woke up, my mate would be the one at my side and everyone would live happily ever after?"

Terrell and Riley exchanged looks. "Well that was sort of what we were hoping would happen, but now that you woke up too early, it is harder for Percy to concentrate on the fight."

As Riley said this, I looked over Terrell's shoulder at the fight, to see that she was right. Percy kept stumbling over his feet and would keep sneaking glances at me. When he looked my way, Edmund would pounce and Percy had barely enough time to jump out of the way.

I felt like ripping out my hair and stomping my feet on the ground. How did my life get so complicated in such a short amount of time?

"Well, if it's so much of a bother for me to be here, why don't Riley and I leave and go home?"

Riley took a step towards me and looked straight into my eyes. "Could you do that, Crystal? Could you really do that to Percy?"

As she said this, I looked over at the fight, at Percy, and knew that I could't do it. Yes, he had hurt me, and plain out told me that he would rather have another wolf as his mate but I still cared about him. He was even fighting another flipping wolf for me! At that moment, I realized I loved him. I couldn't and wouldn't leave him, not now and not ever.

When Riley saw that I wasn't going to leave, she motioned to Terrell to release me from the vines. The vines unwrapped themselves from me and I was able to move.

I took a step away from Terrell and Riley. I couldn't take my eyes off of the fight. Though Percy gave Edmund some pretty bad injuries, Percy was losing his energy and losing it fast. Edmund kept lashing and clawing at Percy and though Percy dodged the majority of the hits, he was getting beaten up.

Unconsiously, I whispered, "You can beat him, Percy. I know you can."

As if he heard me, Percy looked my way and met my eyes. Edmund saw that Percy was distracted and jumped, teeth bared, at Percy. But Percy knew that he was charging. He rolled on the ground and away from Edmund. Edmund landed very ungracefully on the edge of the circle and spun back around. He growled but Percy stood his ground. He looked him dead in the eyes and somehow, he looked like he had gotten his strength back. He appeared to be in power and control and ready to win the battle.

Edmund stepped back in shock, and Percy pounced. Edmund didn't move in time and got a major tear in his side by Percy's claws. Blood dripped from the wound and onto the dirt floor. Edmund snarled and lunged, aiming for Percy's neck with his teeth. Percy dodged the attack and clamped his teeth down on Edmund's throat. Edmund let out a pained cry and the wolves from his pack growled at seeing their Alpha quickly losing the battle. Edmund somehow contorted his neck to look at his pack and let out a whimpered bark. Two of the wolves nodded and looked in my direction. When everyone saw that Edmund had signaled to his pack, it was too late. The two wolves were already on me and grabbing me by the arms. They started to haul me away; my hands not being able to move and control the elements. Terrell was already running after me with the wolves, casting a spell but before he could, a loud cry rang throughout the field. Percy was on the ground, unconscious, with a huge gash in his side with blood pouring out. Edmund stood my wolf, ready to end him when my vision became red. Strength I didn't know where it had come filled surged hrough me. I dug my heels into the ground and blew the two wolves away with large gusts of wind. I flew up into the air and shot another gust of wind at Edmund. It knocked him over and he skittered like a puck all the way to the edge of the field.

Terrell reached up and grabbed hold of my foot. I looked down at him, and yanked my foot away. With my attention on him he yelled over the wind, "Crystal, you can't interfere with the fight. No wolf can protect or attack the two opposers!"

I shook my head and yelled back, "Well then, I guess it's good that I'm not a wolf!" And with that, I shot into the air and toward my mate, ready to protect him at all costs.

~~~

Bending the elements to your will is really flipping awesome. Edmund was already back on his feet and snarling like crazy. His pack was in a full on war with the Romanian and other pack for disobeying the laws of the fight, so Edmund was on his own. I landed in front of Percy and blocked him from Edmund's view.

"Make one move toward Percy, Edmund, and so help me, I will burn you alive." I conjured fire in my hands just to show how serious I was.

I could read Edmund's emotions like a billboard through his eyes. He wanted so badly to fight me, but he also wanted me to be his. He paced back and forth where he was before he stopped and looked at me head on. After a second, he ran at me full speed, teeth bared. At that moment, I knew that Edmund had decided that if he couldn't have me, then no one could.

I lowered my hands to the ground and felt the earth below my bare feet. I raised my arms to the sky and a rock wall rose from the ground. It rose high above me and blocked Edmund's advance. I heard his claws dig into the earth in an attempt to stop himself from face planting into the wall. I moved my hands to face the wall and pushed. The wall responded to my command and flew backward, ramming into Edmund and taking him along for the ride. It rushed backward all the way into the forest and broke apart against a tree.

Edmund fell to the ground with a thud from having been crushed between the wall and tree, but eventually stood back up on all four legs. He looked furious and chose to attack from a different angle. He ran into the trees and disappeared. His dark brown fur helped him blend in with the forest and I couldn't see him. I scanned the woods, trying desperately to find him, until he emerged from behind me. He had run the entire circumfrence of the ring and had rushed from the trees behind where I was standing. He caught me off guard and managed to claw my left arm with his claws as he ran past me. Blood trickled down my arm and stained the dress I was wearing. It hurt like heck but I still continued to fight.

As I raised my hands for another attack, Peri and some other important-looking people appeared in a burst of light on the side of the ring. Peri saw me about to attack and yelled for me to stop. I looked over at her and a tall man with long blue hair in a green cloak stepped forward. He held a small black and purple box that seemed to have black roses with thorns growing along the sides. "Crystal Waters," He yelled. "We know what you truly are and we can't allow you to live with the power you possess!"

At this, Percy struggled to stand up. He managed to stand next to me but still couldn't move from the major injury in his side. I looked over my shoulder at him and saw in his eyes that it was his turn to protect me from them. He wouldn't let them touch me.

Before any of us had a chance to move, the guy in the green cloak opened the box and a black smoke shot out from it. The smoke came straight at me and encircled me. I felt my energy quickly drain and I fell to my knees on the ground. My hair whipped at my face but I didn't have the strength to brush it away. Suddenly a purple light in the sea of black appeared and the smoke retreated. As quickly as the smoke had come, it vanished. It flew straight back into the box with the purple light. The green cloak guy shut the box and looked down at me on the ground.

"Perizada, here, convinced us not to take your life, because she believes that you are not evil and not entirely of witch heritage. Because she believes that you somehow have wolf blood in you, we are not able to harm you. That being said, we still could not have allowed you to live with too great of evil magic. As soon as we realized this, this box appeared with the ability to take your magic without killing you. So now, Crystal Waters, you no longer possess your evil magic and we are allowing you to live."

You're allowing me to live?! You took my magic?! I was outraged that they would take my magic. I needed it to fight Edmund. Edmund. Edmund! Where-

My eyes scanned the field. He vanished. He's gone!

"Edmund. Where is he?" I asked.

Now realizing their mistake, the group of what I now presumed to be faeries, like Peri, searched for the insane wolf. When they couldn't find him, they all turned back to face me.

Peri was the one who spoke. "Darn it! He's gone! Lilia, I told you to contain him!"

The woman with long blonde hair and green eyes held up her hands in defense. "Well, I tried, but I couldn't find him. The black smoke from the box made it hard to capture him. I waited for it to disappear, hoping he couldn't find his way either, but once it cleared, I forgot all about him."

I then tuned out the faeries argument. I looked up at Percy from the ground and met his dark green eyes. There was so much emotion in them that I couldn't tell which was which. He bent his head down toward me and I placed my hand on top. Once I touched him, the wall separating our bond crumbled and broke away. All at once, I felt all of his raging emotions and thoughts. It was so much that I couldn't handle it, especially since my strength had been stripped from me with my power. I saw Percy's green eyes as the darkness clouded my vision. Before the darkness fully took over, one thought broke through and stood out from all the rest swarming my mind.

Crystal, I'm so sorry. I love you.