Page 126 of Ascendant King

Turning my head, I tried to determine where the next fight was. As though he could read my mind, Cade raised his hand, pointing.

“There.”

I moved fast, Heather and the rest of the pack following behind me. Our nails clicked against what was left of the asphalt and pavement. The building next to us disintegrated in fast motion, the roof falling in, plants growing up the walls.

Humans fled out, and Cade wasted a minute directing them toward the edge of the forest. A dryad sprang up, her roots crumbling the foundation of the building.

Ahead, a wolf screamed, yelping in pain, and then we pushed through brush into a small clearing. Two dryads fought off one mage, while another mage turned, screaming in rage at the pack trying to attack him. We’d found some of our missing members.

Both mages had the same noses, the same eyes as their brother. They glanced at us when we arrived but turned back to their opponents instantly.

Panting, Cade finally caught up with us. “Austin, Benjamin. We killed Eric. Give up. You’re outnumbered.”

The mage holding off the attacking wolves jerked, his eyes going wide before he spun to Cade. His pale gray magic shot off harmlessly into the sky. “What?”

“We killed Eric.” Cade kept his voice level, as though it had been purposeful and not an act of pure desperation. “You have a chance, Austin. Give up. Flee or come with us. We are going to take down Leon.”

The mage fighting the dryads—Benjamin—shot off a long line of green magic. It sliced open the dryad, chopping it down to astump. The tree fell heavily, the dryad screaming and clawing, finally pulling itself loose only to stare at ragged, mangled legs.

Its companion reached down, surrounding the other dryad in a hug until both became a single, unbroken tree, two different-colored trunks wrapped around each other. Benjamin turned, his green magic slamming into the wolves, sending them flying.

I bounded forward, my feet barely touching the ground. By the time I reached him, Austin had managed to put up a flimsy defense. I opened my mouth, prepared to tear the magic out of the air, but I didn’t have to.

The black lines of tattoo that Cade had given me sprang forward off my back like enormous wings, crashing into Austin’s weak magic. It shattered the spell, sending shards of gray magic flying in every direction, burying themselves in what was left of the pavement.

I landed hard, barreling into Austin and sending him to the ground. He scrambled up, but it was too late because Heather was right behind me. She grabbed at his hand, and I grabbed the other.

We were a one-two punch that had already worked on one of the Cox brothers. Now, we were about to pull off the same technique again. Hunting with a pack, being able to rely on someone else, was almost as difficult as being on my own had been. I was so used to independence, so used to worrying only about myself that now, even though I knew she could handle herself, I worried that Heather would get hurt.

She pulled, and I twisted my mouth, shattering Austin’s wrist. He screamed, the magic he had been about to release sputtering out and landing with a splat on the ground, leaving half a tattoo of a bird midflight.

Then, green magic covered Heather’s torso, yanking her back, sending her sprawling, her fur smoking.

With a yelp, I abandoned Austin, my heart pounding in my chest, vision narrowing to the member of my pack who had been hurt.

I was the alpha. She was my responsibility. Using my mouth, I tore at the magic trapping her, but it clung to her, prickly thorns piercing her flesh. She whined and twisted, trying to free herself.

I gripped tight, pulling loose an entire thread of the magic, but with it came blood and flesh, the thorns tearing out pieces of her. Someone screamed.

I spun, trying to see the danger, but Cade’s black magic had wrapped around Austin’s limbs, twisting tightly. I looked away, searching for Benjamin as Cade shattered the mage’s limbs.

There was a sharp pop, and suddenly, someone grabbed me by the neck, magic giving them strength they shouldn’t have as they lifted me off the ground.

“Let my brother go, Cade!” Benjamin shouted.

I struggled, twisting, trying to make myself heavier with the movement, but green magic dug into me. On the ground, Heather whined again, trying to get to her feet, trying to help me. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Cade still, his magic frozen.

“Let Miles go.” To anyone else, Cade’s voice sounded chilly, disinterested, a young boy asking for a barely wanted toy back.

I heard the menace in it, the threat of violence.

“Austin first.” Benjamin shook me, and I pulled my hind legs up, clawing across his chest, but that only tore at his clothing. As his shirt came open, I caught a brief glimpse of his chest, the green ink twisting in on itself, piercing his own skin.

Fresh blood and barely healed scabs covered his chest. Leon had given him more magic than he could handle, and he was paying the cost.

Cade inhaled, and I could see the magic, the shadows coming alive, the crown on his head swirling like smoke. His eyes flashed, teeth brilliantly white.

Then something heavy landed, and Benjamin went down, dropping me with a bone-wrenching thud.