Page 31 of Salt & Blood (Ivy & Bone #4)

TAKEN

EVANDER

Ever since he had stepped through the portal and entered the Underworld, Evander could sense echoes of Typhon all around him. It wasn’t nearly as potent as when the creature occupied his body, but it was there. Typhon wasn’t gone. And that knowledge brought him more comfort than he had expected.

And when he had seen Cyrus lying there unresponsive, while the Titans surrounded him, Typhon’s wings and claws had appeared of their own accord. It was as if the demon inside Evander was still there—and it was enraged that his brother was in danger.

Now, he was standing alongside Cyrus and Prue and… and Mona. Gods, all he wanted to do was grab Mona and fly her far away from here. But he had learned firsthand that Mona did not follow anyone else’s rules, particularly when it came to her sister.

Mona wasn’t going anywhere. And neither was he. Even if this meant the four of them were taking their last stand and these Titans would wipe them from existence, he would not be moved.

Prue pushed more of her earth magic into the ground, and a few more Titans fell into the crater. But it was temporary. Everything they did was temporary.

Only Cyrus had the power to kill them.

“I’m with you, brother,” Evander told him. “Just tell us what to do.”

Cyrus nodded, his eyes on Prue as she mentally dragged more Titans into her abyss. “Bring them down. Wound them.” Cyrus met his gaze at last. “I’ll take care of the rest.”

Evander nodded, then spread his wings. He shot a warning look at Mona. Don’t die, he thought to her.

She nodded, understanding his plea and answering it with a request of her own: Stay alive, Evander.

He would do his damndest. With a beat of his wings, he shot upward, flying high above the trees. His claws outstretched as he darted back down. He lanced through one Titan, then another. The third was ready for him and launched his massive fist into Evander’s shoulder. He grunted, veering to the left to avoid crashing into the Titan. But hot blood gushed from an injury in his arm, slowing him down.

The Titan growled, drawing closer. Evander’s wings flapped repeatedly, drawing him away from the beast, but the Titan was faster. So much faster than Evander anticipated. One moment, he was several feet away, and the next, he was there, his meaty fist clamped on Evander’s uninjured arm, dragging him downward.

Evander roared as agony ripped through him. But suddenly, his pearly wings receded, as if they had indeed been nothing more than a ghost.

The Titan gawked and released him, stunned by the disappearance of the wings. Taking advantage of his stupor, Evander struck, driving his fist into the Titan’s gut. He struck again and again, pushing the Titan backward. He finally aimed a kick, sending the Titan flying, black blood trickling down his chin.

A crack of lightning split the air, illuminating the ground in front of Evander. Light exploded around the Titan, and then, his body was nothing more than a charred husk.

Evander turned to glance appreciatively at Cyrus, who nodded in return. Another Titan lunged, and Evander intercepted this one, summoning his ghostly wings once more. But they felt weaker than before. He had a feeling they wouldn’t last much longer. Typhon’s presence had receded, now only a whisper from within.

In the distance, Mona was summoning vines, wrapping them around each Titan’s foot. But the Titans were inhaling her magic like it was a feast, drawing power from it. It only seemed to make them stronger as they drew closer to her.

“Mona, stop!” Evander shouted, soaring toward her.

But he wasn’t quick enough.

A Titan grabbed her by the throat and lifted her off her feet. Mona scrambled, her legs flailing and her fingers clawing at his fist, trying to free herself.

Evander pumped his wings harder, furiously trying to make his way over to her.

Then Prue was there, a long branch in her hands. She stabbed the Titan in the back with it, shoving it all the way through the man’s tough flesh. Inky blood oozed from the wound, and he immediately released Mona.

Prue grabbed her sister’s hand, pulling her to her feet and ushering her away from the Titan. Cyrus’s lightning crackled once more, and then the Titan was dead.

“Retreat!” roared the purple-skinned Titan, waving his hand to the others.

Relief swelled within Evander. Thank the gods.

“Grab her!” cried another Titan.

Evander’s eyes widened, and his heart dropped like a stone. The Titans wanted Prue.

His gaze flicked to the two sisters. Their hands were clutched together as they tried to escape the Titans, but they were surrounded.

“Cyrus!” Evander bellowed.

Cyrus followed his gaze, then slammed his hands together. Lightning stuck again and again, leaving scorch marks in the earth. One Titan cried out, falling to his knees.

“Now!” said the purple Titan. He spread his hands, fingers twisting in the air, as if he were weaving threads.

A rippling black hole formed in the earth at his feet, and a fierce wind billowed around them, making the trees sway.

Shit. The Titan had opened a damn portal.

“No!” Evander cried, his wings pumping harder. But the magic of Typhon was spent, and, too suddenly, the wings vanished, sending him careening. He landed hard in the dirt, rolling to soften the blow. But his arms ached, and something had torn in his leg. Still, he crawled forward, desperate to reach Mona and Prue. They were shouting something incoherent to one another, clinging to each other.

Cyrus was sprinting forward, unable to use his lightning because the Titans were too close to Prue. He couldn’t risk hitting her.

Prue summoned more branches, wielding them as weapons. But the four Titans now surrounding her inhaled deeply, and the branches turned to ash.

Prue fell to her knees, her face growing paler by the minute. Evander knew the siphoning of her magic was taking its toll on her. Mona’s arms came around her, trying to drag her to safety.

“Mona, go!” Evander screamed. “Get out of there!”

Mona shot him a look of frustration mingled with sorrow, then shook her head slowly. Tears streamed down her face.

Another streak of lightning, but this one struck too far to make an impact. One of the Titans shot a gleeful look at Cyrus over his shoulder.

The Titan knew they’d won. And from the widening of Cyrus’s eyes and the pallor of his skin, he knew it, too.

“Prue!” Cyrus roared. His eyes were all white now as lightning danced around his fingertips. Power emanated through him, and yet… he was still powerless. He could do nothing but watch as the Titans put their hands on Prue, tugging her arms behind her back.

“Don’t!” Cyrus begged, his face crumpling. “Please, spare her! This is not her fight!”

The purple Titan bared his teeth at Cyrus. “Oh, but it is, little death god. And when you are ready to negotiate for her freedom, you know how to reach us.”

Cyrus’s cry was swallowed up in the roaring wind as the last remaining Titans shoved Prue and Mona through the portal. Evander’s fingers raked through the dirt as he frantically clawed his way forward, desperate to save them, to stop the portal from closing…

With a deafening boom , the black hole vanished, and the wind died. Nothing but silence and stillness followed. Evander was gasping for breath, his face covered in tears he didn’t realize he’d shed.

And Prue and Mona were gone.