Page 27

Shiri

M y eyes flew open at the sound of wyverns squawking overhead. I smiled, remembering how I’d driven away both Enso’s and Arabella’s demons last night with Blaze by my side. Malvolia had wanted me to wait to heal Arabella and use her demon as leverage against Megaera, but I couldn’t do that to her after she’d saved the children.

Now only Drae was left, and I would heal him this morning when Tari visited, just in case we needed her to bring back his spirit. The bed swayed when I rolled into Nikkos’s arms, his feathers tickling my back as he slept peacefully beside me. I’d heard Blaze slip away a few minutes earlier and already missed him. He’d been so wonderfully supportive of me through all this. I didn’t know how I would’ve managed without him. Hearing footsteps downstairs, I wrinkled my nose when the heady smells of butter and onions wafted into our cocoon. My stomach rumbled, reminding me that powerful magic took lots of food.

“Shiri?”

I sat up, my hair falling over Nikkos’s bare chest while he peered at me through eyes thick with sleep. I gently stroked his face. “Good morning, darling.”

He blinked at me. “The children?”

“Are safe with their mother,” I answered.

“Thank the Elements.” He sighed, dragging a hand down his face. “What happened?”

“You were attacked by dragons.” I repressed a shiver, thinking how close I’d come to losing my sweet mate.

He sat up on his elbows, his gaze drifting to the curtains that hung over our bed. “Is Finn okay?”

“Yes.”

“Thank the Elements,” he said with a groan, falling onto his back. He dragged his hands down his face. “Where are Blaze and Drae?”

“Blaze should return momentarily.” I tensed, dreading telling him about his oldest brother. “Drae was locked in the dungeon after a demon bit him.”

He shot up with a gasp, looking at me with grief-stricken, wide eyes. “What?”

I flattened my hand against his chest, managing a weak smile. “I’ve learned the spell to banish demons, but this demon in him is powerful.” My voice broke on a plea. “I need your love to help me heal him.”

He grasped my hand, kissing my knuckles. “I’m here for you.”

A sob escaped me as I threw my arms around him. “I’m so glad you’re back.” I kissed his smooth cheek. “I was so worried about you.”

When he wrapped his arms and wings around me, I melted into his warm embrace. We broke apart when both of our stomachs loudly rumbled.

“Are you as famished as I am?” I asked.

Licking his lips, he waggled his brows. “For food and for you.”

Desire heated my veins as I traced the flaming tattoos along his chest. “Food first.” I bit my lip, ogling him while batting my lashes. “And then you can fly me back to bed.”

He swept me into his arms with a growl, kissing me deeply. I wanted so badly to make love to him now, but he needed nourishment first. Reluctantly, I pulled away, murmuring against his mouth. “Do you have the strength to fly us down?”

He pressed his lips to my forehead. “Of course.”

He flew us down, and Blaze joined us, sharing a tearful reunion with his brother. We greedily piled our plates with all kinds of food, stealing bacon from each other while sharing a goblet of juice. As much as I complained about the waste of food in Malvolia’s court, I was grateful for the spread this morning. Between the three of us, we’d eaten nearly everything.

Afterward, we curled up on the sofa by the hearth. I sat in Nikkos’s lap, stealing kisses while Blaze rubbed my feet. Though I was relieved to have Nikkos back, my stomach churned, dread icing my veins while I thought of confronting the demon inside Drae.

Blaze’s dark gaze settled on me. “You okay?”

I placed a hand on my roiling gut. “Nervous.”

Nikkos wrapped his arms around my waist, murmuring in my ear. “We’re here for you.”

I bit my lip, clinging to him while trying to drive out the darkness and doubt that crept into my soul.

My breath hitched when the ground shook so hard that I nearly tumbled from Nikkos’s lap. I gaped at my mates. “What was that?”

A horn sounded, followed by another and another, along with the ricochets of cannon fire. We were under attack!

Blaze grabbed my hand, pulling me onto the balcony. He swept me into his arms, and we launched into the sky, only to dodge flying, fiery projectiles. What in Element’s name? I looked over Blaze’s shoulder, panicked when I heard Nikkos crying out behind us, a burst of fire lighting up his feathers. But he kept flying behind us, waving Blaze forward as we ducked and dodged the projectiles that I now realized were firemage body parts! A wing, a leg, a head!

A roar sounded above me, and Blaze flew in such a blur that I only saw a massive troll-sized shadow hurl past us, hitting the ocean with such a tremendous splash, it sent a giant wave of water over the seawall. Firemages launched into the sky, carrying witches with them. The wall of water wasn’t as big as the one that Tari’s magical bomb had caused, but it was big enough to wash a knee-deep surge toward the castle.

I clutched Blaze’s shoulders as we landed on the battlements. “Drae!”

“The castle foundation is solid.” His mouth was set in a grim line as he set me down. “He might get his feet wet, but we have bigger problems right now.”

Nikkos landed beside us with a grunt, his wings smoking.

I stumbled toward him. “You’re hurt!”

“This is nothing,” he said, glancing over his shoulder at his flaming feathers. “Trust me, I’ve been burned worse.”

Blaze snatched a bucket of water and threw it on Nikkos’s back before putting out the rest of the flames with his hands.

Malvolia was at the other end of the ramparts, waving us forward with a scowl.

Blaze and Nikkos took my hands, and I choked on smoke and ash as we hurried toward her. She was surrounded by several firemages, including my fathers, plus my mother and Lady Arabella. Wolfy ran circles around them, barking at the sky as firemages chaotically swarmed above us like hornets that had escaped a fallen nest. This wasn’t good.

“What’s happening?” I demanded.

Malvolia motioned toward the ocean. “We were attacked by a winged giant.”

I clutched my gut, praying the contents of my stomach didn’t come hurling back up. “A-a winged giant?”

Marius grimaced. “That breathes fire.”

Blaze let out a string of curses.

Malvolia clutched the side of the wall while scanning the smoke-filled skies. “But my army was ready. We hit him with cannon fire.”

Arabella jutted a finger toward the seawall. “The water is boiling!”

Wings pinned behind him, Marius peered through a long, brass spy-lens. “If it smashes the wall, the city will be flooded.”

I gave Blaze a helpless look. “What about Drae?”

“What about us ?” Malvolia shrieked.

“Quiet!” Marius hollered while holding out a silencing hand. “It’s coming back.”

The sea bubbled and boiled, and then a giant creature rose from behind the seawall. This thing was twice the height of the trolls that had attacked Abyssus, and it had black bat wings! And the stench! It smelled like a canyon of troll dung. I clutched my throat, holding my breath when Enso and Freya flew around the monster, squawking while trying to attack its head. When he swatted one of the wyverns, sending it careening into the ocean, my siren magic surged through my veins, swelling my chest.

“Monster!” I hollered, my siren voice reverberating across the sky like a clap of thunder. “Stand down!”

He flashed a mouthful of rotting teeth with a roar and puffed up his chest. When I saw the bright orange ball shoot up the column of his throat, I knew what was coming next. He let out a terrifying roar, a stream of flames pouring from his mouth.

I screamed when Blaze spun me around, shielding me with his wings, though his poor feathers weren’t fireproof. I expected us both to be turned to ash, but the flames bounced off the curse chamber that Malvolia held above us, veins popping in her forehead as she strained against the giant’s powerful and deadly breath.

“Your siren voice isn’t working!” she snarled.

Though I wanted to say something salty to my aunt, I thought better of it, considering she was holding up the wall that saved me from being turned into a piece of Fae coal.

I recalled that rotting corpse minotaur beneath the rubble of Kyan’s temple. It had smelled much like this giant, who I now realized must’ve been undead. The corpse minotaur hadn’t responded to my siren telling him to stand down. No wonder Megaera had created an undead army. She knew I wouldn’t be able to control them. I worried my bottom lip, my gaze darting from Blaze to my aunt. “I don’t think my voice works on the undead.”

Blaze’s jaw dropped. “It’s undead? How will we defeat it?”

“I-I don’t know,” I stammered.

The giant finally stopped its stream of fire, its chest heaving as if it was straining for breath. Firemages flew around the beast, thrusting spears into its head, which were probably too small to penetrate its thick skull. The monster let out an agonized roar, swatting at its face when Freya landed on the bridge of its nose, pecking out one of its eyes! The monster swatted her like a bug, and she cried out, spiraling through the air like a busted sail, landing on top of the seawall.

The beast rubbed its eyes, stumbling as waves washed over its back, slamming it against the seawall. My eyes widened when the wall began to crack.

Malvolia gripped Marius’s arm, her eyes wide with panic. “Evacuate the city!”

Holy Elements! The entire city would be under water if I couldn’t figure out how to defeat the monster.

* * *

Tari

I WOKE MUCH TOO SOON to the sound of dragon roars overhead. Ahh, so this was what it was like waking up in an army of dragons. They reminded me of an old rooster we had back at our cabin in the woods. Only, these roosters breathed fire and could snap me in half.

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes with a groan.

“Mommy’s awake!”

Aurora and Ember climbed all over my chest, demanding we return to Thebes for tarts. Finn pulled the girls off me, scolding them for crushing me and telling them to wash up and change their stockings. They whimpered but did as they were told when he insisted.

I thanked him with a kiss on the cheek, then worried when I didn’t see Ash. What place would he have in the pack now that he was no longer alpha? Finn was the nurturer, helping me with the children. Helian was the alpha, making important pack decisions. Would Ash feel lost without a purpose?

As if he’d heard me thinking about him, Ash ducked his head in the tent, his face grim. “Tari, you need to follow me.”

I tensed at the haunted look in his eyes. “What is it?”

“Centaurs,” he rumbled, sounding none too pleased.

My reaction echoed his, after our last encounter with the centaur king, who had threatened to thrust spears through our chests rather than offer two white witches and their mates food and shelter for the night.

I quickly dressed and ducked outside the tent, Finn and the girls following me. The morning sunlight pierced my eyes while swarms of dragons soared directly above us. I sure hoped none of them had to relieve themselves, and if they did, I hoped they had the courtesy to fly over the ocean or an empty sand dune first.

Ash led us to the smoldering campfire, where three very haggard-looking centaurs awaited me. Standing in front of a teenage boy and girl centaur was a full-grown female Fae-slash-horse with auburn hair and matching coat. The girl, beautiful, with pale, soft hair that reminded me of Helian’s, had glossy, bloodshot eyes, as if she’d been crying. The boy had a proud tilt to his chin, and the determination in his eyes made him appear ready to die defending the other two centaurs. If memory served me, the adult females were called mares, the younger girls fillies, and the boys were colts.

“Goddess.” The mare bowed low, her front legs dipping while she splayed a hand across her chest. “I am Frida, and this is my daughter, Angeline.” She motioned toward the colt. “And our friend, Gunnar. We are all that is left of Itarian.”

“Why?” I asked, noting the dirt and grime on their chests and faces. “What happened?” Though I feared I already knew. I hadn’t been able to conceal their stronghold yesterday, not that I could have, since Aurora couldn’t teleport me to a place she’d never visited.

Gunnar stepped forward, puffing up his chest. “Itarian was set upon by demonic spiders. They ate the entire fortress and everyone in it in a matter of seconds.”

I clutched my chest, mourning the innocent centaurs. Yes, their king had been vile, but I still felt bad for the others. I bowed my head. “My condolences. How did you get away?”

Gunnar cleared his throat. “We’d been recently outcast and watched it from afar.”

I arched a brow. “Oh?”

The mare angled closer to me, speaking on a hushed whisper. “The king banished us when I wouldn’t let him mount my daughter.” She nodded toward the young filly, who wiped her wet eyes with the back of her hand.

“Why am I not surprised?” I asked wryly. After meeting the ignorant centaur king, it wasn’t a stretch of the imagination to also believe him to be a cruel debaucher of children. “Thank you for telling us what happened to Itarian,” I said, my voice softening, “and, again, I’m so sorry for your loss.”

The centaur shrugged. “They turned on us, staying silent like cowards while our king beat me and tried to rape my child.” She wiped tears from her eyes, her voice sounding hollow. “They reaped what they sewed.”

I understood why she didn’t show remorse, but damn.

Helian motioned toward the fire, where riders were preparing the morning meal, meager though it was. “You may rest and eat here, then afterward, I’ll have some riders escort you to Cyrene.”

She bowed her head. “Thank you, King Helian. That would be most appreciated.”

I smiled at my mate, not used to hearing others call him a king. I loved the sound of it.

My world shifted, and I was on the ramparts of Malvolia’s castle, trying, and failing, to destroy a huge beast as big as ten dragons trying to crush the seawall that protected the city from violent waves. I screamed, then fell onto my bottom, blinking up at Helian. I was back in his arms, dozens of Fae gaping at us.

Ash grabbed my shoulder. “Tari, what happened?”

My chest rose and fell as I struggled for each breath. “Get Aurora. Shiri needs our help.”

* * *

Tari

“E XCELLENT WORK, DARLING .” I held my daughter in my arms while Radnor flew through the smoke and clouds. One moment, we were on his back, flying over the beaches of Cyrene, and the next, we’d been transported to an entirely different hellscape, the sound of cannon fire, mixed with a monster’s roar, echoing from below. Helian pressed against my back, the strength from his love surging into me while I squinted into the smoke.

The smoke is too thick , Radnor rumbled. I can’t see a damn thing.

Magic surged through my fingers, and I threw out my hands, blowing back the smoke, revealing a horrifying war scene below. Two female figures stood on the ramparts, hitting a winged troll with black smoke. It had punctured his wings and burned his skin, but he was otherwise whole. A third figure hit the troll with a deluge of wind. Even from my position high in the clouds, I recognized her long, graceful neck and arms. Arabella. Shiri must’ve cast out her demon, and Arabella had been right about her magic—she was a powerful elemental witch.

A thunderous crack rent the air, and screams echoed from below when the troll hit the seawall, waves washing over his back. If he destroyed the wall, the city would be flooded.

I was the last hope in defeating this beast.

Tell me what to do , Radnor asked while soaring circles above the monster’s head.

“Roar,” I said, my thighs burning while squeezing his scales.

Radnor let out a roar that shook the marrow of my bones.

The beast looked up, blood pooling in one of his eyes. He threw back his head, and I recognized the ball of fire racing up the column of his throat.

Radnor banked hard to the right, dodging the stream of fire. But then the beast jumped into the sky, following us.

Holy Elements! I couldn’t spin in Helian’s arms and hit it with my magic with Aurora in front of me.

Hold on! Radnor shot upward like an arrow before spinning upside down.

Aurora shouted with glee while the contents of my stomach threatened at the back of my throat.

In the next moment, we were flying directly toward the beast. The flames of hell were visible through its open maw, and I had one chance to kill him, or my mate, child, and I would all be dead.

I threw out my hands, blinding, white magic exploding from my fingers, spiraling toward the monster. Then I sucked in a scream as we soared over the beaches of Cyrene once more, agitated dragons circling around us. Looking down at my child, I was afraid to squeeze her as remnants of white magic dripped off my hands. “Clever girl!”

She beamed up at me. “Do you want me to take us back?”

“Not yet.” I shook the magic off my hands, then patted Radnor’s scales. “After Radnor lands, I want you to take us to the ramparts.”