Page 122 of The Path of Blood and Betrayals

As much as I hate Wulf, hate what he forced me into, I can’t hold that grudge against innocent children. I won’t.

“We need to draw them away from the villagers.” I nod my head and my party looks to the cabin as more children flee. Max stiffens and I notice her fingers dipping darker, almost black.

Her magic is surging within her, carried on by my betrayal, her grief and the anger at these soldiers. It wants to protect her.

“Were these the soldiers who hurt you as a child?” I ask softly.

She lifts her head, avoiding my gaze. “I don’t remember. But I assumed as much,” she responds darkly. “I won’t let a child feel that fear.”

My eyes flicker to the scar on her throat and I know, she means every word.

Gesturing to my siblings, I give orders. “We won’t be able to use horses to get through this mess, so we’ll stay small, stick together. We get through the army, we get to the hollow and back to camp. If the guards are still alive, we’ll take them and head back to the Palace.”

I don’t want to risk it—don’t want to retreat. But I must.

Max is my weakness now. If she dies, I do too.

Fee and Reid nod, weapons at the ready as they stalk to the other side. If we can part the army, they’ll focus on us and not the cabin swarming with littles.

We’ll get away and they’ll be safe.

It’s a lot, but it’s all we have.

I scan Max once more, to make sure she’s whole. “Get your dagger.”

“You may own me, heir, but you donotcommand me,” she snarls, tucking the dagger tighter in her belt to spite me. Her fingers are now black-red, going to her second knuckle.

Her words cut me deeper than I want to admit. They slice into my heart, pull on the bond that’s rapidly forming between us. My lungs feel as if they’ve lost all function.

“Can you hear their blood?”

Swallowing, she fights answering me. She absolutelyhatesme. And I can’t blame her. But I’m just as angry at her—atmyself,for this situation.

I’m a weak fucking male.

“My magic hears their blood, yes.”

Nodding, I gesture to the army. Shifters are naturally more powerful, but the army is vast. They’re overwhelming the animals, cutting them down with such ferociousness that it’s astounding.

This isn’t an army coming to pillage. They’ll erase the Phoka from the map.

I don’t care about the clan, but I won’t watch childrendie.

“Then use it.” I nod toward the soldiers. “Let’s say they tried to kill you as a child. They tried to destroy your village.” As I say it, my gut twists, protectiveness rising to kill whoever would dare harm mymate. “They burned the Blackwoods Coven to the ground. Villagers are dead. Let that fuel you. Unleash your magic on them and let them taste that fury you hold.”

Eye widening, she looks to her hands. Unlike all those others in her life, I’m telling her to give into the magic. Let it take her under. Use her black rage and unleash Hell on all of them.

It’s the only chance we have at surviving this. She hates me right now, but we’re in this fight together, her only ally in a sea of raiders.

If I thought she’d be afraid, I’d be disappointed. Whatever the seer said to her, strikes something deep within her heart and she stands, eyes hard.

Those gloriously long fingers bend and crack, turning into odd angles as her head snaps left. A solider runs at us and she tugs, her invisible magic stopping him, as it ripples over me, caressing me like a snake. Her magic doesn’t feel threatening, no, it almost feels likelove.

The raider convulses, as her red fingers command his heart to listen to her demands.

Blood magic is a powerful tool even in the best of us.

I’m glad my blood summoner is not the best of us. She’s a vengeful spirit meant to bring these raiders to their fucking knees.