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Another Bastard shot black ropes at her, their threads reaching like vines to entangle her. She blasted them to pieces before sending a death hex his way.
—Manny, Jaime.
Two more Bastards stepped before her, their smiles drenched in bloodlust. She hurled her knife at one as she shot a ball of fire at the other. Sera and Manny were behind her, enshrouded by Sera’s glimmering shield.
“Get inside,” she shouted, pointing toward Jaime’s house.
Sera’s lips parted. She looked like she would object, but Manny grabbed her waist and pushed her toward the house. Relief filled Elyse as she watched them weave through the mayhem. If she could get everyone inside, she could turn her full attention on making the Bastards suffer.
A torrent of black smoke bombarded her shield, and Elyse whirled. Through the smoke, she could make out the silhouette of a barrel of a man. She zapped him with a stunning spell before turning to find her friends.
Jaime. She spotted him first, sparring with a lanky thug. With one flick of her wrist, she sent the man spiraling backwards, his feet flying over his head.
“Get inside!” she screamed at Jaime over the chaos. But he ignored her, instead setting his sights on another Bastard. Frantic, Elyse continued her mission.
Killian.
She searched the havoc but saw no sign of him. A stunning spell blasted her shield, and she turned to put an end to whoever had sent it.
Where is Killian?
Sera and Manny neared the house. Jaime’s shield was intact as he fought from the edge of the brawl. They were relatively safe, for now. But she couldn’t find Killian. Her breathing hitched as she searched the faces of the lifeless bodies scattered across the lawn, praying she wouldn’t find him there.
Killian?
Siamus’s voice cleaved the morning air, drowning out the sounds of combat and last breaths.
“Elyse!” he roared.
She spun to face him, heart pounding.
No.
Her chest seized as she took in Siamus. He stood poised behind Killian with his knife to his throat. A single drop of blood trickled down Killian’s neck.
Killian’s mouth was a tight line, sewn with fury.
“Do anything stupid, and I’ll slice his throat right open,” Siamus snarled.
Elyse could feel everyone’s eyes on her. She froze, sweat beading on her brow as she tried to calm her thundering heart.
“Drop the knife,” Siamus ordered.
Without hesitation, Elyse let her knife fall to the grass. She lifted her hands slowly in surrender.
Killian stared at her with pleading eyes. “Don’t do this, Elyse,” he begged.
She couldn’t look at him, yet she couldn’t tear her eyes away. Didn’t he realize? She would do anything to save him—even if it meant sacrificing herself.
Siamus grinned over Killian’s shoulder. He knew the only thing stopping her from massacring every last one of them was fear for her friends.
“Let him go,” Elyse demanded. “It’s me you want. Take me, and no one else has to get hurt.”
Siamus’s eyes glimmered with satisfaction. “I’m so glad you were able to come to your senses.”
A man with dark skin and a scar across his cheek approached her. He wrenched her arms behind her back, then she felt the cold touch of metal as he cuffed her wrists.
“Let him go,” she repeated, her demand ringing clear.
