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On my left, I see one of the vampires holding a box of some kind. His eyes widen at the sight of Legion attempting to break through the last of the boulders blocking our way out.
“There,” I say, alerting Legion to the threat.
He roars, spraying flames that incinerate the grass and plants in its path. The vamps scatter left and right to get out of the way. The one with the box pulls his arm back and throws it in our direction.
The box hits an outcropping of rocks at Legion’s feet and explodes.
I’m thrown off Legion’s back at the force.
There’s an ear-splitting roar as Legion’s dragon slams against the rocky ground. I land not far from him, the pain of the impact against my hip dragging a cry from my lips. Legion’s dragon pulls itself to its feet with a concerning amount of effort. From here, I can see a fresh wound gaping open along his scaled leg. Legion sways, clearly shaken. When the dragon turns to our attackers, the rage in those glowing eyes is terrifying.
Another wave of flames unleashes on the vamp who tossed the bomb. The man is engulfed, his mouth frozen in a scream that never reaches my ears. Out of the corner of my eye, I spot the second vamp running away.
Legion’s fire doesn’t let him get far before he’s turned to ash.
I exhale, allowing relief to overtake my fear, but it doesn’t last. Movement along the ridge draws my eye. It takes me two long heartbeats to register what I’m seeing, but when I do, horror eclipses my sense of victory.
Crimson Roses move swiftly, their ranks pulled tight as they approach with vampire speed. I count at least two dozen before Legion is there, his dragon’s snout nudging my shoulder in a silent plea to move.
I try, but the pain in my hip has me falling back again.
“Just go,” I whisper. “Don’t let them take you.”
He snarls, flashing his teeth in a clear refusal.
Something slams into the ground nearby, loosing dirt and rock as it lands with a clang against stone. We both look over. A blade lies on the ground, it’s handle intricately carved with symbols I’ve never seen before.
Legion rumbles from somewhere deep in his chest. It’s a sound of fury but also fear. That, more than the dozens of Crimson Roses coming for us, scares me.
“What is it?” I ask, but I don’t get my answer.
Another blade flies, this one finding its mark in my thigh.
Agony, unlike anything I’ve known, rips through my skin.
A scream rips from my throat.
Beside me, Legion roars his rage.
I stare down at the knife, too paralyzed by the pain to touch it. The handle is carved with the same symbols that, despite being foreign to me, send a ripple of dread down my spine.
Fire erupts in my veins.
Dizziness washes over me, and the scent of something burning fills my nostrils. Dark green smoke leaks from the wound.
I look up at Legion with wide, fear-filled eyes. “It’s poison,” I croak, biting down on the scream building inside me. “And I’m not immune anymore.”
Chapter 36
Legion
Istare down at the blade in Tori’s leg with suffocating dread. The symbols, that hilt—the sight of it sends waves of memories through me, none of them good. My mother’s preferred weapons aren’t simply forged steel. They are sentient spirits; essentially demons in their own right. I’d forgotten what they were capable of. If they’re here on this mountain, it can only mean she is too.
Scanning the horizon, I’m drawn to the far ridge.
She’s different than before. Cloaked as a shifter. But it’s her. The way my blood responds to the ancient darkness that clings to her is unmistakable.
My reaction costs me.
