My heart thrummed in my chest, the speed increasing as a shadow came from behind and swept my feet from under me. I landed on my back, momentarily stunned.
Matthew cried out for me, but I could not afford to spare him a glance as the tendrils of darkness struck once again. Lachlan had forced sharp spikes to emerge from their incorporeal form, slicing across my armor with one quick swipe.
I needed to be quicker to successfully dodge his constant assault. He turned his power into whips that slashed through the air. One after the other, they rained down on me, and I quickly threw up a shield of air around me so I could push off the ground.
Lachlan was trying to wear me out, not giving me a moment’s rest, so there was little chance to counteract the repetitive attacks he launched. Seeing them strike against the occasional shield only infuriated him further. Suddenly, his efforts became more brutal, the reverberations conveying a promise of his wrath.
He was paying no attention to his sons, though. Behind him, Trystan had cut himself from his bonds and ran over to free Matthew. Their father had created bindings that twisted from his feet to his shoulders with little room to move. Lachlan apparently did not see Trystan as a genuine threat, given how easily it was for him to slip through.
That was always his problem; he underestimated those he deemed unworthy. Trystan had long wanted his father’s attention until he realized how much power he had despite him.
But through all of Lachlan’s attempts to wear me down, his use of power was taking a toll on him as well. Sweat coated his brow, even if he tried to hide it.
“Feeling tired, old man?” I taunted, catching my breath. Sticky blood ran down my arm, the pain telling me one of his blows had struck me, breaking through my armor. “We could end this now if only you would let me.”
He snarled, but said nothing as he speared two shadows my way. It was so fast that, even without a moment’s hesitation, there was no way I could dodge both. I tucked and rolled, narrowly missing one as the other clipped my shoulder and cut into my armor. The sharp metal dug into my skin, and I cried out as I landed on it. A small piece had embedded itself just below my collarbone.
I waited for the second blow, but it never came. Instead, I saw Matthew’s face contorted into pure rage, his hand outstretched. Unburdened by Lachlan’s restraints, blackness spread out from his fingertips as I had seen before. It nearly consumed him, as another tendril of darkness shot out from Matthew’s fingertips, wrapping itself around the second shadow-spear Lachlan sent barreling toward me.
I could see the dark veins underneath Matthew’s skin, running up his neck and into his face. His green eyes were gone, replaced with glistening pits of onyx. This was no longer my husband. This feral creature was my mate. “Do not fucking touch her,” he snarled.
Matthew was nowhere to be found in the man who stood before us all. Instead, he looked like a god of vengeance, rage emanating from his black eyes and shadows twisting over his skin. He was pure power, here to deliver retribution to all who defied him.
Lachlan’s confusion was quickly replaced with shock as he faced his son. Trystan ran behind his father, whipping his sword out and striking the gleaming black armor. It knocked Lachlan off balance, and Matthew pushed his powers to consume his father.
I pushed off the ground and lifted my hands toward the sky. My shoulder ached, blood flowing freely from the wound, but I could not afford to stop. Vines cracked through the stone beneath us and wrapped around Lachlan’s ankles. They twisted around him, sinking spikes into his armor and skin. Finally, he cried out, casting a devastating impact that knocked us all back.
Matthew was flung into the wall, his face contorting in pain, while Trystan barely missed a spear jutting from the ground. I quickly stood and created a raging ball of fire between my hands. The pulsing amber glow created a false sense of security.
We were not safe. None of us were—at least, not yet.
It crackled between my fingers, the flames licking along my skin and craving blood as much as I was. It was intoxicating, begging me to feed more and more of myself into this creation.
Lachlan stood up, turning to me as he finished snapping the vines with a small knife. He sneered, preparing to deliver a cutting remark, before his eyes widened, and I attacked. The blast struck true in his chest, fanning out along his breastplate. Hot steel from his armor dripped onto his skin as he began to bellow. The smell of his flesh melting away under my power was nauseating. Still, the knowledge that I was the one burning him gave me a rush of euphoria.
His scream was my triumph, and I reveled in how it made me feel.
But no sooner had I begun to smile, thinking myself unstoppable, Lachlan’s shadows encased him in an onyx sphere. They cut off my flames and snuffed out the remnants still clinging to what was left of his skin.
I gasped, doubling over from exhaustion. The wound in my shoulder was pulsing, but my adrenaline kept the severity of the pain away for a while longer.
The sky above grew dark, and lighting crackled in the thunderclouds rolling in overhead. A single bolt struck Lachlan’s shield, one that I knew very well should have been able to break anything open, but nothing happened.
Small, bright currents fanned out along the sphere, seeking any sign of weakness yet finding none. The orb was impenetrable, there was nothing we could do but bide our time and prepare. Then, finally, the main gates swung open, a small squadron fanning out and sweeping the area. They reached Matthew and Trystan first, the latter unconscious, with a nasty head wound.
Through the crowd, Ciena and Luka ran forward. They were covered in black blood, and thankfully I did not see a hint of red on them.
“Eva!” my friend shouted, sliding to my side. He looked me over quickly. “You’re injured, you need a healer.”
He looped his arm around my waist, but I pushed him off. “No,” I shook my head. “I will not leave until he is dead—until his blood coats my hands, and I know there is not a shred of life left within him. Ready any battalions you can spare, but get them here now. The orb is impenetrable, and there is no way of knowing how long that will last. But he will be back, and when he is, we need to be prepared.”
I glanced at Ciena, noting the direction of her attention, eyes firmly locked on Kalen and Arabella’s broken bodies. A small tear leaked down her face, creating a trail through the muck on her skin, and washing away the traces of what she had endured.
I nodded toward them. “Take their bodies through the gates. Ensure they are safe.”
Luka’s eyes darted over, not having noticed them before. “No,” he whispered, realization dawning over him before he looked back at me. “Does Renai know?”
I dipped my chin, the only answer I could manage. As time faded, my energy was waning, and my wound ached, but I did not tell him that.
