Hawk ran at Lust, but before he could get close to her, her horse inserted itself between them. Hawk dodged the striking hoof of Lust’s horse, and throwing himself to the ground, he rolled beneath the animal. My breath caught when he came up on the other side of the beast and Lust grasped his ankle.
Hawk jerked at his leg, but she didn’t release him, and the longer she held on, the more sluggish his movements became. He lurched to the side as, with its ears pinned and mouth open, her horse lunged for him.
“No!” I shouted as I sprinted toward them.
The horse seized Hawk’s arm and ripped him off the ground. He spun and launched a punch at the animal, but before it could land, the horse tossed him away like a rag doll. I couldn’t breathe as I watched him flip through the air before hitting the ground. He bounced across the rocky earth and underneath the striking feet of Pestilence’s mount.
“No!” My scream left my throat raw as Pestilence’s horse struck again and again.
Hawk avoided most of the blows and rolled out of the way in time to prevent the horse from crashing onto him, but not in time to keep a hoof from striking down his back and tearing his flesh open. When blood flowed down his back, red filled my vision and fire flowed from my palms.
I dropped the spear before I torched it and stopped running to plant my feet as a wave of fire erupted from my palms. Not even my astonishment overseeing such a thing could bury the fury pulsing through my veins. They’dhurthim!
I’d kill all of them for that!
I couldn’t get at Pestilence without setting Corson on fire, so I unleashed my vengeance on Lust. The blast hit her in the chest and threw her back five feet. Her screams reverberated off the mountains as she slapped at herself to smother the flames devouring her flesh.
When her horse lunged at me, I dodged a hoof that skimmed my forehead and sliced it open. Blood slid into my eye as I ran at Lust and tackled her flaming figure to the ground. She was still screaming as her nails gouged the flesh from my arms, and blood spilled free to sizzle on the flames enveloping her.
The stench of her burning hair and skin filled my nostrils as she rolled on top of me. She wasn’t so pretty now, and when I shattered her perfect nose with my fist, she became even uglier. The punch infuriated her further as her hands flailed at me. Flames still erupted from my palms to fuel the ones consuming her.
Over her shoulder, Hawk appeared and ripped her off me. Fire rolled up his hands, and I cried out when his flesh blistered. When he threw Lust across the ground, she crashed into the mountain beside the cave.
Hawk turned to me and extended his blistered hand. Afraid to burn him; I hesitated to take it. “Aisling—”
He didn’t get to finish speaking as Lust’s horse galloping toward us pulled his attention away from me. I didn’t have a chance to extinguish my fire before Hawk threw himself on top of me and rolled us out of the way. I smothered my flames, but though he didn’t make a sound, I knew I’d burned him before I put the fire out.
No!My moan died away when he stopped rolling. He lay on top of me with his breath tickling my ear as I turned my head into his. My heart ached for the pain I inflicted on him, and I needed a second to savor him and everything he meant to me.
When he walked into my life, I wasn’t ready to be tied down; now, I couldn’t imagine my life without him. I’d never expected to experience the love I felt for him; I was immortal before meeting him, buthewas the one who brought me to life.
Iwouldn’tlose him.
“I love you,” I breathed.
“I love you too,” he whispered.
He kissed my temple before rolling away. I stared up at the clear blue sky and gathered my dwindling strength before launching to my feet. Wren and Corson had succeeded in pulling Pestilence from his horse. They circled him while he turned to face them. Wren kept her lips clamped together as sweat poured down her face; she looked ready to throw up, but somehow, she kept moving.
The swarming flies were so thick it almost looked as if they were wearing a helmet made up of the creatures as they bounced angrily off their heads. My stomach rolled at the sight of those insects, and saliva filled my mouth; I swallowed to keep from throwing up. Lix had regained his feet and was staggering toward them, but he went down to one knee before pushing himself up again.
Rolling across the ground, Lust succeeded in extinguishing her flames. She didn’t stop until she came up against the rocky mountain. With hands that were more bone than flesh, Lust grasped the rocks and pulled herself up before turning to face us. Badly burnt, she slumped against the rocks while she glowered at us from her one remaining eye.
Lust’s effect on me was gone, but I was done with the horsemen, the minotaur, and Hell. I was finished with these bastards trying to destroy my world, my life, my friends, and Hawk. I recalled Oliver standing in the shadows of the cave, and my rage returned to bury my nausea.
* * *
Hawk
Most of Lust’s influence faded when Aisling torched her, but the lingering effects of Lust’s touch made my skin hypersensitive. Having Aisling beneath me for those brief seconds hadn’t helped, but I was regaining most of my control and could walk again without extreme discomfort.
Lust’s mount trotted toward her, but before it reached her, Aisling released another wave of fire. The flames hit Lust, and she threw up her arms in a useless attempt to protect herself as Aisling pinned her against the wall. Her mount reared back and spun toward Aisling.
Ignoring the blisters on my palms, I hefted the ax and ran at Lust. Unable to move, Lust screamed as Aisling’s fire melted away what remained of her flesh. When I was only feet away, the flames abruptly cut off. I swung the ax down to sever her head from her body.
Thundering hoofbeats pulled my attention away from her rolling head as her mount charged at me. The beast was only five feet away when it burst into a cloud of ash that blew straight into my face as it rained over me.
Releasing the ax, I wiped the debris from my eyes and blinked them open as Pestilence’s horse charged toward Aisling. “Aisling, look out!” I shouted.
