They followed Ronan into the side room to discover two Savages chained to a brick wall. Willow wrinkled her nose against the stench of rot emanating from the prisoners. Dim light filtered through the windows, but unlike the rest of the windows she’d seen, these remained intact. However, the thick layer of grime coating them barely allowed any light to penetrate the room.
They spread out to watch as Ronan inspected the sword before looking at the Savages. Ronan pointed the blade at the tall Savage on the right. “Let him go.”
Kadence sucked in a breath as Saber strode over and released the chains. When the Savage spun on him, Saber punched it in the face. The blow staggered the creature back a few feet before it recovered and whirled on them. The Savage raced at them, and Ronan stepped forward to plunge the blade into its belly.
The creature’s eyes widened as it clawed at the blade, but it didn’t burst into ash. Willow’s shock vibrated against Declan, and she pulled away from him as Ronan placed his foot on the Savage’s belly and, shoving the creature back, ripped the blade from its gut. The sword whistled as it arced through the air and Ronan severed the Savage’s head from its body.
“I don’t understand,” Willow muttered as the head rolled across the floor to settle against the wall.
She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the blood dripping from the blade as it landed in soft patters on the ground. Beneath the blood, the blade shone, but that shine was duller.
Ronan turned toward them. “I thought you said this thing turned Savages to ash.”
“It does, or… it did,” Declan said in confusion.
He strode over to Ronan and held his hand out for the sword. Ronan gave it to him, and Declan turned the weapon over to inspect the jewel. He’d only held it a couple of times, but it looked and felt no different to him.
“Set the other one free,” he said to Saber.
Saber released the chains. Unlike his friend, this Savage decided that making a run for it was his best course of action. The vamp was halfway to the door when Declan swung the sword and severed its leg at midthigh.
The Savage howled as it fell to the ground, but the creature didn’t turn into ash. Instead, it crawled across the floor. The blade was the sharpest he’d ever seen, but a sharp blade wasn’t much of an advantage against the Savages and demons.
“How is that possible?” Willow asked. “Iknowwhat we saw the other night. Iknowwhat happened, and what Ifeltwhen I killed those Savages with it.”
Ice crept down Declan’s spine. He hadn’t feltanything when he held the sword, andWillowwas the one who wielded the sword that night. He contemplated handing the sword back to Ronan and declaring it a fluke, but they couldn’t walk out of here without knowing the truth.
With a growing sense of dread, Declan turned to Willow and held the sword out to her. “You do it.”
Her eyes lit with joy, and she practically snatched the hilt from his hands. His dread was turning into a knot in his stomach. As she turned the blade in front of her, he swore the thing shone a little brighter.
A feeling of rightness stole through Willow as she gripped the sword once again. Ignoring her twinge of sympathy for the mutilated Savage, she walked over to it. Grasping the hilt in both hands, she drove it into the creature’s back. The jewel sparked, and its light flashed around the room before the vamp erupted into ash.
Silence followed before Asher breathed, “Holy shit.”
“That’s pretty much the consensus,” Declan muttered.
He didnotlike this one bit, but he couldn’t deny the sword hadchosenher. She was a warrior who never quit fighting, so he could understand why, but what did it mean forher?
It meant she would have a bigger bullseye on her back. The demons and Savages wouldnottolerate them having this powerful of a weapon against them. If they discovered she was the only one who could wield it, they would come after her with everything they had.
But then, they already knew she was the only one who could harvest its true power. Derrick and the other Savages who survived their fight that night in the town had seen her use it, and they would have reported it to Kirkau.
“Fuck,” he hissed. “They know.”
“Who knows?” Willow asked.
“Theyknow. The Savages and demonsknowyou have the sword, and if the demons are aware of its power, they probably know onlyyoucan use it. They’re going to come after you with everything they have.”
“Oh shit,” Vicky whispered. “Willow, you have to get rid of that sword.”
“No!” she blurted.
“Fuck!” Declan bellowed as he spun and hit the wall with enough force that he dented the bricks and dust rained down on him.
His shoulders heaved as his eyes turned a fiery red, and color flooded his skin again. Willow lowered the sword to her side and hurried over to stand beside him while Ronan nudged Kadence out of the room and Nathan moved to stand protectively in front of Vicky.
“It’s okay,” Willow assured Declan as she rested her hand on his arm. “If they come for it, I’ll turn all their asses to ash too. We have something we can use against them, something they’ll be frightened of, and it will make them think twice before coming after me.”
