He danced back again, but his broken foot slowed him. With no other options, he ignored the discomfort as he kept moving.
He darted, danced, and spun away as he steadily led the creature down the side of the mountain, through the flames, and toward the water. His flesh slid to the side as it started to slough off him and blisters covered what remained of his skin. Not even the sand was as agonizing as this, but he didn’t stop.
Bombs erupted into the sky and whistled as they soared through the air. As they crashed around him, they churned up chunks of earth and splattered him with their fiery remnants.
The bits and pieces adhering to him sizzled as they burrowed through his muscle and embedded in his bones. The sweat pouring down his body and dripping off his chin sizzled when it hit the ground.
With an image of Lexi rooted firmly in his mind, he drew the creature onward. The ground quaked beneath its feet as it chased him, and when it charged again, Cole barely avoided being embraced in a fiery hug.
Finally, the flames gave way, and he spotted the pristine water of the lake once more. Even knowing what they did, Cole found it almost impossible to resist plunging into those cool waters and finding some relief for his crisp-fried body.
When the cherufe ran at him again, he stepped to the side. The creature didn’t run into the water, but it got close enough that Cole, drawing on what little remained of his power, lifted a ball of water from the surface and flung it at the fiery beast.
The cherufe sizzled and popped as the water doused its flames. Before it could recover, Cole raced at the creature.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Lexi didn’t knowif she should follow the lycans out the door or remain inside. What would a completely innocent person do in this situation?
She got her answer when Brokk followed them out the door. Sahira went after him, and Lexi trailed them. She wanted to shove past them and bolt out to the barn to see what the lycans were doing, but she kept herself restrained enough to stroll behind the others.
Or at least she hoped she was strolling; that was the look she was going for anyway. She suspected she looked like a marionette and her puppet master was drunk.
She’d grown up here and was a simple person; she was not an immortal built for a life of crime and fighting.
But that’s exactly what she was now, and she was going to have to figure out how to be a good criminal.
Lifting her chin, she resolved not to focus on her walk and to act completely normal. This was all in her head; she was perfectly fine. They didn’t suspect a thing, or at least that’s what she told herself, and she hoped she was right.
By the time she arrived at the barn, the lycans were already exiting it. Four of them climbed onto their mounts, but the leader hung back to speak with Brokk.
“I heard about your father,” the man said.
Brokk stiffened, and hostility radiated from him. Sahira’s eyebrows lifted as Lexi’s gaze shot between the two men before shifting to the other lycans. These behemoths would take her down with ease, but she wouldn’t let Brokk fight alone.
“King Tove was a good man,” the lycan continued, and Brokk’s hostility ebbed. The lycan pitched his voice low as he kept his gaze on his men. “And I’m sorry for your loss.”
Lexi’s shoulders relaxed as the lycan strode toward his mount. Grasping the reins, he swung himself onto his horse without touching the stirrups.
“It’s only going to get worse,” Sahira said when the riders were out of view. “The Lord has complete control over all the realms, and with the dragons on his side, there’s no way to stop him.”
“FuckingOrin,” Brokk hissed.
“How many times do you think they’ll come back?” Lexi asked.
“They won’t stop until the Lord is convinced he’s crushed the rebellion,” Sahira said.
“He’ll never be convinced of that,” Lexi replied.
“No, he won’t,” Brokk said. “And even if he does crush it, he won’t stop.”
Before either of them could reply, he stalked away. Lexi started to follow him, but Sahira grasped her arm.
“Let him go,” Sahira said.
Brokk stopped at the edge of the lake and stood gazing across the water. Lexi had no idea what to do for him or anyone else. She’d been lucky here today, but how long would that luck last?
* * *
