He tore into the vulnerable flesh as he slid down it, and a hand swung toward him. The wind created by the approaching hand alerted him of its presence before the giant slapped herself in the face. The blow staggered her back.
Maverick used her brief disorientation to escape. He slid down the giant’s chest, over a breast, and launched himself off. Wind tore at his fur, filled his nostrils, and howled across his ears as he soared through the air with all four paws extended for the coming impact with the earth.
He was near the ground when the giant’s other hand swung toward him. The air current it created lifted him higher and away from the ground as he twisted to avoid the blow.
But it was already too late. The hand bashed his side with the force of a wrecking ball. Bones shattered, and one of them pierced a lung as the air suddenly left him. Pain erupted inside him when he wheezed in a breath.
As he spun through the air, he tried to right himself, but the giant’s blow had sent him spiraling out of control. Earth, fire, and sky swirled around him, but he didn’t see the flames until they engulfed him.
* * *
Brokk closedhis eyes as the fire Maverick disappeared into surged higher. They’d lost so many today he should be immune to it, but a pang tugged at his heart. Yet another one down.
He can still be alive.
He could, but Brokk doubted it, and if he was, Maverick was on his own. He had to get Sahira and Kaylia out of here. It was time to move on with the next step in Del’s plan, and they had to get out of here.
With the Lord’s men fleeing, the wendigos were getting hungrier, and there was little left for them to prey on. Little of their army remained here; it was time to flee.
Besides, the giant had sent Maverick hurtling nearly half a mile away. He’d never be able to get to him without an army at his back. All he could do was help Sahira and Kaylia survive as he slammed into the side of the berserker.
His shoulder caught the thick, massive man under his ribs and lurched him a few feet to the side. Before the powerful immortal could recover, Brokk threw a ball of fire at him. He draped his arms around Kaylia and Sahira and pulled forth the shadows created by the flames around them.
The shadows cloaked them but left the lycan woman exposed as she lay on the ground between them. When he released Kaylia and Sahira, the shadows slid away from them while he bent, lifted the lycan off the ground, and tossed her over his shoulder. His actions might have injured her more, but there was little he could do about that if she were going to survive.
He grasped Sahira’s hand and held his other one out to Kaylia; she didn’t hesitate before taking it. As soon as her fingers clasped his, warmth slid up his arm, and his palm heated. He ignored the strange sensation as he enveloped them in shadows again and ran with them toward the open portal.
It was time to leave this battlefield behind for the final step in the war.
CHAPTERSEVENTY-NINE
The screams had stopped fillingthe throne room, but the shadows feasted on the memory of their agony. The shadows had laughed as they shredded and tore, rejoiced while they destroyed the enemy, and now, they soughtmore.
And more they would have as the Lord stood with one hand on his throne, surveying the room. The numerous fires dwindled as the bodies fueling them whittled down to skeletons.
Their smoke still choked the air and obscured the sun. But enough of its light filtered through for the shadows to wreak their havoc.
And they’drelishedit… as did their host.
Though they’d seized most of the control, a fragment of the host remained, and they sensed his desire to destroy the man who ordered his father’s death. But no matter how badly the host craved the Lord’s death, his focus remained on protecting the arach.
It was their duty to do so.
Now that nothing remained for the shadows to feast on, their attention shifted to the Lord. The host focused on Lexi.
What little that remained of the crisp-fried remnants of her clothes fell away when she rubbed at her arm and legs. Soot and blood streaked her face and body.
Her green eyes were filled with sadness when they met his. The host softened, and a warmth the shadows didn’t like flooded them.
That warmth was treacherous. It could rattle their control, and now that they had it, they weren’t letting it go.
But they couldn’t stop the host from reaching for her. Hope sprang forth in her eyes when her hand stretched toward them. Before they could touch, the Lord turned and sprinted for the back of the room.
The host’s hand fell away as he spun toward the Lord, and bloodlust erupted.
* * *
Longing and lossradiated through Lexi when Cole’s hand fell before she could touch it. For a split second, Cole had shone through the shadows encompassing him.
