Something about the tone of his voice caused the hair on her nape to rise. No, it was more than his tone; it was also the set of his jaw and the remorseless glint in his eyes.
“We should go back and rethink this. I’ll come up with a new plan,” her dad said. “Having more time to plan and train will be good for us.”
“It could create a lack of confidence in our ability to pull this off,” Orin said.
“We’re not going back,” Cole said. “We’re doing this today. The only other plan is to have Lexi open different portals and charge through them. It will give us an element of surprise, but the dragons and giants will soon catch and destroy us. We can take the whole army into the palace, but our losses will be catastrophic, and we’ll never get them past the dragons.”
“Wejust have to be able to reachhim,” Lexi said. “And the dragons won’t attack us.”
CHAPTERSIXTY-SIX
Cole metLexi’s wide eyes as something inside him shriveled and died. She was right; the dragons wouldn’t attack… if it wasjustthem.
But the Lord would have many of his men and dragons in the throne room. Between those dragons and the men, their chances of getting through were extremely small.
And that wasifthe Lord was in the throne room. He could be anywhere in the palace or this realm. Cole suspected he would stay as close to the throne as possible, but he was a coward, and hiding was what he did best.
“We’re not getting through all those men with the dragons in that room. It’s too many obstacles, even if the dragons won’t attack us. There’s no way to prevent one of them from accidentally stepping on us during all the chaos.”
She didn’t see what must be done yet… but he did.
He’d vowed to do everything to keep her safe and put her on the throne where she belonged, and he meant it. If it meant destroying himself, he would do it… for her.
She was his light, love, and the best thing to ever happen to him. Hewouldmake sure she lived the life she was meant to have, and while he didn’t give a shit about most of the other immortals who lived in the realms, he wouldn’t tolerate a madman destroying her.
A madman who had his father ruthlessly murdered.
Gritting his teeth, Cole shifted his attention to the shadow-covered sun. If he pulled those shadows into him, he’d have the power to take down the Lord and give Lexi the ability to draw the dragons away, weakening the Lord’s power.
That amount of shadows could very well destroy him, but no matter what he became, he would keep Lexi safe. If he did this, he could lose her, but she would live, and so would many others.
He looked to his brothers, Del, and Maverick. They were his friends, his family. And finally, he looked at Lexi. She was his everything.
And if they didn’t stop the Lord, it was only a matter of time before they were all destroyed. At least this way, they would have a chance to survive.
Cole wouldnotdemolish the realms, he would ensure that, but he didn’t know what he’d become. It was a chance he was willing to take for the good of the realms.
If it gave Lexi a chance to become the amazing queen he knew she would be and gave the rest of those he cared about a chance at better lives, he would sacrifice himself.
* * *
“What do you suggest we do?”Brokk waved a hand at the darkened realm spread out beneath them. “If we attack now, they’ll take us out anyway.”
“It’s not completely dark,” Cole said.
Goose bumps broke out on Lexi’s arms; it took everything she had not to rub them. A shiver ran down her spine, and her hand fell to the small sword strapped to her waist, but there was nothing to fight.
“Shadows engulf the land,” Cole continued.
Words clogged Lexi’s throat until they nearly strangled her.No, no, no, no, no!Her mind screamed, but she still couldn’t speak. He couldn’t be suggesting what she thought he was.
And then his eyes, those beautiful, Persian blue eyes, met and held hers while he spoke. “He weakened the arach’s powers, but he left plenty here for the Shadow Reaver.”
“Why would he do that?” Brokk demanded.
“Because,” Orin said, “the Lord knows for Cole to break whatever spell he’s cast, he’ll have to draw the shadows into him, and if he does, that many shadows….”
Orin’s voice trailed off, and his eyes closed as he turned back to the realm.
