But there wasn’t anywhere elsetogo but up. Soldiers were funneling so quickly into the university that to fight them, even with powerful magic, was futile. The skies were our only hope.
The shifters transformed and took to the air with their sorceresses on their backs. Ethan, who didn’t yet have wings, was forced to remain on the ground. I wouldn’t abandon my mate, so I grabbed his hand. We climbed upward through the rain, slipping on the stairs as we wound our way to the roof of the palace.
“You need to fly away, Emma. Leave me here,” Ethan begged. We had reached the roof of the university, and now, we were trapped.
“Never.” I attempted to conjure a portal, but the one I made flickered in front of me before dying out. Magdalina’s wards that she’d placed around the school to prevent soldiers from portaling in stopped us from escaping, too. No one on school grounds would be able to conjure a portal while fighting Magdalina’s magic. That included us. If I tried to make a slit in a ward someone as powerful as Lady Magdalina had created, it would kill me. We were trapped.
There was nowhere else to flee. Soldiers had surrounded us, coming up the staircase. My white roses, which were growing in vines along the walls and stairs, were keeping them at bay, but the illusion wouldn’t remain forever.
Lightning flashed in a blinding light, and there was a great clash of thunder that shook the roof beneath us. My stomach plummeted to my feet as I saw two figures descend from above, soaking from the pouring rain. A massive black wolf dove downward, his giant black wings spread wide. On his back was Gabby, her sword drawn and a bitter look of rage written across her face.
Elijah had earned his wings. How, I didn’t know, but there they were, giving him a distinct advantage. Ethan’s gaze burned hatefully as it lingered on his cousin, resentment brewing as he took in Elijah’s raven-like feathers.
They weren’t alone. They were flanked by Elijah’s cronies— Andrik, the hated dragon, and Zander and Oren, the two alicorns.
Andrik immediately went for Stefan, while Zander and Oren divided and aimed for Alexei and Theo. The shifters crashed in the air, and the sorceresses held on as the shifters dueled their rivals. The sound of the two dragons crashing overhead resembled the thunder as they warred, their roars rumbling in a colossal boom, while the alicorns and griffin screamed. Our friends and their enemies battled in the skies, waging an all-out war.
Elijah landed on the roof of the school. Gabby slid off his back, teeth clenched and white-knuckling her sword.
Elijah’s lip rose in a snarl, prowling toward us. “Even as a king, I still must do everything myself,” he spat.
Gabby’s eyes glittered greedily as she noticed the sapphire in my sword. She knew now it was the wolven stone.
“Where are the other Crystals?” Gabby hissed. “Tell me!”
“Go to hell.” I’d longed to get my rematch with this bitch. Finally, I’d get to kick her ass all over again, and it wassogoing to be worth it. I longed to give her some payback for taking skating away from me, and I was going toenjoymaking her suffer.
Elijah bared his teeth. He lowered into a crouch and said, “You have gotten in the way of my plans for the last time!”
Ethan changed, and took a wide stance. His ears flattened against his head as he replied, “If you want to end this, you’ll have to kill me.”
“So be it.” Elijah snapped his jaws, and Ethan’s fur stood upright, daring Elijah to make the first move.
When the two cousins began to circle, I moved closer to Gabby. “Being queen isn’t everything you hoped for, huh?” I asked sarcastically. “Poor you.”
Gabby’s nose wrinkled in contempt. “Everyone wants to rule the world. The difference between the kings and the peasants is who’s willing to get blood on their hands.”
“So we agree. You have something of mine, and I want it back,” I growled.
Gabby sneered. “You want a crown, Sosna? Come and take it!”
Gabby darted forward and swung her sword back, but I was waiting for her. I liftedLodburzanto combat, and our blades struck together, singing with the sound of the rain against the sight of the wicked lightning, crackling the sky in two.
Our swords danced beneath the tempest of the storm, and beside me, I heard the two wolves snarl as Elijah and Ethan locked themselves in a deadly combat. I was focused on Gabby, willing to do whatever it took to fix my mistake, and make things right in Malovia again.
The only thing I knew for certain was someone wasn’t getting off this roof alive.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Ethan
Emma and Gabby were having their own skirmish, but I had no time to pay attention to it, as Elijah was coming for my throat.
The opposite wolven pounced, but I side-stepped him, my paws slipping on the wet roof. My soaked fur weighed me down as the rain continued to pound against our bodies, and the thunder crashed overhead. I heard the cry of a wounded dragon ring out, but I didn’t have time to look up and see who it was, for Elijah was rounding on me. He dove inward with his jaws extended, but I spun around, not willing to let him get a chance at my neck.
My cousin grew infuriated. He raised his paw and smacked me across the face, sending me flying several feet. “You insolent bastard!I’ll kill you!”
I laughed as I got to my paws once again and said, “You are a poor king, Eli. You can’t even win a battle against a fucking school!”
