Page 110 of His Realm

“Help me move Zev,” I pleaded. “Don’t die. You can’t die.”

She blinked several times and then it was like her mind cleared and she understood her purpose. Moving quickly, hands on Zev, she helped me and Isabella as I yelled for Kamari, looking around for them. When I spied my guard, they were crumpled at the base of a large column, seemingly unconscious. I suspected that Decimus had hurled them there after killing Eris, unable to deal a second death blow so quickly.

I saw Kaan then, driving toward us with his men around him, a phalanx that belonged to the king. There were less of Decimus’s men and I realized the end was close for his forces. They would soon be overrun.

“We are coming, my queen, my consort,” he called out and I felt that to my core, that he was there to save us.

“Kamari!” Brenna shrieked and my guard lifted their head in response to her, then getting their legs under them, moved quickly before being flattened by the oncoming horde.

I heard a yell then, and looking up, saw that Decimus appeared enraged. He glanced around, realizing, I suspected, that he was about to be outnumbered. I watched in horror as he dropped his sword and shifted to the wolf.

It was fast and clean, like Varic’s shift, one moment man, the next animal, and he went from being vulnerable to slaughtering everyone near him in seconds. He tore men to pieces, and as people surged around us, I ordered Brenna to guard Zev.

“I must stay with––”

“I order you to guard him,” I told her, and she nodded quickly as I turned and saw Decimus using his arms like a scythe, mowing down soldiers, his own and Varic’s, butchering anyone in his path to Isabella.

I checked Zev’s face, saw how pale he was, glad he was unconscious as I dragged Isabella to her feet to pull her after me.

“Jason,” she gasped, pointing, and I saw Kamari fighting through soldiers to try and reach us only to be attacked by more of Balon’s men.

I turned back to the queen. “I have to get you out of here.” I was panicking, unable to see a way that I could get her free of the crowd. It was like a wall moving closer by the second.

“Jason!”

Looking for the voice, I saw Tiago at the edge of the closing circle and darted toward him with Isabella in tow. He used his katana like a machete, hacking people down, stepping over them until there was no one in his way and we broke free of the press of bodies.

In the open space, I had a moment to look at him before he was struck in the side of the neck with a bolt and crumpled to the floor.

Isabella screamed as I went down on my knees beside him, watching him clutch at the wound, the blood running through his fingers.

No, no, no, I couldn’t lose Tiago.

I’d lost Sibel, who chose me, who left Varic’s dreki to stand at my side, and Eris who’d been with me in New Orleans, from the beginning, who’d helped Dae-Jung settle in, who was always worried about me and stood between me and the world.

The roar of the beast lifted my eyes from my friend and I saw that Decimus had carved his way through the mass of people and was heading toward us.

“No!” Isabella screamed, shoving in front of me. I saw him then, Balon, coming from the left, walking with a crossbow in hand, and saw too that it was loaded and he had it lifted, ready to fire.

Moving fast, I grabbed Isabella, flipped us around and drove her down under me onto the hard granite floor.

“Jason,” she gasped, sounding stunned, confused, her hands on my face, on my back, and then there was blood, so much blood, and she started to scream.

Something hit my side, and when I turned, there was Tiago, who had pulled the bolt from his neck. I was so happy to see it out even though he was still bleeding. I said, “I didn’t know you were here,” but my voice came out in a whisper and was drowned in Isabella’s shrieking.

He reached out but there were suddenly men there, dragging him back, away from me. I wanted to yell for help, but I had no voice anymore, and the pain was taking every last drop of energy I had.

“No!” Isabella howled and I saw Balon then, coming closer.

“Wait,” I heard Decimus order, and when I turned my head, he was there having turned back to a man from the wolf, stumbling forward, weak but still on his feet, grasping his son’s shoulder as they moved forward.

Crouching down together, one rotting, one naked and covered in gore, I saw them both leering, mad with power and bloodlust.

“Far better than I dreamed, Isabella,” Decimus choked out the words to her, grating and hoarse. “You die knowing I have taken the love of your son just as you took mine.”

He had brutalized Leda, while Varic treasured me. There was a big difference. I wanted to say that to him, to tell him that maybe if he’d treated Leda well, courted her, never taken her from the palace, that perhaps he would have found in her the home he always yearned for and she would have truly been his love. But it was too late, and that was so very sad.

Decimus’s hand was in my hair, lifting my head, wrenching it back, and I realized Isabella couldn’t move because Balon was holding her shoulders, pinning her down, a smiling skull next to his father.