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Daniel released him, sweeping a hand over the still-life battle. “I want you to take charge of my army, to serve as my right hand. I would let you do whatever you wanted—and not just in a military sense. If you wanted control of the courts, I would grant you that. You could write the laws I know you value. We’ll need laws in this new world of mine.”
“But you’d have the veto vote.”
“Of course.” Daniel smiled. “But I don’t know what you think your woman can do. I can feel her now, just inches away from me.”
But Marius knew. Back up, Shayna, now!
The moment Daniel shifted his attention to Shayna, intending to hurt or possibly kill her, Marius flew at him and whipped his blade over his throat. He cut deep just as Daniel swept backward attempting to strike Shayna down. But she’d already shifted to altered flight.
She reappeared and grabbed Daniel by the arm. Marius stayed where he was because right now, she siphoned most of his power as she dragged him toward the pool of sunlight.
Blood poured from Daniel’s throat. He clutched at his neck, spending his energies on self-healing instead of getting rid of Shayna. Marius moved in their direction, knowing that Daniel was self-healing faster than ever before. The wound was already half sealed.
Marius withdrew another dagger and let it fly. This time he’d aimed for the heart and knew he’d succeeded when Daniel arched, his mouth opening wide.
He made a halfhearted attempt to throw Shayna aside, but he was too late. She dragged him into the pool of sunlight and Daniel screamed.
Hold him down. Keep him in place.
Shayna’s eyes were wild as she planted a foot on Daniel’s wounded chest. Even so, Daniel started to rise in the air, levitating with the power he had left.
Marius, I can’t hold him!
Marius fell as he released the rest of his power to Shayna. She stood with one foot on Daniel’s chest and pinned him to the stone floor. The sunlight kept burning through Daniel’s clothes and started eating away at his flesh.
Shayna’s hair came undone and flew in a wild mass around her shoulders. Only a human could have put Daniel in the light and let the sun do its work. She looked like something from her human mythology, her hair moving as though on fire, all around her head, her stiletto on Daniel’s chest, holding him in place, her arms spread wide.
Stay with him until he’s gone.
Shayna didn’t look at Marius, but kept staring down at Daniel’s dissolving face. I won’t let him up until there’s nothing left. Ashes to ashes.
Marius, weak from having turned over his power, sat on the stone floor several yards away.
The air battle had resumed the moment he’d cut Daniel’s throat.
Quill lay gasping for his last breath, Adrien’s chain around his throat. Lucian had beheaded Lev and flew toward Marius, a dagger in hand. He stood over him, waiting, moving in a protective circle. “I can feel that you’ve sent her all your power.”
“She’s keeping Daniel in place and the light is doing its work.” Marius couldn’t take his gaze off her, in part because it helped to keep the power flowing. And right now, Shayna was doing the most important job in this entire cavern.
Daniel’s body twitched now and then but otherwise he’d stopped moving. And still Shayna kept her foot in place.
“Lucian, I need to stay focused on Shayna. Tell me how Gabriel and Rumy’s troops are doing?”
“They’re steadily tearing away at Daniel’s army. The northern section is completely subdued and a portion of the eastern part of the arena. Another of Gabriel’s regiments just came in. And another. This will be over soon.”
CHAPTER 16
Shayna didn’t take her eyes off Daniel, even though the sight and smell nauseated her, and she kept her foot hard on his torso.
But though she watched Daniel disintegrate, her inner gaze looked well beyond the emerging skeleton to the women who would soon be set free from the Dark Cave system and one day hopefully returned to their lives.
Marius’s power was like a wind inside her, blowing constantly and filling every part of her with strength. Daniel had tried several times to rise up, but her foot, and the power she streamed, was more than enough to keep him in place.
At last she felt Daniel’s life force completely fade, like smoke disappearing into the air.
Still, she held her position, holding him down even when his bones appeared. What did it take to truly destroy evil? If she lifted her foot, would Daniel rise suddenly, despite the fact that his bones were beginning to crumble? Could he even bring his ashes back to life?
Since she didn’t know, she wasn’t taking any chances.
