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Jade scrambled to her feet and raced toward her friend as a shapeshifting wolf lunged at Michael.
“Stab him any place you can!” she implored.
Michael was keen enough to raise his blade and penetrate the wolf’s chest. The animal landed on the ground and thrashed in pain in the snow, howling loudly.
Jade tore her gaze from that scene to check on the wraith. Darien took him on once more, so she raced toward Michael. The animal was just getting to its feet when Morgan appeared and slammed his own body into the wolf’s. They grappled in the crimson-stained snow for mere minutes before Morgan had the shifter on its back. A heartbeat later, his fingers gripped the beast’s throat and he tore the flesh.
Michael turned away in apparent disgust as blood spewed in all directions. Jade sighed with relief.
“Thank you,” she said to Morgan, her breath coming in heavy pulls. “I wasn’t looking forward to doing that.”
He nodded at her. “But you would have anyway.”
“Yes.”
Another shrill screech from the fire wraith made her whirl around. Darien ran the ghost through with his sword and it vanished, its cloak dropping to the ground.
Still heaving, she asked, “Can you kill something that’s already dead?”
Darien glared at her, causing a foreboding sensation to slither down her spine. “If you know where to strike.”
He stalked toward her, lifted a hand and brushed his fingers over her cheek.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” he said, his voice tight. Then he stormed off and addressed his victorious men. “Five of you pile the bodies and burn them. The rest of you, follow me.”
There were other factions to conquer.
Morgan said, “He told you to stay in the village.”
Turning back to the general, she explained in her defense, “The wraith had arrived before his men. What were we to do? Sit and wait? Let them prey upon us without even fighting?”
Morgan’s jaw worked vigorously for a moment, then he said, “Don’t go to the castle, Jade. He’s not going to be in any mood to receive you.”
Her heart constricted at the dire expression on the general’s stony features. “Ever?”
He did an abrupt about-face and marched off.
Jade’s breath was still labored from exertion, but also from the emotional pain that suddenly lanced through her.
Damn it. She’d defied him yet again…
Chapter Fifteen
Jade delivered Michael safely to his house.
She said, “That’ll be the one and only time you accompany me—or Tanner—on such a dangerous excursion.”
“Hey, I did everything you told me to do,” he insisted, his expression a strong and determined one, sparking more admiration for him on Jade’s part.
She couldn’t dispute his ability to follow orders—or react quickly enough to save his own life. Because of her concern for his well-being, however, she reiterated, “Only once, Michael.”
Riding off with a heavy heart over the entire convoluted evening, she thought of how her friend had abided her direction and how she hadn’t done the same when it came to Darien’s instructions—and the promise she’d made to him. Yet she still felt justified with her intention to keep demons away from the village.
Unfortunately, a tremendous amount of guilt plagued her because—as Michael had pointed out—he’d done what she’d asked and had managed to stay out of harm’s way, for the most part. Jade could not say the same when it came to her and Darien.
She could further concede that she’d been terrified something would happen to Michael—and Darien had to feel the same way about her.
Therefore, she could understand how incensed the king was at this point.
