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"We'resaints, Az," she reminded him, trying to keep her voice even. "These creatures can't hurt us, not really."
"They devoured a whole city," Jaro pointed out quietly, his gaze on the stone circle at the end of the path. "What's to say they can't eat saints, too?"
Ark nodded. "Not to mention, we haven't unlocked our whole power yet. Maybe if we'd had months to explore and train with it, but we haven't. Maia, you don't fully understand what causes your outbursts, Azrail struggles to control his smoke let alone whatever happened in the Forest of Skies, and the rest of us haven't even scratched the surface of our abilities."
"So—" Maia began, but a rib-shaking pulse went through the air, and the sky turned to complete pitch above them. Maia trailed off, and forgot what she’d been about to say.
She whipped her head around, but she couldn't make out her mates anymore. She could have been alone in the inky darkness for all she could see.
Fear made her cold, made all the fine hairs stand up on the back of her neck.
"Guys?" she asked, and flinched at the muffled quality of her voice.
Noise sounded different, even her own breaths were deeper, stranger.
The creatures were here.
"Here," Ark answered her, his words slow.
Maia jumped out of her skin when a hand brushed her elbow, a screech in her throat, but Azrail said urgently, "It's me. Maia?"
"Yeah," she confirmed, her heart drumming and the slow sound reaching her ears not matching the movement of her lips.
Another pulse rocked the air, and Maia grasped Azrail's arm, fumbling around her for someone else, a hard bicep meeting her hand. She held on tightly, beyond afraid.
"Manhandling me, princess?" a gruff, throaty voice asked, and Maia could have dropped Bryon's arm like she'd been burned, but she dug her fingernails into his skin and held on.
"It’s not the time," she bit out, frustrated when her words stretched out like toffee, slower and slower. Her breathing sounded all wrong, raspy and echoing.
"Everyone else, check in," Azrail growled, protectiveness heavy in his voice. "Jaro? Kheir?"
"We're here," Kheir called, barely sounding like himself.
Wrongness crawled up Maia's arms and she gripped Az and Bryon tightly, that contact the only thing keeping her from losing her mind with fear. She should have listened when they said to turn back, but shestillcouldn't ignore that thumping urgency behind her ribs.
Go, go, go,it urged her.Run swiftly, run far, and save him.
"Make me angry," Maia whispered, to no one in particular.
"Maia," Azrail warned.
"I don't know what a spoiled brat like you is even doing here," Bryon growled. "Who do you think you are to save Vawn, and try to save the world? You're a pampered little princess; you should be stitching damned needlepoint instead of—"
Rage took hold of Maia's blood and magic tore through her core. The glow started in her hands as Maia let go of her mates and curled them into fists, and travelled up her forearms to her shoulders until she glowed as bright as silver starlight.
"You're welcome," Bryon said with a smug grin Maia wanted to slap off his face. Even if he'd helped without a moment's hesitation. Even if he'd jumped through that damn mirror after her.
Because heknewthey were mates—had known for a long fucking time. Since the first time they met? Since the palace?
"One day, I'm going to murder you," Maia swore, and hoped he saw the unhinged gleam in her glowing eyes.
Bryon snorted, dismissive. "In your dreams, princess."
"Alright," Azrail growled. "Thank you, Maia. At least now we can see enough to…"
Maia threw a panicked glance at Az when he trailed off, but her body moved sluggishly through the air, like she'd had too many pints at Silvan's.
Azrail lurched forward in slow motion and spread his arms as he halted in front of Maia, the earth ripping itself up around him.
