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27
ADDIE
Rage turned my body cold. I could see what Maddox wanted to do. He was trying to be valiant. This was his way of telling me that he loved me.
Fenrir had eaten so many worlds. He’d been hand-fed countless universes. They were all gone because of this man. I wasn’t going to let him take this from me, too. He couldn’t have my husband.
I refused.
Without thinking, I took Vi’s hand in my own. My cold rage crashed into her searing hot arcana. She let out a sound of surprise but didn’t pull away. I held out my other hand and Cerri rushed across the room to take it.
Fenrir took a swipe at Cerri. Maddox’s form burst and changed into a massive wolf so he could clamp his jaw down on Fenrir’s arm. The man hissed in pain, but the hiss turned into a laugh.
This was the most exciting his life had been in a very long time. He had a one-way ticket back to the dull boredom of Hel’s prison again. I was going to make sure of it.
“Do we need Ness?” Vi asked, her head on a swivel as she searched high and low for our other friend.
I started to tell Vi that Ness had been taken to safety when Ness reappeared. She gave me a devious half-grin before putting a hand on my shoulder.
“You shouldn’t be here!” My stomach dropped in fear.
“I’ll stay behind you all. If things get really hairy, then I’ll run.” Ness squeezed my shoulder.
This didn’t count as really hairy?
I wasn’t going to question it. Of all my friends, she was the hardest to reason with. I’d saved her from a curse. Now she had the chance to repay me.
Our arcanas swirled together. Mine crashed violently against Vi’s and Cerri’s. The cool wind of an incoming storm blew in before Ness’s arcana joined mine. Together, all four raged in a wild wave. While I rode the crest of it, I reached high for the dangling threads of fate that I’d turned into chains.
We had one chance.
Maddox cried out in pain. My focus shattered. I dropped my attention to the fight and found Maddox pinned to the floor. He kicked at the air with his massive wolf paws, but Fenrir wouldn’t let him get purchase. Fenrir shoved Maddox’s paws aside before his claws caught on skin or even fabric.
“You had your chance, little puppy. You could have eaten your fill, but you chose to fight back.” Fenrir tightened his hand around Maddox’s throat.
No, he wasn’t tightening. I saw the stark red blood start to spread across Maddox’s pale white fur. Fenrir’s fingertips had turned into claws, and he’d sunk them deep into Maddox’s flesh.
Fury turned my entire body icy. Vi and Cerri slid their hands from mine, but didn’t pull away completely. They kept their power mingling with mine.
“Get your hands off him,” I said, low and threatening.
Fenrir didn’t even turn to look back at me. He no longer thought of me as a threat. Didn’t he know that I had the potential of an entire world inside me? I wasn’t someone that he could dismiss. Especially when his own blood ran through me. That should have been enough reason to worry.
I had his selfish determination. The future would be mine, and no one was going to stand in my way, especially not him.
Maddox’s gaze slid in my direction. His eyes begged me to run, but I stood my ground. I wasn’t going to let him sacrifice himself today. There was no point when I had this much power on my side.
I pulled the chains of fate down towards Fenrir. Now, all I had to do was get close enough to wrap them around him. Maddox thrashed and twisted. He managed to get his feet under him. When he pulled on my arcana, it felt like a drop in a vast ocean, but his claws lengthened, and bone armor covered his fur.
Fenrir raised a curious brow. He glanced back in my direction. He took in me and my friends. Could he feel the power flowing between us? It seemed like he could because his mouth slackened with sudden shock.
Maddox took that moment to spring. He bit down on Fenrir’s arm and yanked the man down towards the ground. He couldn’t pull Fenrir completely off his feet, but he managed to throw him off balance. This was my chance. I jumped forward, leaving my friends hanging, and reached for Fenrir.
The man threw his head back and howled. Black fur burst over Fenrir’s skin. He fell onto all fours, making it so that my hand grasped nothing but empty air where he’d been. I cursed under my breath.
Fenrir turned glowering eyes on me. The sucking sensation returned. I shouted for everyone else to get out. For once, they listened. Vi and Cerri ushered Ness out of the room. I caught one last glimpse of Ness’s startled face, her lips parted wide like she might fling out one last command.
Vi put her hand over Ness’s mouth. There was no point in wasting any more arcana.
