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“I should just kill you all right now, just to make sure you don’t get in my way again,” Titus snarls behind me. A shiver of disgust runs up my spine at the hiss of his breath against my ear.
His words draw my gaze up from the floor, focusing on the group across from us. Mateo stands closest to us, landing a few feet away. His massive wings still outstretched, his muscles, bunching, poised to pounce at any moment. Kyros and Maximus stand a few steps behind, supporting Adrian’s weight between them. He’s barely standing on two feet, arms drooped over the others. His head bobs, and his eyes blink open every few moments in an attempt to stay conscious. I feel my heart break in two at the sight. His power so drained from the portal, yet he still pushes himself to stay coherent. Finally, I spot Kali attempting to break through on Maximus’ other side. His broad arm catching her easily keeps her in place.
“You’ll only poison her mind,” Titus continues as though solidifying the next step in his master plan.
“You can’t kill us,” Mateo declares smugly, his eyes lighting with the challenge. The sadistic prick. “If you could, you would have already.”
“Ah—that’s where you’re wrong.” Amusement is clear in his tone, as though toying with Mateo is one of his favorite pastimes. “I’ve learned some new tricks, old friend.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t let her suffer, I’ll wipe her mind of any memory of the four of you,” he says seriously, as though that’s an actual fear they may have when this man is currently threatening their lives. “But first …” He raises his arm before him, green smoke rising from his skin. “First, I just need to kill you.”
My heart jolts with those words, rage filling my veins once more. I feel my powers rising up to the surface and I realize it isn’t my powers that are depleted. No, my energy swirls around in my chest, the core of my being. Like an endless sea, just waiting to be called to the surface. My body needs to be strengthened to withstand the physical exertion of channeling this much power. I focus on that sea of energy, pulling on the heat of the flame. I focus on his palm gripping my throat.
“Fuck,” he screams, yanking his hand from my skin, and jumping back in fear.
Mateo wastes no time lunging forward, undeterred by my steaming skin. I let go of my hold of the power just as his palm reaches for my arm. Pulling me behind him, he shields me with his body. Titus clutches his injured hand, tucking it in close to his body. Even from here, I can see the red, blistering skin. His face turns as red as a tomato, grunting through a scream of pain.
“You’ll fucking pay for that, bitch.” He starts forward, undeterred by the massive God of War standing between us.
Suddenly, a wall of ice erupts between us. Splitting the stage in two. The wall appears so quickly, Titus smashes into it, unable to pull himself back fast enough. His face ricochets off the thick ice, blood erupting from the impact against his nose and dripping down his face. He rages against the wall, fists slamming and banging against the ice like a toddler having a temper tantrum.
The sound of ice forming around him jerks his attention away. Another three walls rise up around him. They meet above him to create a curved dome. He turns back to us, finally realizing he’s now trapped. He opens his mouth, glare focusing on each of us in turn. His hands clenched tightly into fists.
“Now, now don’t give us that whole cliché, ‘This isn’t the end,’ bullshit that the villain always vows before escaping. Just tuck your tail between your legs and run, bitch.” I cut him off, stepping out from behind Mateo. Willing my legs to hold my weight for just a few moments longer. His eyes focus on me, narrowing to mere slits, vitriol oozing from his every pore.
“It isn’t over, dear Olivia. Remember this, I can be a powerful ally or a vengeful enemy. You’ll come with me one day, so it’s your choice which path you’d like to choose.” With that, he dissipates from his ice prison, back to the infernal realm—one can only hope.
My legs start to give out beneath me, but a pair of solid arms scoop me up. Mateo’s face stares down at me, silently scanning my body for any injuries. Apparently satisfied, his wings lift, sending a gust of cool air against my skin. My stomach flips as we lift from the ground, hovering in the air a moment before he guides us to the seats below. Landing smoothly, he continues cradling me in his arms for a moment before softly depositing me into one of the empty seats. I try to move away, but he stops me, placing an arm at my back.
“You need to pull in your wings,” he explains, nodding over my shoulder. I blink in confusion, not understanding what he’s trying to say. Wings, I don’t have wings. I follow his gaze over my shoulder, seeing the large golden wings, just like his. Oh, those wings, right. I became so accustomed to them that I forgot about their added weight.
“Focus on them, move them like you would your arm.”
I close my eyes, letting my consciousness focus on my wings. I move my arm for reference, never having thought about the messages our brain sends out to the rest of our bodies. The movement has always been instinctual. I mirror the movement, focusing on the wings protruding on either side of my shoulder blades. I feel them twitch, a small gust of air brushing against my skin.
“Very good.” My eyes pop open at the sound, seeing Mateo smiling back at me. Actually smiling. My breath catches in my throat, my eyes glued to his upturned lips. The expression only enhances his already handsome features.
“Now, almost like you would pull your arms against your chest, you’re going to pull your wings in,” he explains, simplifying the concept for me. “You’ll feel a sinking sensation. That’s good, don’t stop when you feel that.”
Closing my eyes again, I focus on his words, pulling my wings against my back. I keep going, feeling that sinking sensation. The feeling is strange and new, yet I don’t stop, pulling them further in, until I feel their weight disappear completely.
“Very well done.” His voice draws my attention again. Sadly, his smile has retreated. A severe expression is back on his face as he backs away.
Kyros and Maximus lower Adrian into the chair next to me, his hand instinctively finding me, and fingers threading through mine. I take comfort in the touch for a moment, lightly stroking my thumb over his hand. I’m glad to see him still conscious after the amount of power he poured into the portal. A murmur of contentment slips past his lips, a goofy grin tilting them up. Kali breaks through the guys crowding around me, her slim form slipping through a small gap between their hulking forms before collapsing into the chair on my other side.
“How could you do that?” We both ask each other simultaneously, voices raised in outrage.
“Me?” she asks, her voice pitched the highest I’ve ever heard it. “What did I do?”
“You tried to get to me when Titus was holding me.” I narrow my eyes on her, huffing out a breath of exasperation as though it should be obvious. Realizing I’m going to be okay, Mateo, Kyros, and Maximus all take a step back, not wanting to get in the middle of things.
“Of course I did.” Outraged, her eyes narrow on me. “I know you would do the exact same thing for me,” she barks at me. Well, I guess she has a point. I shrug, neither confirming nor denying anything, not wanting to prove her right. Even though she is.
“You threw yourself into that fight, even though you have no idea how to use a sword, let alone your powers yet,” she huffs out angrily.
“I agree with her,” Maximus grumbles, drawing my glare from Kali to him. He shrugs, not cowed by my look in the slightest.
“Well, it all turned out alright,” I announce in a cheery tone, drawing a glare from every one of them. “Well it’s true, the baddie is gone, the demons are gone, and we’re all in one piece. That’s a win in my books.”
