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I turned, staggering back inside to reach Celeste. The apex of the eclipse was upon us, and she was weaving another spell, looking fraught as she worked. “What are you doing?” I asked, hurrying to her side. “What is this?”
It looked like dark magic. Itsmelledlike dark magic. As far as I knew, the ritual to bind us together was the only spell she needed to do, and that ritual certainly didn’t involve any dark magic.Unless it didn’t work? But—
“You promised to trust me, Fenris,” Celeste said, not looking away from the magical working. “And I need you to do that for just a little longer. I’m almost done preparing this ceremony.” She gave me a sideways look. “Remember. You need to bite me at the apex of the eclipse. I’ll give you the signal.” I could feel Celeste’s tension growing as she held onto several different spells. I knew she felt overwhelmed, and there was nothing I could do to help.
Lowering her hands, she stepped over to me, pressing a fierce kiss to my lips. I responded in kind, feeling the energy transferring through us. “You are so beautiful like this,” I whispered. We were both covered in dirt and sweat and blood, but she looked so fierce and so brave. I had never seen anyone like her, and within moments, I would be able to bite her. I could claim her, and she could claim me in return. We’d be tied together for eternity.
“It’s—”
Celeste was not able to finish giving me her signal as another magical explosion rocked the temple, throwing us both backward. I wheezed, struggling to catch my breath as I tried toget back to my feet to check on Celeste, but a pair of witches dropped through the opening overhead.
Shit.
I whirled around as Delila rushed back inside, gathering up energy to strike one of them. The witch closer to the door snarled, and a bolt of dark magic cracked through the air.
Seconds later, Delila dropped dead. I hadn’t even seen the magic strike her, only felt the sensation that her life had suddenly disappeared.
Without a second thought, I shifted, racing toward the closer witch.I need to protect Celeste.
More than anything, I needed her to survive.
Chapter 27
Celeste
The Wilderness
Andes Mountains, Peru
The Eclipse
My vision swam as I struggled to catch my breath. The side of my face felt wet when I pulled myself away from the stone. It felt like every bone in my body hurt, but I knew I couldn’t stop now. As I sat upright, I realized my hands were bleeding, too, and I tried to give myself a shake. Still, it felt like I couldn’t get all the cotton out of my mind.
How hard did I get hit?
I couldn’t worry about that right now. I wasn’t sure if the death immunity spell had taken hold, and I felt beyond exhausted from all the work I’d already done. My chest felt uncomfortable and itchy, like something hot had pressed against my skin.
The eclipse is almost over.I looked up at the stone ceiling. Zyanya’s command was tied to the length of the eclipse, and my time was running out.
I might have five minutes left to live.
For some reason, this thought didn’t strike me as hard as I expected it to. It may have been the adrenaline flooding through, but I managed to get to my feet.I need to get to Fenris. I need…he needs to bite me.If he didn’t complete the bond, he’d never be free of his curse, and I wouldn’t be around to help him try again in the next four hundred years. I didn’t care so much if I lived or died tonight, but I wanted to ensure Fenris would be all right after this.
That meant resisting Zyanya’s alpha command to kill him.Just five more minutes,I reminded myself, resisting the urge to scratch at the burning sensation on my skin. Swallowing hard, I tried to get my brain back online when I realized that the shouting wasn’t far away at all, but from inside the temple.
A blast narrowly missed my head, and I yelped, scrambling to my feet so I wasn’t such a sitting duck. Another flaming bolt soared toward me, and Fenris appeared from my side, shoving me out of the way to take the blow. He groaned and staggered sideways, his fur smoldering. He shook himself hard and circled back. Lyka had joined him and was protecting my other side.
Before I could figure out what to do next, Zyanya stormed through the door, her footsteps burning behind her. A cold spike of fear formed in the pit of my gut. The Solar Sovereign was just as terrifying now as when I’d first seen her.
She scowled when she spotted Lyka, clearly recognizing him as another wolf of the Celestial Pack. She didn’t linger on him for long, though, her golden eyes finding me quickly as she sneered.
I won’t do what you want,I thought desperately, taking a step backward.
Zyanya didn’t give us any more time than that. With an unholy shriek, she called up wave after wave of fire, sending them hurtling toward us. Reflexively, I pulled on my own magic again, just barely able to call up a protective shield before theflames smashed into us. My hands trembled, and I felt like my grip on my magic was already starting to slip. I’d already used so much of my energy reserve with the spells I’d cast. I didn’t know how much longer I could hold out like this.
Zyanya screamed again, speaking in a language I didn’t understand, but I didn’t need to. Her rage was so palpable, I swore the entire chamber got hotter. Time seemed to slow as she turned, focusing her wrath solely on Fenris as she called up another geyser of white-hot fire.
No!
