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Whiro doesn’t hesitate, unleashing the Corrupted and Scavengers on the warriors closing in. Shrieks, snarls, and yells blend together in the air like a roughened symphony, mingled with steel cutting through bone.
The fight turns to havoc. My pulse races, watching a soldier get shredded limb from limb by a Scavenger. Draven and I share one soul-searching look, causing my insides to flutter, before tossing ourselves into the chaos. The darkness of my power lurks right at the surface, but it's my light that I call upon. Hunting down the Corrupted and filling them with light until the curse is extinguished from their bodies.
A shriek pierces my ear from behind, making me spin on my heel to find a Corrupted sinking its talons into the leg of a soldier. He rears his sword back with both hands, aiming for the Corrupted’s chest, and my heart freezes.
“Stop!” I yell, his head snapping to me with wide eyes and a deep V creasing his brows.
The male watches me with pained confusion as I place my palms on the Corrupted’s back before it notices, letting light flow from me. Its shoulders fall, the talons receding. And then the female is no longer cursed as her body drops limply.
I gently lay her on the undergrowth, bringing my gaze back up when the male speaks.
“Y–you… She’s cured,” he says in astonishment, like he can’t believe his eyes. But I don’t blame him. I didn’t quite believe what I did when I saved that little girl.
I smile softly with a dip of my head, right as Cora skids to a stop on her knee next to us. She holds her palms over the male’s leg, and the wound immediately starts stitching itself back together, faster than a Fae could heal on their own. All that remains is the red stain that saturates the material on his thigh.
Jumping to my feet, I go to hunt down another Corrupted but pause when the soldier speaks again.
“Thank you. I am forever in your debt.”
Shaking my head, I smile down at him. “The only thing I wish is for you to stay alive.” And with another dip of my head, my feet push off the ground, and I charge into the middle of carnage, needing to put the rest of my strength into fighting Whiro.
Piles of ash dust the ground and the sight twists knots in my stomach, knowing those are lives I could have saved. But I can’t save them fast enough—not when the head of the snake poisoning them is still alive. So, I pump my arms harder and strain the muscles in my legs to move faster, relishing in the burn.
But then, my breath catches, a burning sensation slashing along my arm. The soles of my boots quickly lock into place, halting my movements. I scan every inch of my arms, but find nothing. That’s when my heart sinks, causing my eyes to snap towards my mate.
He’s mid-air, sending tendril after tendril of shadows whipping towards Whiro. The dark gleam in his eyes holds a deadly promise, and for the smallest moment, those maddening silver irises find mine, conveying a plethora of emotions. One sticks out sharply against the rest: Determination.
He swerves around Whiro, dodging the bolts of shadows targeting him as the sky continues to grow darker. I go to race towards them again, but before my feet can launch me forward, the earth shakes beneath the soles of my boots and my knees buckle, slamming into the ground. Pain radiates along my spine, and a splintering ache flares to life in my head.
Draven.
Shoving myself up, I race towards him, my breathing harsh and strained. Immediately, my eyes snag on him lying flat on the ground, with cracks fracturing around him from the force of impact. My heart surges into my throat when I see him roll over with a grunt to pull himself up. His legs shake with a grimace on his face when he straightens his spine. Thin trails of blood cascade down his face from the top of his head, his hair wet and matted in red.
Whiro’s hand snaps up, preparing to crush Draven, but I shoot out a stream of light to wipe away the dark orb swirling in his palm. His hand rears back, shaking as if it was burned. But then, those ominous eyes find me, leaving Draven forgotten.
Before I can blink, Whiro disappears and shadows himself to stand right in front of me. Too quick to see, his strong hand grabs hold of my throat, stalling any air from leaving or entering my lungs.
“You will never win against me, just like your mother couldn’t.”
Something snaps inside my head, cracking so loudly I think I hear it. Because this is not just to save the world or seek payback for myself. This is to avenge my mother.
Light blinds behind my eyelids as it streams up in a single beam in the sky, burrowing a hole through the dark veil of Whiro’s shadows. It contrasts against his darkness, like yin and yang, gleaming bright enough to penetrate through his power.
The fingers wrapped around my throat tighten, bruising with pain, and my lungs begin to burn as they seize in protest. Whiro pulls me closer, keeping my feet dangling off the ground as he brings us nose to nose.
“A little light show won’t save you,” he seethes through his teeth.
Right as the last word falls from his lips, a thunderous roar ruptures from above. And even though dots start to dance around my vision and my head grows light, I don’t hold back the smirk gracing my face when Whiro’s deadly eyes finally hold a semblance of fear.
Because this is a dangerous game we are playing, and the biggest mistake Whiro could have done is underestimate his opponent.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
Draven
When my vision comes back into focus, I find Cora beside me, pouring her power into me. I push away the unforgiving pain that remains, throbbing in my head as I stand. I hurry a quick thank you to Cora, who is already on the move, before I search for Whiro.
When my eyes land on him, everything turns fucking red. His hand is wrapped about Emma’s throat with her chest hitching in short bursts, struggling to breathe. But she smirks, not caring that she’s in the hand of Death.
