A burst of darkness exploded outward, shrouding everything in the vicinity in what looked like the darkest night.
Kade’s lifeless body lay unmoving beneath me. The darkness dissipated, evaporating from existence, all while I screamed in agony as my soul ripped in two.
I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move as the scream died on my lips.
Killing Kade may have destroyed the darkness, but it came at the cost of my soul. My heart shattered into a million pieces, never to be whole again.
Chapter 42
Ian
Ilunged, twisting as I drew my blade across the neck of a dark one.
Or, just an enemy at this point.
Lana destroyed the darkness in Thames’s army. My chest burst with pride for her, for all she’d accomplished. For all she’d endured to get to this moment.
It had been shocking to see the amount of darkness seeping out of so many people on the battlefield.
Only, that alone didn’t stop the army from fighting us.
“Ian!” Raya shouted behind me, and I turned quickly, finishing my opponent.
I ran to her, the closeness allowing the building tension in my chest to ease. I’d lost sight of her when the storm rolled in. Though the skies didn’t dump rain on us, the clouds shrouding us made it difficult to see.
Her eyes appeared glossy, and when I took her elbow, she shook her head in the direction of two enemies battling each other in front of us.
She wobbled but then looked over to the right, freezing again.
I watched in awe as one of the soldiers turned around, slashing right through the man who had been following him.The other managed to thrust his own blade into the neck of his attacker, and both collapsed to the ground, dead.
“You’re terrifying,” I told her. “Terrifyingly brilliant.”
She laughed. “I decided to push my magic since this bond supposedly makes us stronger. I can’t do it for as long as I hoped though.”
I gripped her cheeks in my hand and kissed her fiercely. “Fates, woman, I love you. You can puppet me around for practice as much as you’d like when we finish this.”
“Don’t tempt me with a good time.”
I kissed her again, not caring we were in the middle of a war. How had I not believed in mates before this? Before her?
“I will be honored to tempt you for the rest of my damn life,” I murmured, my lips still stealing kisses between words.
A battle cry behind me stole my attention from the gorgeous woman beside me. An annoyance my attacker would soon pay for. I spun, fighting back-to-back with Raya.
Thames’s army, though significantly less than it had been, still boasted larger numbers than I wished. This was far from over. Thames’s taunting echoed around us as he called to Lana and Kade.
His minions ran forward, a fresh wave approaching. I wanted to go to Thames directly and take out years of anguish on behalf of Lana; Andras had been his lackey after all.
But I knew that Lana would have to be the one to defeat him with her light.
So instead, I clenched my sword and continued destroying his army one by one.
Cassandra’s voice shouted above the storm, calling for Thames. I saw her white hair billowing behind her as she fought with her own mate. I shivered, not wanting to think about how long she would be able to last.
Lucien barreled through the army, breathing fire at a group of soldiers cornering Ryland.
He was a better swordsman than I was, but right now it was eight on one, and even the best swordsmen had little hope of beating those odds.
