“Gwen,” Fane called out. “Please take Wadim and Lilly with you out of here. Adam, you leave, too,” he ordered. “Clarion has agreed to stay and complete this task.”
“Fane, no,” Wadim started, but Fane shook his head.
“You will leave. That is my command, and you will obey.”
“I’m not okay with this.” Adam sounded out of breath.
“You don’t have to be okay with it,” Fane told him. “I’m telling you to do as I say.”
Wadim dropped his head, and Gwen grabbed his arm. She flashed and then was back a second later. She took Lilly’s arm. The warlock turned and met Fane’s eyes. “Don’t give up.”
“Never,” Fane assured her and watched as Gwen flashed.
Fane could still hear Adam’s voice, taunting the vampires he faced.
“Move, fae,” Clarion said. Then there was a massive shake, and a cloud of dust came through the tunnel.
“Did you seriously just block the damn tunnel?” Adam asked. “That was the only way out.”
“That wasn’t a way out, boy. It was a death sentence. Now make yourself useful and do some sort of protection spell for the people in there.” Clarion turned and pointed into the room where Fane and the others still stood, stuck to the ground like glue.
Adam looked at Fane. “Crina will kick my ass if I leave you all in here and don’t help. Do you know how hard it is to get back in her good graces?”
Elle raised her eyebrows. “Do you know how hard it is to come back to life after being crushed by a mountain?”
“I thought we were focusing on positive thoughts?” Peri reminded them. Fane noted she looked pale and gaunt.
“We’re not going to die.” Adam held up his hands and began speaking under his breath.
Clarion closed his eyes and chanted. The ground trembled beneath them, and Fane could hear crashing rocks reverberating off the walls.
“I’m bringing down the tunnels.” Clarion clearly knew Fane was trying to figure out what was happening. “This is going to be tricky,” the djinn added. “If I fail, I apologize in advance.”
“No talk of failing allowed in the middle of life-and-death situations.” Adam paused before cursing. “Crina just found out the plan. She is pissed. So maybe don’t fail. I’d hate for my female to kick your ass in the afterlife.”
“Adam”—Peri glared at her comrade—“focus. You’re going to need the boundary spell to be the strongest one you’ve ever done.”
“I’ve got this, Peri fairy,” Adam assured her. “You just stand there and look pretty.”
The ground gave another violent shake. “Dammit.” Peri growled when a small rock hit her in the head. “You’ve got this?”
“It was one rock, not the whole damn mountain. Quit being dramatic.”
“Adam…” Lucian grumbled.
Adam glanced at the wolf. “My bad. I won’t let any more rocks hit your woman. No matter how annoying she is.” Then he looked pointedly at Fane. The fae’s eyes seemed to convey something, but Fane couldn’t figure out what. And it was obvious Adam didn’t want to blurt out whatever was troubling him.
“It’s begun,” Clarion said. “May the Great Luna protect us.”
* * *
“What the helldo you mean they’re going to bring the mountain down?” Jacque snapped at her mom and then looked at Thadrick who stood with his arms held out to the mountain. She was attempting to have this conversation while fighting off the swarm of vamps continually streaming from the mountain. Dain, a high fae, Nissa, Andora, the sprite queen, Boain, Lorna, Costin, Drake, Lilly, Wadim, Zara, Crina, Thad, and Jezebel fought by her side.
“Your father called.” Lilly was continually shooting the closest vampires with balls of magic. Jacque had tried to use her power again, but the battle with Alston had completely depleted her. “The vampires are taking dormants again, Jacque. Only it’s even worse this time.” A vamp made it within arm’s length of Jacque, and she whipped around, bringing her short sword across, slicing the bloodsucker across the throat. Then she brought the weapon back around and down, stabbing it in his chest. “He said every vampire left alive could eventually be one that kidnaps a dormant. That is unacceptable.”
“But our people are in there.” Jacque pointed at the mountain. “My mate is in there.”
Lilly glanced at her, and the fear Jacque saw in her mother’s eyes terrified her. “I know.”
