Synica didn’t hesitate. She raised her hands, and the air around her shimmered with the raw energy of djinn magic. With a flick of her wrist, she sent a wave of bright light crashing into a cluster of demons attempting to flank the dormants. They howled as the magic hit them. Their twisted forms disintegrated into ash that scattered in the wind.
The fae warriors moved with deadly grace, their weapons flashing as they darted through the chaos. The violet-haired fae adjusted her shield and pushed it outward to give the dormants more breathing room. Her expression was hard and determined, her movements precise as she deflected a demon’s fiery attack with a twist of her hand.
Synica’s senses sharpened as she advanced. The heat of the flames licking at the edges of the battlefield was searing, a constant reminder of the destruction surrounding them. She could feel the ground trembling beneath her boots as demons, vampires, and even hybrids charged. Their snarls vibrated in her chest.
They’d formed a circle around the group protecting the helicopter. “Stay behind us,” she shouted to the dormants, her voice cutting through the din.
One of the male elves looked at her, a glowing blade in his hand. His eyes were filled with fury. “We’ve got to get this thing in the air,” he shouted back, pointing at the helicopter. “Some important humans are inside, two of them children.” She could tell it was the fact that there were young inside the helicopter that truly bothered the male.
A demon lunged for him, its claws extended, and Synica moved without thinking. She stepped between them, her hand shooting out to grab the creature by the throat. Its skin was hot under her touch, almost burning, but she didn’t flinch. With a burst of energy, she crushed its windpipe, and its body collapsed into ash.
“I’ll take your place. You get inside that thing and get them in the air,” she snapped, her gaze locking on the boy. “Take a fae with you to deal with anything that might attempt to attack you in the air.”
The elf nodded and, called out a name, and pointed at one of the fae in their protective circle. Synica watched as Angus quickly replaced the fae’s spot, making sure not to allow an opening for their foe.
To her left, Raith was grinning like a maniac, his eyes looked a tad crazy as he toyed with a demon. “You know,” he said conversationally as he dodged a swipe of claws, “this is almost fun. Almost.”
“Focus, Raith.” Synica growled and sent another wave of magic to knock back a group of demons rushing toward them.
“Iamfocusing,” he replied, his tone infuriatingly casual. “On not getting my pretty face scratched.”
Synica glanced at him. “I don’t remember you ever being this gregarious. Like many of our djinn males, you were broody.”
“That’s because I’ve been comrades with Shade for centuries. He’s about as pleasant as sitting on a cactus while a draheim gnaws your leg off.”
“I don’t remember him being so difficult. But then, a broken heart and bitterness can change people.” She didn’t hear his response as her attention shifted to a massive demon moving toward the helicopter. Its hulking form was wreathed in flames, and its molten eyes burned with malevolent intelligence. Synica was shocked to see its size, considering all the other demons she’d seen had been of the smaller variety.
“Tyler!” She pointed toward the creature.
The alpha turned, his dark fur streaked with ash and blood. His growl was low and menacing as he charged toward the demon, Sadra close behind him. She’d stayed in her human form and seemed just as comfortable fighting that way as she might in her wolf. The pair moved as one, a blur of deadly precision. Tyler leapt onto the creature’s back, his claws digging deep into its flesh as Sadra struck from below, her blade slicing through its legs.
The demon roared, the sound shaking the ground, but it faltered under their combined assault. Synica raised her hands to gather her magic for a final strike. The air around her crackled with energy, and she sent a concentrated blast straight into the demon’s chest. It exploded in a burst of light and ash, its roar cut off mid-sound. Suddenly, the whirl of the helicopter blades began to spin above them, and the blast of air whipped around them, blowing Synica’s cloak and hair. She looked back and stared as the large machine rose into the air. She saw the elf she’d spoken to staring down at her from one of the windows. He gave her a slight nod, and she returned the gesture. Synica watched as the fae around her formed a shield surrounding the helicopter as it went higher and higher until it began to move forward, away from the carnage of the battlefield.
Suddenly, everything fell into a tense quiet. The only sounds were the crackle of flames and the ragged breathing of the survivors. Synica turned, scanning the dormants and warriors. They were alive—battered and exhausted, but alive. She noticed that Clarion, Myron, and Rouse, the other djinn elders, had spread out on the grounds, most likely keeping any more of their foe from getting any closer. Synica saw some downed trees and flipped cars. Clarion looked a tad sheepish as he met her gaze. The djinn’s power could become overwhelming if they weren’t careful. The four of them together could raze DC and everything on the east side of the country from top to bottom.
Synica’s attention pulled away from Clarion as she saw movement from the corner of her eye. She turned to look at the auburn-haired girl as she stepped forward. She had a few scratches on her face, and her shirt was torn in several places. Overall, she appeared to be in decent condition. “Who are you?” she asked, her voice trembling.
“Your reinforcements.” Tyler shifted back into his human form. Clothes immediately covered his body, and Synica didn’t doubt that an ally fae had helped the alpha out. His dark eyes were hard but steady as he looked at the dormants. “You did well holding the line. Now, who’s in charge?”
There was a commotion beyond the line of elves and fae that had moved to keep the dormants in their view. Synica made a motion for them to part so she could see what was happening.
“I want to know who the hell authorized that helicopter to take off, and I want to know now!” A man dressed in a human military uniform barked. His face was an ugly shade of red, and he had a vein in his forehead that looked like it just might burst.
“I did.” Synica stood straight with her shoulders pulled back and her chin raised. She let her power run over her body, knowing the slight glow of it would show. She thought it might give the obviously angry human pause. But he just kept marching straight for her. When he was less than five feet away, Tyler stepped in front of her, placed a hand on the male's chest, and shoved him back a good twenty feet.
“It would be ill advised of you to approach a djinn elder with such little respect.” A rough growl filled Tyler’s voice.
Synica’s eyes narrowed as something about the man bothered her. A second later she realized that he didn’t seem to be in shock or the slightest bit surprised about the supernatural beings all around him. “You know what we are. How?”
The male’s jaw clenched, and she could tell that he really didn’t like being questioned. This was a male used to giving the orders, not taking them. And based on the contempt filling his gaze, whatever he knew about their kind, he didn’t particularly care for them.
“Answer her,” Drayden, who’d returned to human form, ordered as he stepped up beside the human. He towered over the male, but the human didn’t back away. Brave or stupid? Synica was going with the latter.
“I’ve had dealings with supernatural beings before you,” he answered, straightening out his shirt where Tyler’s hand had touched him.
“Why would the human military know anything about supernat—” Jeff’s words faded off as Synica could practically see the lightbulb go off above his head. The Coldspring alpha stepped closer to the human. “You have a daughter, a scientist who you forced to work with Cain.” He sounded so sure of his words.
The male's lips thinned. “How do you know any of that?”
