My heart thumps wildly in my chest as I watch the swarm of tiny creatures. Rayna reaches our side, panting. “They are usually harmless, but I don’t know what’s gotten into them. They don’t venture from the caves.”
“What do we do?” I ask, having to raise my voice to be heard over the shrieking.
“We need to get them rounded up and head them back toward the caves.” Maxon ducks as one flies too close to his head.
“And how do we do that?” My tone is incredulous as I glance skyward to watch the small creatures. In the background, the castle seems gigantic with its stone walls reaching for the clouds.
Suddenly, a young woman with sparkling wings and vibrant blue hair appears out of thin air beside us. She looks at me inquisitively, her silver eyes twinkling mischievously, and I can’t help but notice her sharp, pointed teeth. My eyes widen as I take her in, my breath catching and my skin tingling with nerves. She is a human-sized version of Nix.
Tucking some of her blue hair behind her pointed ear, her attention shifts to Maxon. “Need some assistance, Your Highness?”
Maxon chuckles and shakes his head at her. “Yes, that would be nice, Silver.”
Rayna shrieks and steps back into me, bumping me out from behind Maxon. I regain my footing and gasp, ducking to avoid one of the scooping creatures. My heart goes out to the poor little creatures who have been disturbed and are now in an obvious state of panic.
Raiden and Zaria come bursting out the doors of the castle, their eyes widening on the mass of Vurien’s flying around the courtyard. Zaria quickly turns, slamming the doors shut before any can make their way inside. The air fills with more shouts as the guards arrive, all of them coming to a grinding halt. Everyone seems to hesitate, uncertain of how to proceed.
I watch as Silver raises her hands, palms facing upward, and closes her eyes. If I look close enough, I can almost make out a slight aura surrounding her as I sense her magic fill the air.
Maxon catches my gaze. “She has the ability to put creatures asleep, though this many at one time could be a challenge.”
Silver’s responding snort makes me grin, and the tension loosens in my shoulders.
I watch as the Vuriens’ frantic movements begin to slow, and they become sluggish. I take a step back to avoid one swooping down to land. My heart is in my throat as my foot slips on something wet and I fall backward, landing hard on the grass. A wave of embarrassment washes over me, and I hurriedly brush my hands off.
“Need a hand up?” Amusement coats Raiden’s words as he tries to smother his smile. I glare up at him, but the only reaction I get is a loud, boisterous laugh. Maxon joins him and I growl at both of them before they each grab a hand and pull me to my feet.
“Go, head inside with Zaria. We will round them up.” Maxon’s words are gentle as he pushes me toward the castle.
Moving away from the group, I can’t shake the feeling that the Vurien are deliberately tracking my every step.
A few of them swoop low enough to hook my hair with their tiny claws. Another flies at my face, veering to the side and nicking my ear with its teeth.
“Ouch!”
I bring my hand up and frown, feeling a stinging sensation. Pulling my fingers away, I see they are stained a deep red. It bit me!
“I thought you said they were harmless,” I grumble as I raise my head.
Another creature breaks free of whatever magic Silver has been working, and flies at me. Quickly, I raise my hand, swatting the creature away, but its movements are fast and determined, immediately turning and coming right back. I feel a sharp flash of pain as its tiny teeth dig into my arm. I suck in a sharp breath,yanking it from my arm. Its small body thrashes as it screeches and twists like a demon in my grip. Clicking my tongue, I release my grasp on it as another comes flying right at me. All the oxygen abandons my lungs, and I swat it away frowning as more turn my way.
“What the–”
Suddenly, a large body connects with mine. I feel the wind rush past my face as I fly backward, strong arms instinctively wrapping around me as we twist mid-air before hitting the ground.
Before I can process what’s happening, a large hand cups the back of my head, protecting me from the ground as his body rolls over mine, covering me completely. I know who it is from the scent that fills all my senses. I open my eyes to find Maxon’s deep violet eyes looking down at me. He tucks his head, his breath hot against my cheek, and I feel the rumble of his anger in his chest. I nestle my head in the crook of his neck, inhaling his warm, comforting scent.
Someone squeals, and I hear the pounding of feet, but I can’t make out anything past Maxon's massive form.
“Why are they trying to get to her?” Raiden yells.
Silver’s response is lost in the cacophony of wings beating and screeching above us.
“What in the heavens is going on out here?!” someone bellows. “I want this taken care of now before they destroy something.”
I’m not sure, but the voice sounds like Nolan.
“We need to draw them away!” Silver yells.
