“Let us leave,” I say again. “We can remove the Demon King from your land. This is your chance to be done with him. Jareth is under our control.”
Haldi’s eyes narrow as her gaze swivels to my father. Her hand tightens around the hilt of her sword. “Is he?”
Across the distance, Jareth flashes me a smile.
Without warning, his fist darts out, encased in light and all.
Malia gives a startled cry as he backhands her. He hits her so hard that his claws rake across her face, cutting her skin, and she flies backward under the force of his assault, screaming as she hits the ground.
Roman shouts and releases the runes that were circling his wrist, but the web of Malia’s magic has already disintegrated.
And then, Jareth is free.
CHAPTERTHIRTY
With a roar that chills me to my bones, Jareth runs straight for me, his clawed feet churning up the ground.
Haldi is in his path, but she flies upward with a scream, her wings giving a single, strong sweep that carries her beyond the arc of his swinging claws. Mostly. Several feathers flutter to the ground as he continues to storm toward me.
I barely have time to breathe, let alone react.
My strength is already sapped, and my reflexes are slower now. A scream builds in the back of my mind, but even that is sluggish:Move, Nova!
Faster than I can react, Roman launches himself in front of me, pushing me farther back into the safety of the shadows. Saving me this time.
“No!” His roar of rage washes across me, hitting my heart as hard as his fist collides with Jareth’s face.
Thethudof their collision vibrates through the ground beneath me, shaking the trees around us.
Jareth skids back across the grass, digging in his heels, churning up the earth. The angels scatter behind him in a flurry of white wings as they take to the air and retreat to the trees at the edge of the clearing.
Jareth’s shoulders hunch and he bares his teeth as he begins pacing a slow arc within the newly cleared space. He snarls back at Roman. “Do you wish for death, old friend? If so, I will grant it.”
Ignoring him, Roman locks eyes with me. “Stay in the shadows,” he says before he forces himself to his feet, his muscles bunched and straining as he fights the fatigue I know he’s feeling.
His gaze drops to me in what feels like a final caress. “Don’t be alarmed by what you see. To fight Jareth, I have to let go of who I am.”
He takes a deep breath before he runs straight out into the light.
“No, Roman!” I scream as I reach for him, but he’s already gone.
He’s as weakened as I am, and my heart is in my throat. But then his appearance changes, and I catch my breath so fast that it sounds like a scream through my lips.
His clothing tears, his chest expands, and his height increases to Jareth’s eight feet. Roman’s muscular back is to me, but his skin morphs to deep amethyst, and black runes glow across his now-leathery skin.
He flashes a dangerous grin back at me as his heavy stepsthudacross the ground. His teeth are sharp, and his eyes are pure black. It’s a demon’s snarl that reminds me he’s the fucking Master of Demon Runes. A dangerous demon who holds my heart.
It doesn’t matter what form he takes.
Jareth launches himself forward, and the two demons collide in the clearing like giants. Within seconds, they’ve both shed blood, black and deep purple, their fists and claws pounding each other’s faces and torsos.
Around the clearing, the angels aren’t idle. They quickly gather in response to Haldi’s screamed commands and advance on our group from both sides. The only space they avoid is the clearing directly in front of us where Roman and Jareth fight.
“To me!” I call to my pack, forcing myself to my feet and hoping for energy as I brace for impact.
Malia grips her face, her power glowing around her body as she heals the deep claw marks across her cheeks. She also rises to her feet and takes up position on our far right, keeping a greater distance because of her power.
Taniya stands on my left, and Koda falls in on her left with a nod to her. Together with my wolves, we form a semi-circle, facing the oncoming threat. Koda and Ruby may be new to our pack, but the rest of us have fought together a hundred times before, and I tell myself this is no different.
