“Sera!” I roared.
The explosion rocked the room. White light detonated, swallowing sound.
I hit the ground hard, head ringing, lungs scorched.
The brilliant light faded, and I blinked, tears streaming down my cheeks. I peered through the haze.
Serafina stood in the center of the warehouse.
Alone.
Tangled vines, glossy and vibrant, rested beneath her feet. Their red blooms glowed as if drinking in her power. Unharmed, Sera stared at her hands, face pale with shock.
“You bitch,” Mortis snarled.
Thrown into the wall, he swiped black blood from his nose. Oily streaks trickled from his eyes and ears. He staggered upright. Serafina’s demise was a dark glint in his murderous gaze.
“You’ll pay for that,” he growled, raising the knife he still held.
I launched off the ground, seized his arm, and twisted. Bones snapped in my grip. Mortis howled.
“Only one paying is you.” I ripped the blade free and drove it into his gut. Once. Twice. A third time.
Nose to nose, I snarled, “That’s for Serafina, you cowardly prick.”
Black spittle dripped from his chin. “You’ll have to do better than that, forgotten prince.” Icy fingers clamped my wrist, plunging the dagger deeper while he grinned. “I know exactly who you are. You and that brother of yours. Once again, you’re too late. He’s coming for her. Not even the goddess herself can save her.”
“You lie,” I grated. “What you claim is impossible.”
Maniacal laughter burst from his lips. “See you in hell, Dragon.”
“Thorne,” Serafina shouted. “The ground, it’s moving. Get out of there.”
The earth trembled beneath my feet, and I dove out of the way. Under Mortis, the dirt shifted. It pulled him under, swallowing him like a hungry beast eager for a meal.
I crawled to Serafina, then glanced back. Silence reigned. Mortis, along with the vines, had vanished. Once more, the soil appeared smooth, as though nothing had happened.
The metallic scent of blood roused my dragon. Sera held her forearm in a tight grip, blood leaking between her fingers.
“You’re hurt. Tell me he didn’t bite you.” If Mortis was becoming what I expected, not even my dragonflame could save her from his venom.
“During our struggle, he cut my arm with the dagger.”
Relief shuddered through me. “We had better find a healer to…” I trailed off, distracted by the green shoots that popped up from the soil. They grew several inches, forming tight crimson buds before blooming. Right where Serafina’s blood dripped.
“Red sacris. Holy flower of Hathor. How are you doing this? What was that light?” I asked.
“I–I don’t know,” she whispered.
“Come on.” I helped her to her feet. “Let’s get your arm taken care of, then we’ll figure out the rest.”
For once, she didn’t argue.
Chapter Eighteen
SERAFINA
After receivingdirections from a couple of locals, Thorne led me to a building on the outskirts of town. Carved into the entrance was a sigil of the Sacred Arbor Goddess, Hathor. Thorne knocked, and the door swung open, revealing a face I knew as well as my own.
