Selene’s eyes watered, and she slowly nodded her head. Leviathan’s legacy would live on through Reiya. She could see the daughter she was carrying inside her now—a powerfuldemigod that could summon water and ice. A young woman who could muster a storm at her very will. She wanted to tell Leviathan of his growing child but couldn’t. His knowledge of that would affect the war and freeing Endymion. All she could do was promise that if he fell, she would protect both of his fairies.
Selene turned around and left Leviathan to himself. She wouldn’t stop now. There was more she could do. More pieces to her chess board she needed to assemble. She marched out of the room with a new determination. She would seek out the Kraken.
Water slapped across the backs of demons, knocking them from their feet while an inferno of fire burnt their bodies to a crisp. Who would have thought water and fire could work so well together? Reiya and Xander had pushed a wide aura out of their body, something they just naturally knew to do. Along with it came special aid to those wrapped within it. None of the witch doctors were able to penetrate through their barrier. But that wasn’t the only thing it did. It gave hope to the hopeless. It gave their armies a comforting hand on their shoulders, a reassurance that they were not alone. It encouraged them to fight with everything they had.
Reiya peered out from Xander’s back as she sought out her friends and family. The guardians were in a fierce battle against some of the hellhounds. A single guardian was fighting against one alone, but it took several dragons to take one down. Her parents seemed to not be in any distress, fighting in perfect sync with one another. Something helpful from being able to hear each other’s thoughts. Hunter and Freja seemed to be struggling, though. Freja was getting overrun by demons, and Hunter was in an intense battle.
“Xander—” Reiya said as she looked at Freja.
As if Xander already understood what she was saying, he shook his head. “We can’t break the formation here. We have to continue to help everyone.” He had in fact already noticed Freja in distress. From what he could tell, Hunter was doing okay, but the sheer numbers were overwhelming Freja. She was going to need help.
Reiya nodded, trying to stay calm. But that all changed when she peered out toward her mate. Suddenly, she was horrified. “Xander, Lee! Something’s wrong with Lee! We have to go to him!” A sob squeezed her throat as she watched Mephisto close in on her frozen mate.
Xander looked beyond the army. He had to fight against his instincts. Levi had already warned him. He told him there was a chance he wouldn’t survive, and that if he fell in battle, he had to promise to protect Reiya. They couldn’t even scratch Mephisto. Instead, they would just be handing Reiya over to him. So he stood there and watched as Mephisto raised himself against Levi, his brother and best friend.
Reiya watched with tears in her eyes as the mighty claws of the demon swept forward toward Leviathan. She felt her heart squeeze in pain, but she couldn’t take her eyes off him. She couldn’t understand. Why wouldn’t Xander go to Lee? If he died, she died as well. So why was he staying put? What was the point of protecting her now?At least I won’t have to live apart from him. At least we’ll die together.
CHAPTER EIGHTY
Mephisto had victory in his eyes as he outstretched his deadly claws. He pushed his power forward with lethal intent, making sure this hit counted. He would deal the deity a deadly blow, one that he wouldn’t be able to recover from. With Leviathan out of the way, victory would be theirs. In fact, he could already see the outcome in front of them. This wasn’t really a war against everyone else. This war would be decided right now. It was a battle between him and the deity, and whoever won their match would decide the outcome of the war. No other upper-level deity was here fighting, which meant this war was as good as won. Victory was his. He swung forward to deliver the fatal blow.
As his claws closed in, a bolt of electricity hurled toward him, striking the ground between him and Leviathan.
“What the hell?” Mephisto looked up at the sky. A titan-sized black dragon spiraled toward him, crashing into the ground, blocking Leviathan.
A cloud of dust stretched up into the air, temporarily cloaking the newcomer. Through the cloud, Mephisto saw a yellow energy leap out toward him. He barely managed to dodge it as he stood there in shock. Who would dare attack an originaldemon but a deity? There were no other dragon deities. So who was this dragon? And what was this intimidating power coming from it? He stared at the raven-black dragon angrily as the dust settled. Whoever this stranger was, they were dead. They had taken away the opportunity he had to end this battle quickly. Leviathan would soon recover, and he wouldn’t be able to end things like he’d planned.
“I see you wish for death. I will grant it to you.” Mephisto growled and leaped toward the dragon. Several jolts of lightning sprung forward as the black dragon flapped its wings. Blackness charged toward him, and he had to retreat once again.
“Don’t think you can win against me so easily, demon of the deep,” a feminine voice spat out poisonously.
Mephisto reached up, touching the shoulder where he had been burned from close contact with the electric energy. He snarled at the intruder. She was not an ordinary dragon. Power radiated from her, and her attacks were deadly. She was even able to keep up with his speed. She wasn’t a full deity, but she was definitely part. And that lightning … he recognized the attacks. It was far too similar.
“Astrape … you’re the daughter of Astrape. Who would be bold enough or dumb enough to sleep with her?” Mephisto leaped forward, hoping his words had shocked her as he sent a black cloud her way.
She flapped her wings, pushing the darkness away, but then Mephisto slammed into her. Her body went flying to the side and crashed into a tree. The force broke the tree in half, the loud sound of branches crashing into the ground echoing in her ears. Her amber eyes watched as the demon dove toward her, his fangs bared and his claws outstretched, only to see him hit by a wave of blue energy. It was his turn to get slammed into a tree.
She rose to her feet and looked at the blue dragon, who was now fully composed once again.
“Thank you … Jade,” Levi said as his gaze met hers.
“You know of me?” she asked, shocked.
Levi chuckled. “I’m the dragon deity. Of course I know of you.”
“Does he know?” Jade asked quietly.
Levi shook his head. “No, but I think it’s finally time.” He then turned his full attention to Mephisto. “Thank you for saving me. But it may be best for you to stand aside now.”
Jade smiled and shook her head. “No. I’m here to assist you. Selene gave me the kick needed to make sure I got here in order to save your life. Because saving your life means saving his, and protecting him from a life of imprisonment.”
Of course, Selene had another plan up her sleeve. Even after foreseeing his death, she continued to work behind the scenes in order to avoid it. She couldn’t get a tier-one deity, so she got the next best thing. A tier-one deity’s child. A demigod, but not just any demigod. In order for one to be this powerful, there had to be some powerful blood mixed together. And indeed, there was. Jade was the daughter of the deity Astrape, the Lightning Goddess. But she was also the unknown daughter of the previous Dragon King of the West, Xander’s half-sister, and she was powerful. Even stronger than a tier-two deity.
Lee smiled. That crafty goddess. She’d managed to save his life. He guessed he owed her one. He watched as Mephisto narrowed his eyes on him and began moving in slowly. “Thank you, Jade. I appreciate the help. Just be careful, and don’t get yourself killed. I was hoping to have this introduction soon in the future, but what better time than risking our lives?”
Jade walked toward Leviathan and lifted her head in Mephisto’s direction. This would still be a tough battle, but hopefully they would both make it out alive.
Dex, Mason and Weston’s dragons commanded the air. There might have been a lot of rogue dragons, but they were no match for the armies of the four kings of the sky. Together with the combined strength of their mates, family, and armies, they were taking down the traitors.
