For a heartbeat, I thought we might win, then I saw The Pit. A tide of men surged forward, crashing into one another in a frenzy of fists, blades, and magic. Westwaters turned on Westwaters, destroying what little order Silas kept in the Pit. Ezra carved through one flank, Brit and Joe slammed bodies aside, Hero and Seth held a wall, but the wave kept rolling, snarling and endless.
Thanks to Everly’s glowing dots, I could make out a few allies in the distance, Rowan and his brothers included, trying to cut their way in, but we were moments from being overrun.
I wasn’t the only one here anymore. The body snatchers would take all of us.
A woman screamed from the ramp, followed by a man grunting in pain. I turned just as a body careened into our defenses. Matt charged up the ramp, flanked by two body snatchers.
The women scattered, diving out of their way.
Cayden stepped in front of me, cursing and touching parts of his body, missing tattoos.
Matt skidded to a halt, a lecherous grin splitting his face. “Third time’s the charm, girly.” He held out his hand as if I would take it. “Be a doll.”
The dull ring of fighting dampened the world. I shook, remembering being hog-tied and helpless with his magic literally dragging me through the dark.
But I wasn’t helpless this time.
On either side of him, the body snatchers raised their arms, clearly intending to take me by force if I didn’t take his hand.
‘Stop.’Alex’s voice thundered. My body froze, and so did The Pit. Blades locked mid-swing, screams caught in throats, the chaos of hundreds turned into awful, suffocating silence.
Then, soft and broken:‘Dance.’
My feet jerked, bouncing to a rhythm only Alex could hear, until the entire Pit moved with me.
‘I didn’t want this,’Alex’s voice said so softly in my head.‘I just wanted a family.’
The compulsion to dance ended, but The Pit still seethed around to the sound of squeaking shoes and hissing clothing.
‘Get out of here,’Alex said.‘I’ll find you. We’ll be friends, I promise.’
Xan told me to follow Alex’s directions, and I trusted him, but I couldn’t leave Everly or any of the women who found themselves trapped because of me.
All the women stopped dancing.
‘Friends. Take them. Now.’Alex demanded.
“Grab someone's hand,” I yelled. “Make sure everyone’s touching someone else.”
I didn’t wait to see if they followed instructions. So far. I’d accidentally teleported myself and two people. Each time was a result of emotional duress, and if this didn’t count, I’d go back to believing this was all a dream.
I grabbed the hand closest to mine before my gaze found Cayden.
My friend still danced, his body jerking to Alex’s command. He couldn’t reach me.
I looked at Chancellor Morgen’s stick, still going through my hand. I swallowed hard. This was going to sting. With a cry, I stabbed it into my friend's shoulder, pinning us together. Although it hurt, the hand already throbbed so severely that more was surprisingly manageable.
The sensation of cool sand slid down my neck distracting me. Wisps of colorful smoke drifted from Alex’s collar as it dissolved, even as The Pit roared back to life with shouts, steel, and trampling feet. Out of the haze, a dragon no bigger than a parrot burst free, wings snapping wildly in the chaos. The creature perched on my shoulder, little claws sinking into my leather. Dark, glistening scales shone in my peripheral vision, along with a twitching, spiked tail.
The collar—the last tie to Alex—crumbled. His death left no grief, no joy. Only numbness.
The dragon flicked its tail. I didn’t have time for my dragon byproduct inconsistencies. Matt stopped dancing. Someone yelled, and metal clashed with metal. I needed to teleport us now.
“Don’t even think about it,” Matt snarled, taking a step forward.
Matt reached for me just as a massive sword of cold fire severed his head. Blood sprayed, splashing my leathers.
Rowan locked gazes with me for a brief second before I pulled on the raw magic inside me and focused on the only place I’d ever felt truly safe.
