From inside the office, Antonio shouted, “Wait! One more! Get down!”
Just as the last explosion hit, we fired.
My shot went wide, my balance off from the blast that hit the building.
But Ezra’s aim was true. His bullet pierced Philip right through the chest.
Tipkin glowed a brilliant gold.
As his sphere began to engulf us, we watched as Philip flew back.
The ceiling was already crashing down. It was beautiful.
Still grinning like a fiend, even with dust covering me, I didn’t care that I was knocked over by Elder Jacobs’s power of wind when we transversed back to the present. Staring at the shimmering night sky, I shouted a whooping holler and wiggled on the grass where I lay on my back. Tipkin had brought us to the time directly after we had left. Cahal and Elder Merrick’s predators were even still growling, only abruptly cutting off as they stared at the three of us on the ground.
Tipkin’s head rested on my stomach. He chuckled quietly. “Bye-bye.” He disappeared.
Ezra grunted, then he tilted his head toward me. “He’s dead.”
“Mm-hmm,” I hummed happily. “You took that bastard down!”
His lips slowly curved in a wicked smile. “Yes, I did.”
I lifted a finger. “Don’t forget. I did help.” Ezra would not have gone with Tipkin if I had not given my word to go. I made a fist. “King Tomb, baby!”
His gaze twinkled as he fist-bumped me. “King Tomb.”
Antonio cleared his throat. “What just happened? Who’s dead?”
I wiggled again, then I shouted in glee, “Philip Masterson is dead!”
Chapter Eighteen
Ezra and I sat across from our best friends.
When we had initially seen them, we had hardly recognized them.
It had been so damn hard not to react at first sight, but I was now different.
As was Ezra.
He and I were ruthless. And cold. In public.
In private…not so much.Mmm.
We had assembled in a meeting at King Mile with Antonio, Cahal, Elder Merrick, Elder Jacobs, the four Elders who had created the peace treaty after the first war…and Jack and Pearl.
Ezra and I had explained what had happened in our blast to the past.
The decision had been unanimous.
With the last Beast farm taken out, and our new intel, we knew how to end this war.
The spelled letters were already sent worldwide to the other Elders of our game plan.
Elder fucking Harcourt’s own personal letter to us had arrived just after we had decided as a group. His correspondence had stated that he agreed with our decision. I had torn up his letter in the hope that he would arrive to vindicate the action, but not surprisingly, the old Mage had not shown so that I could strangle him.
And slice him.
