Fear slammed into me and took my breath away. “Wren, if anything happens, you go incorporeal. Do you understand me?” Rowan growled.
“Yes. I promise.”
Each of my mates relaxed at that, and Damien stepped forward before his shadows engulfed everyone in the room. They pulled away, and we stood in the middle of campus, right in the center of the Cherry Blossom Garden, the Summoning Circle, and the Natatorium.
It was the same place I had been attacked by the human specimen last term. Fear clutched my heart, refusing to let it beat normally. An agony of despair hit me as the remnants of the ward fell in magical dust down around us.
Werewolves in their powerful forms rushed through campus, swiping at anything they could, and I saw Lachlan in his werewolf form take off for the others.
“Lachlan, be careful,” I squeaked, and he turned to nod his huge head at me before continuing forward on his huge legs.
The reality of war ate away at my sanity, and my legs gave way. My knees hit the ground in the center of our group. I didn’t have complete control of my shadow yet, and I had no control over a defensive attack. I would get in the way if I were to try to fight. My mates would definitely be distracted by me if I did.
Trixie and Tabitha held hands, chanting an incantation as a light blue energy field started to form back over the academy, but it was slow.
Rowan pulled me back on my feet and smashed me into his chest with a feral growl. Human specimens scattered around, walking casually as they sought supernaturals.
Damien’s shadows tore through them, but the humans had outnumbered us with the army they sent. I estimated about twenty werewolves, maybe sixty humans, plus fifteen human specimens. And that was just from what I could count.
Fire erupted on the fae ball field in the distance, and all the buildings were being destroyed. One of the trees in the Cherry Blossom Garden cracked before falling, thanks to a werewolf that had embedded its claws into the trunk. The crystals within the summoning circle were broken, and the Natatorium was tinged with red.
Callie jumped into it from the corner of my eye, and I saw her transform into her siren form before pulling one of the humans in with her. Samson kept an eye on her from the edge as he took out humans who were armed with guns.
Even Callie, who was more timid than I was, could fight. But what could I do? I felt impaled by fear, unable to move. Rowan’s hold on me was the only thing keeping me upright. The fear I harbored for the humans hit me harder in that moment than it ever had. We were surrounded by them. Surrounded bypure evilas they fought against supernaturals with weapons I had never seen before.
Bullets embedded into supernaturals by humans, and our supernatural brethren screamed. The humans were taking over with the werewolves on their side, and it was terrifying. The blood and carnage happening around us was something I didn’t think I would ever forget. I wouldn’t ever be able to burn it or scrub it from my brain.
Damien continued slicing into them, and Simmons was using his shadow tendril to decapitate the humans. I wished that I had been capable of doing the same, but my shadow wouldn’t come forth right now because I was too paralyzed by panic.
Rhett fought mercilessly, and Kian blasted spells alongside Blair. Alister fought all of them with his insane speed and strength. They seemed to all circle around where I was, and I realized that I was a distraction in that moment.
Rowan pressed a rough kiss to my temple. “Incorporeal, please. I must fight.”
“Be careful. I love you.” My magic tore through my body, rendering me incorporeal as Rowan’s arms went through me.
“Thank you, fledgling. I love you.” He shifted into his dragon form and took off, blasting fire at the army.
I was thankful I couldn’t smell the death and blood in this form, but this form became surreal to me as I moved through the campus that had now become a battlefield. I watched the bloodshed from a form where I was safe but could do nothing to help. Werewolves going up against other supernaturals made little sense to me. We were told they were being held against their will. So why fight for their captors?
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a human sneaking up behind Alister. My magic flooded out of me as I became corporal. “Alister, behind you!” I hollered, and he turned at the last minute as the human woman pointed a gun at him.
He gave her one seething glance, and her blood tore from her veins, splattering the grass red as her corpse dropped on top of what had kept her alive.
I sucked in a gasp.
“Sweet ruby, thank you, butplease.” Desperation laced his voice, and I let my magic hit me again as I went incorporeal, thankful that I was useful for something in this battle. Alister ran off with his vampire speed once he noted I had used my power.
I turned toward the Cherry Blossom Garden, entranced by the cherry blossoms that fell. The snow had melted, so the only thing visible was grass soaked by the blood of both enemy and ally.
Thorn sent ice spikes through human skulls as he hit a few humans that were making their way toward Tabitha and Trixie, who were preoccupied by the wards as they stood inside the Summoning Circle.
Fear choked the scream from my throat as I saw Nate with a sword made of flames approaching my ice fae. I took off running toward them, thankful that my muscles didn’t ache in this form. Twisted fingers of fear clawed at my guts, but I pushed through it. I had to warn him.
Thorn turned just before I revealed myself, facing Nate as anger took over his expression. I stood close to Thorn. Relief hit me that he didn’t have his back to Nate any longer. “You’d really kill me like a coward?”
“Of course! Your family is the reason we are at war,” Nate roared, and his eyes were void of any compassion that had been there before.
“No. The Fire Kingdom declared the war onus.” Thorn spoke calmly, forming an ice sword at his side.
