“Shadow-portal me?” I placed a hand to my chest while I glared at him, faking appall. “What kind of name is that?”
“Seriously. I thought you were sophisticated and shit,” Hannes huffed.
André chuckled beside us as I shifted again, trying to put more weight on my right foot.
“I shall sweep you off your feet with my sensual shadows,Cuore mio,” Dante cooed, making me grin. “André can dash there, and we’ll just leave Hannes behind to be eaten by the crawlers.”
“I’ll allow it.” I nodded, wrapping my arms around his neck while Hannes snorted.
It was silly of us to act like this in the middle of life and death, but Goddess knew we needed the reprieve.
I blew a kiss at my sexy lumberjack, sword-wielding prince just as the shadows took Dante and me away. When the darkness dispersed again, we were far past the battle, the yellow energy, and the rocky terrain.
We stood about fifty feet from the entrance to the mountain.
André flashed to my side at the same time that Hannes landed next to us—using his giant Beasty leaps.
Taking a settling breath, I turned to face them, still limping. “I have a plan for the ambush that awaits me in there, but I need you guys to trust me.”
“With our life,” André answered without hesitation for all of them, Hannes and Dante nodding anyway.
“Perfect.” I smiled. “I figured out what your bond tattoo is meant to do…” Lifting my hand towards Hannes, I pressed it against the place where my wolf was drawn on his arm.
Blue light ignited with my touch, glowing so brightly that it pieced the fabric of his war suit, rushing over each line just like it did when we finally claimed each other. The light dashed towardhis neck, a crescent moon igniting in his eyes before everything settled.
“Is it done?” he asked. His hand went to his chest, rubbing it.
“It’s—”
“Well, well, well. Look who finally decided to visit,” A woman’s voice echoed behind me.
I whirled around to find a Witch levitating several feet above the ground while bands of yellow magic weaved between her feet, keeping her there.
“We would have been here sooner if you hadn’t sent your zombie dogs on us,” I replied, lifting my chin to look at her—defiantly, not because she was levitating. Just saying.
Laughter rang from her black lips, but Dante didn’t seem amused.
“Go in without me,”he instructed through the link, the eternal night pouring freely out of him and making his suit twinkle like the star-studded cosmos. A cape unfurled from his shoulders, fluttering behind him against non-existent wind.
A protest died on my lips when he stretched his arms to the sides, and midnight shadow bands expanded around him, lifting him into the air too. What I could only describe as revolving rings of silver starlight appeared at the north, south, east, west, front, and back of him, continuously moving and intertwining with each spin.
Beaming, their energy sent an eerie silver wave over his entire body before they vanished… Their power left a soft glow over his form.
He looked like a god.
“You should know better than to mess with theLord of Twilight.” His voice echoed all around us without him opening his mouth—a thousand voices in one.
Holy hell.
The mirth faked by the Witch was replaced by rage… and the vicious signs of unadulterated envy filled her brimstone eyes. Strange black markings appeared all over her body, even over her face, making her look cursed. They glowed until several, yellow swirling orbs formed at either side of her—one for every marking.
There were a lot.
“Go!”Dante shouted into our minds just as she fired.
André gripped my waist and dashed with me out of there. The last thing I saw before the darkness of the mountain surrounded me was the explosion of yellow and midnight energy engulfing the sky.
Heart pounding, I turned to face the hall inside the mountain, pushing forward even though all I wanted was to return to Dante. However, I had a mission, and my mom was counting on me.
