“Does anyone have any armor or protective gear I can wear? Didn’t have time to grab any on the way out the door.” They chuckle.
A tall man in the back drawls, “I’ll cover you.”
Jamison’s eyes narrow. “She’s taken. Get your own.”
He must be a little slow because he asks, “By who? The vamp?”
Jamison straightens. “Me.”
Gatlin crosses his arms. “Me.”
Mathias snarls at him. “Me.”
“And me,” Hawthorne states firmly, coming up to stand beside Mathias.
My face heats, but I can’t help the smug satisfaction I feel in hearing them claim me publicly. As someone who’s been alone for such a long time, it still boggles my mind that they’re mine. Italso makes me a little afraid. If I’m too happy, will the gods take it all away?
Jamison looks at the rugged watch on his wrist. “Commanders, it’s time. Move out and prepare for battle.”
I slip from Mathias’ arms and stride over to the map. Phone in hand, I snap pictures, making sure to memorize exactly where everyone is, but especially those I care about most.
“Coming in hot,”Mercer’s voice comes over the comms.
She volunteered to lead the vamps on a merry chase across England to us. Popping into towns with the panels, showing them off, then popping out, then renting a car to drive the last thirty miles.
A cloud of dust follows her closely.
Jamison raises his hand. Mages on the left and elves on the right fire up their magic. Hawthorne stands with the elves. Magic and staff in hand. Shifters, demons, and the rest make up the middle of the field, ready to meet them head on. Gatlin’s palm is up in a hold signal. We won’t take to the sky until the first wave of vampires hits the front.
Mercer drives right into one of those translucent portals and disappears.
Frederick’s order to stop is a roar, but the vampires are already too close. They hit the ranks and immediately engage with our army.
Gatlin and I take to the sky along with the other gryphons and a few shifters like Daegan’s dragon. They repeatedly dive bomb—snapping off heads, burning them to a crisp, or grabbing two or three in their massive talons and tossing them in the air.
A massive portal opens to the left of the vampires, and Bennett comes running out, magic firing in a remarkable show of power. A large number of humans enter with him, increasing the enemy’s numbers by at least a hundred.
I immediately relay this to Jamison and bite my lip, knowing he’ll want to take him on himself. He signals to someone in the ranks, and Charlie steps forward and assumes command.
Bennett stops and smiles broadly when Jamison’s magic intercepts his. They circle each other, magic flying, and everyone gives them a wide berth. Except the humans. One in particular raises his gun and points it at Jamison. I open my mouth to warn him, but Marjorie tears into him with her vampire teeth and drinks him dry. A dry husk, he drops to the ground.
Guns fire after her, but she’s too fast for them to hit. She whispers into the ear of another vampire, and the two of them speed through the ranks of humans, teeth and nails flashing. One by one, they too drop to the ground.
Fire erupts in a circle on the ground, and Gatlin streaks across the sky to get us closer. Wind lifts me a few inches above his back, and I dig my heels in and hold on tightly. He slows and banks, letting me look at the scene below.
A lot of the elves are down. Hawthorne’s circle of fire is the only thing keeping the horde of vampires from getting to the rest. I relay the information below, and Charlie immediately directs Maverick and his demons to assist.
In a breathtaking move of ingenuity, the demons literally rise from the fire and launch themselves at the vampires. Hawthorne bends, hands on knees, to catch his breath, and a vampire leaps, taking him to the ground.
Gatlin screeches, and one of the other gryphons immediately moves in and plucks the vampire off Hawthorne. Sharp talons shred him to pieces as he rises back into the air.
Daegan’s roar echoes across the valley, and I immediately grip Gatlin tighter. He races across the sky toward the dragon, and we find him on the ground, his body riddled with bullets. Quickly relaying the information to his second in command, I pull the gun from my holster and fire at the humans, forcing them to take cover.
Daegan’s pack moves in, teeth and claws tearing into them, while Daegan begins the arduous task of healing his body. Blood and tissue gush out of holes followed by the bullets as he gets rid of them.
The ground is littered with bodies from both sides. Magic striking magic brings my attention back to Jamison and Bennett. They’re well matched. Shards of ice become bullets. Dirt whips into tornadoes. Dragons made of water swipe at the other with massive tails.
I relay this information to Charlie, hoping he can figure something out, but he tersely informs me that they’re covered up with vamps. I tap Gatlin on the neck, and he sends out a series of screeches. Two nearby gryphons move from the center of the field toward Charlie and his mages.
