I didn’t think. Pinching my dagger by the tip, I flung it straight at the soldier’s chest, where it landed with a thud.
The soldier’s face contorted in pain, and he released the female as he stumbled. Blood poured from the wound, but I was distracted by the sight of Kaden unfurling his wings.
They were so large that they spanned nearly the entire width of the street. I’d seen them before, of course, but never like this.
Kaden was not the male I’d come to know, with his dark wit and gentle touch.
This was the Dark Prince, Taker of Souls.
His wings seemed to glow with an otherworldly light, backlit by the blazing structure behind him. The flickering flames gilded the tip of each sharp talon, and when he moved, he was more shadow than male.
Ribbons of darkness billowed around him as he appeared in front of a soldier who was beating an older fae. A sick feeling churned through me as he decapitated the soldier with one flick of his sword, sending the male’s head tumbling into the dirty snow.
But Kaden was already moving again, his blade cutting through the night in flashes of silver. Grunts and cries sounded from the shadows as he slashed and stabbed his way through Alfrigg’s forces.
Younglings screamed. Mothers grabbed their young ones and ran as Kaden met the sea of red with a torrent of rage and steel.
Spotting a soldier setting fire to a ramshackle home tucked along a side street, I jumped into the fray, glimpsing Sorsha as I sent another one of my daggers sailing.
The princess’s golden braid was now tipped with blood as she fought her own merciless campaign. She moved like a female possessed as she followed in her brother’s wake, her swords slashing with ruthless precision.
I was vaguely aware of Adriel fighting a few paces away, his head moving this way and that as he struggled to keep both royals in sight.
As I drew my blade across the throat of a soldier I’d pulled off a young female, I felt a pang of sympathy for Adriel. The prince and princess made his job as royal guard extremely difficult.
But I had less than a heartbeat to dwell on that fact, forat that moment, two more soldiers rounded the corner. They took one look at their comrade bleeding out at my feet and charged toward me with their weapons raised.
Drawing my swords, I brought my weapons up just in time to counter the first attack, relishing the jolt of the impact down my arm and the harsh ring of steel in my ears.
The second soldier came at me from behind, and I twisted to block his strike. My muscles burned as I worked my twin blades in unison, successfully parrying each of their attacks but never gaining any ground.
One of my slashes nearly sliced through the first soldier’s neck, but then his companion brought his blade down in a deadly chop, and I was forced to block.
Fire and steel raged around me as I fought them in a frantic rhythm. Then my boot found an errant patch of ice, and I slipped before regaining my balance.
The fumble cost me.
A searing pain erupted in my side, and I twisted just in time to prevent the soldier from landing what would’ve been a fatal blow. Panic thrummed in my veins as hot blood gushed from the wound, my palms slick with sweat despite the cold.
The attack had put me on my heels, stealing whatever ground I had gained. The two males had me trapped with my back against a wall.
There was nowhere for me to run.
But then I heard a low growl that made the hairs along the back of my neck stand on end. One of the soldiers turned his head, and the light abruptly left his eyes.
A sickening crack echoed in the dark alley, and I realized the soldier hadn’t turned at all.
He collapsed in a heap, revealing the furious male standing behind him who’d snapped his neck.
Black fire raged in Kaden’s eyes as he calmly ran my other attacker through with his sword.
The soldier’s face went slack with shock as blood pumped from the wound. Kaden twisted the blade with a sickening squish, and the soldier let out a gurgle as he collapsed.
I lifted my gaze to meet Kaden’s, and fear punched through me when I realized I could no longer see the male I knew. His eyes were that solid, shimmering black, his expression cold and vacant.
Breathing hard, I edged along the side of the building to give myself room to flee. Kaden had defended me, yes, but he was not himself.
A furious scream drew my attention, and I turned just in time to see Sorsha collapse on her back. One of Alfrigg’s soldiers had her pinned in the snow, their blades locked between them.
