Are you fucking kidding me? Traitors, all of them!
I squeeze his throat harder, ready to crush his esophagus, when another fireball passes in front of me.
“Shadow! I didn’t miss. I’m warning you to back the fuck off!” Liam yells.
“Fuck! He’s controlling the shadows!” Darwin yells.
“I didn’t bring him here for you to kill him. Let him go so he can talk!” Liam shouts.
What little humanity I had left is gone. Nothing will save Sodie now.
A burst of bright light saturates the night sky. I swing around, looking for Liam. His entire body glows with an infernal flame, both hands in front of him.
My hand closes in on itself, passing right through Sodie’s trachea. He falls to the ground, gasping for air. Confused, I glance at my now-empty hand.
Darwin rushes forward, dragging Sodie away from me and adopting a protective stance. I raise my hands, redirecting the shadows toward Liam. The moans of the shadows grow louder as they slither in Liam’s direction. The flames coating his body burn brighter, pushing my shadows back.
“You dare side with this traitor!” I scream.
“He’s not a traitor,” Liam calls back, slowly advancing forward until he too stands in front of Sodie. “He was protecting her.”
Protecting her? Lies! They didn’t see her body washed up on the shore near the pier—her skin icy pale, lips practically blue from the freezing temperature of the water. I had only just met her, and she was taken away from me.
Rage fuels the magic deep within. The shadows murmur in delight, ready for my command.
Sodie kneels on the ground, coughing and gasping for breath.
I take one menacing step toward Darwin, but he doesn’t flinch. He doesn’t fear me.
“Traitor!” I yell at Liam, urging my shadows in his direction. They groan in protest.
“I am not a traitor. You will make a grave mistake if you hurt him. Trust me.”
“You side with these two, Darwin? I can easily tear you apart with my magic.” My shadows snake around his legs.
Impressive. The non-magic wielder doesn’t fear you.
Liam stands his ground, yet I sense he’s torn between who to protect.
Darwin lifts his chin. “Our duty as guards is not only to protect the royal family but to protect each other. You can do your worst. I will not leave my post.”
Shadows slide their way to his throat, wrapping several times around it, threatening to choke the life out of him. True to his declaration, he doesn’t move a muscle.
“He’s innocent. If you hurt him, you hurt the Princess. Sodie is one of her favorite guards,” Darwin adds, his eye contact never straying from my own.
The mere mention of her gives me pause. My eyes dart to Liam, who nods in agreement.
I narrow my eyes. Liam doesn’t trust anyone. “What did you do to her?” I ask Sodie.
He shakes his head, refusing to answer me. I silently command the shadows to wrap around his body like a python ready to engulf its prey. “Stop stalling and tell me what you did!” I bellow, my voice echoing into the night.
He clears his throat and lift his chin. “We didn’t hurt her. We wanted to keep her safe, so we saw an opportunity and took it. I swear on the oath as an Emerald Guard, I acted to protect the Princess.”
I step toward him, and he swallows in fear. “What did you do, and who were you protecting her from?”
“There isn’t much I can tell you. I’m not only protecting Jessica. I’m protecting my pack and my Alpha.”
“Is that so? Then, I guess you’ll die with those secrets.” I lift my hands, commanding the shadows to squeeze the life out of him.
