All my power and it’s still not enough.
Through my tear-stained eyes, I watch a single tear fall from the stag’s eye. It falls to Elle’s bloodied chest, her dress ripped to shreds from the cambion’s claws. The tear mixes with her blood. So much blood.
Screams tear through the room, coming from the throne room. So much screaming.
I grit my teeth and press my fists into my ears, desperate for it to stop. I have todosomething. I shift, trying to get out from under Elle. The stag shifts, rising to his feet.
I stand and lift Elle underneath her shoulders, trying to drag her to a corner of the room where I can hopefully conceal her body. But as soon as I do, the makeshift bandage on her neck shifts, and blood starts leaking through the opening.
I place her back down gently and hurriedly place the bandage back in place, ripping another piece off my dress to tie around her neck and hold the bandage in place.
As I stand to try to move Elle again, the stag kneels and glances from me to Elle, then back to me.
“Are you sure?” I ask, understanding his request.
He just stares at me, so I gently lift Elle again. This time, the bandage stays in place. I’m not strong by any means, but I can at least get Elle onto the stag’s back. I drape her over him, face-up, so I don’t disturb her neck wound.
The stag stands slowly. Elle still doesn’t stir.
“Keep her safe. Please.”
He dips his head, nodding in understanding. I cup his head in my hands and place a kiss to his snout. “Thank you,” I whisper before turning and running in the direction of the screaming.
The throne room is in chaos.
Cambions and other creatures reeking of dark magic run around the room, attacking anyone who dares to resist Cora and Marik. I’ve never seen any of these creatures before, but they look like they were made from the depths of the darkest corners of dark magic.
Cora stands in the center of the stage, darkness swirling around her as she hurls magic at each member of my court. Ivan, Holly, and Luca are dodging her blows, but they’re no match for her. It’s not even a fight. All they can do is defend themselves. By the time they’ve blocked one of her blows, they have to block another. They don’t even have time to attack before the next blow comes.
On the other side of the stage, Asmo fights his parents. He dodges a blow from Vasuki and then fires a shot at Minerva. She goes down, but not for long. All three of them look exhausted.
Marik stands with his back to Cora, hurling black flames at members of the Royal Guard. The flames pour into their armor, burning them alive inside their suits. Their screams are haunting. A pile of bodies lies before Marik.
The smell is unmistakable.
Marik sees me watching him, a cruel smile gracing his handsome face, his dark eyes gleaming, black hair disheveled, dirt smeared on his arm. His lips form words, but I have no clue what he’s saying. He reaches out his arm, and a guard flies toward him.
Marik pulls the guard to him with ease, as if the weight of a fully armored guard weighs nothing. He rips the guard’s helmet from his head.
William.
Marik doesn’t take his eyes off mine as he brings his hand to William’s mouth. William refuses to open it, jaw clenched tight. He stares at me as he struggles against my husband. He gives me one curt nod. There is no fear in his eyes. Only acceptance.
I scream and sprint toward them, but I freeze in horror as I watch Marik shove black flames through William’s eyes, wrenching a gut-wrenching scream from his mouth. William, who loved serving this kingdom, who dedicated his life to protecting me and the goodness that this court represents, has sacrificed his life, his future, for me.
This time, I can’t stop the bile that rises. I vomit and stumble to the floor, narrowly avoiding the bile.
Tears cloud my vision. I did this to all of them. I chose Marik as my husband. I was too blind to see his manipulation. I can still save the people I have left. I push myself from the floor.
Out of the corner of my eye, Barrett rips the head from a cambion, sending it flying through the air. August and Koa are nearby, ripping creatures apart, leaving a trail of corpses in their wake.
I see other enormous shifters from Houses Ursidae, Panthera, and Canis.
Polar bears, wolves, coyotes, panthers, black bears, and bobcats are all fighting.
But still, there areso manydark creatures fighting against us.
And there are too many bodies on the floor. Too much blood on the ground. Too many screams ripping through the night.
