It was almost more terrifying that Gordon did nothing to stop her. Instead, he let go of his sword and then twisted his fingers to spin out a Shadow rope and snag the stone dagger off the floor. He flipped it lazily before snatching it out of the air, entirely certain of himself.
Gordon’s eyes flicked between Kay, James, and Zach, but he spoke to Diedre. “Shall we let them battle it out? Guardian against Guardian? A fight to the death, like in the old days,” he mused. “Or simply command their hearts to stop?”
“You can’t do that.” Riley’s voice was clipped but not entirely certain. Even at a distance, he could feel her distress as if it were his own, and it burned even more painfully than the blood Shadows leeching into his mind.
“Can’t I?” Gordon’s voice was threaded through with cruel amusement. “Perhaps we should ask Elizabeth about that.”
“What does that mean?” Kay demanded, fists white around the hilts of her blades.
“How do you think your grandfather died, KayleighStewart?”
“He… what?” Kayleigh gasped. “That can’t be….”
But, in his heart, James knew it was the truth. It made bitter sense. Alasdair had died suddenly, far too young, for no apparent reason. No one—not even Elizabeth—had Seen it. And it cleared the way for Gordon to take complete control of the Council.
Kay’s misery was a tangible thing. Lines of grief etched into her face as Emma and Riley stood behind her, looking just as horrified.
Gordon tapped his fingers over his lips. “I think I’ll let them fight,” he said. “And while the triad is busy destroying each other, we’ll take Riley and Emma with us. After all, we have a meeting with the Prime Minister to prepare for.”
If Diedre’s command hadn’t been holding him up, James would have fallen to his knees.
He looked up at Riley, trying to convey how sorry he was for everything. How much he loved her.
His mind was overrun by Diedre. Blood Shadows burned through his veins. But the far greater agony was the knowledge that they had gambled everything… and they had lost.
ChapterTwenty-Five
Riley didn’t haveto be a Healer to know that Gordon’s blow had struck true.
James looked utterly devastated. Zach’s attention was locked on Emma, terror and despair written all over him. And Kay’s face was as pale as bone, her Shadows roiling and urgent.
But, despite her grief, Kay didn’t back down. She spun her blades slowly, her chin rising. Riley could see she still planned to get to Gordon and end his threat… even though she had to go through her own triad to reach him. And James and Zach would fight to the death while Kay would do everything in her power not to hurt them in return.
Riley couldn’t let her face that horror alone. She stepped up beside Kay, aware of Emma doing the same at her side.
The Shadow scythe in her hands was familiar, almost comforting, despite the churning Shadows that surrounded them. And it was right to stand shoulder to shoulder with Kay and Emma. The two women were more than just her new friends. They were the family she chose for the future.
Riley turned her attention to Gordon, taking him in. He was a Dru-vid at the peak of his highly honed powers, and he was so utterly certain of himself, so full of contempt for them all, that he should have been deeply intimidating.
But Riley had never been the type of person who simply lay down and accepted orders. She had left the safety of her childhood home to make a place for herself in the world. She had claimed James as hers. And now she was ready to fight for him. For all of them. And for herself.
All Healers knew that there were times when the rot had to be cut away before the body could recover. That time had come.
Riley widened her stance, flexing her fingers on the scythe’s handle as she glared at Gordon. “What makes you think we’re going anywhere with you?”
Gordon raised his hand, Shadows twisting in his palm. “Kayleigh cannot fight me alone… and soon she’ll be too busy fighting off her triad brothers to even attempt it.” He sneered at her and Emma. “And neither of you are Guardians. You don’t have any fighting skills at all.” His nostrils flared. “Emma hardly even has Shadows.”
“Fuck you,Gordon,” Emma growled. “My Shadows allowed me to See all your plans.Idestroyed your precious blood Shadows. Despite all the harm you did to me, I’m still stronger than you’ll ever be.”
Gordon’s eyes narrowed, cold and deadly. His hand twisted as he pulled his arm back and then flung it forward to launch a flock of vicious ravens through the air, sending the Shadow birds screaming toward them with claws and beaks outstretched.
Riley knocked them away, whirling her scythe through the air while Kay and Emma fought beside her. United. And none of them gave ground.
Then Diedre lifted her voice, commanding Zach and James to join the battle and Riley spared a rapid glance in their direction. A few desperate seconds passed, the air filled with the men’s strained breaths. They were sweating, hands shaking, as they fought the twisted Shadows crawling up their necks. But even as she turned to face the next volley of vicious claws and stabbing beaks, stinging, biting swarms of insects and slicing darts, shuriken began flying through the air toward her.
“Emma.” Zach’s voice was broken and desperate as he looked toward the woman he loved. “I can’t stop.” His sword flickered into his hand, Shadows the color of a storm over the ocean.
Hell. Fighting back wasn’t enough. Riley let her scythe fade, trusting Kay and Emma to protect her, and concentrated on pouring vines through the basement. She had to stop this.
