“I’m not imprisoned here, Gaddy.” He blasted her.
Shrieking, she landed before him and attacked.
Devyl caught and deflected her thrust with his own sword and advanced with the skill that had won him countless battles. He wasn’t bound by chains now, nor weakened by all-out starvation. While he might not still be up to full strength, he was a lot stronger than he’d been in centuries.
She was in for a full-on battle and he was ready to give it to her with everything he had—mage fire, fangs, and swordplay.
From the corner of his eye, he checked his men, who were locked in similar fights with the rest of her forces while cannon blasts rocked the ship beneath their feet and deafened him. Luckily, his crew seemed to be holding their own.
Good. He didn’t want any distractions. He only wanted her head on a pike.
Gadreyal tsked at him. “Be a good boy, Duel. Surrender and we’ll make it easy on all of you. Surely you want to be on the right side of the conflict again?”
“You planning to give me Vine’s throat for it?”
“You know better. I can’t do that.”
Well, that ended that discussion then. And any thoughts he had of ever switching sides.
Not that it’d really crossed his mind. He’d given his loyalty to Thorn. And unlike the others, he never went back on his word.
He swung for her head and blasted her with his fire.
Sadly, she ducked and returned with a shot of her own.
He went skidding across the deck on his shoulder. Damn, that hurt. Rolling to his feet, he shook the pain off and ignored the sight of the smeared blood he’d left behind on the boards. By God, he wasn’t about to let any sort of agony get in the way of his fight.
Or his victory.
Gadreyal laughed as she launched herself to flight and landed before him. “You haven’t asked me about your little Seraph. Have you forgotten her so soon?”
His blood ran cold at the mention of Cameron. “What have you done?”
Throwing her head back, she laughed. “I’ve done nothing. But she lacked your fortitude. Then again, most do.”
Rage clouded his sight. “If you’ve harmed her—”
“Harmed?” She interrupted him. “I made her more powerful and reunited her with her precious brother. How is that a harm? It’s what she wanted and better than you gave her.”
Bellowing in rage, he advanced on her with a renewed vigor, even though he knew it was all kinds of stupid. It was what she wanted. Only calm rationale won a fight. But he couldn’t stop the fury inside him that wanted to feast on her entrails.
Not when he was the one who’d brought Cameron into this. She wouldn’t have been near this she-bitch but for him. He was directly responsible for her.
Gadreyal tsked in his face. “Poor Duel. You can’t even sell your soul to right this. Tell me? Was your bargain worth it?”
“Release Miss Jack!” he growled between gritted teeth.
“You don’t have the power to command me.”
“Mayhap not, but I do have the power to crush you.” He blasted her and sent her reeling.
Now that made him smile.
Until she rose up in her serpent form and gathered a group of her companions to her. In a giant cloud like swarming bees, they arched before him, then tumbled down to kill him in one massive wave.
* * *
Mara fell to her knees as she struggled to keep the ship upright under the fierce assault. William stood by her side, driving away the Irin who was attacking them.
