Time to move.
I rolled as fast as I could away from Hades, but then three Dark Demons surrounded me. Their first mistake.
The closest one lunged. I grabbed it by the throat and twisted—a satisfying snap. Dead. The second came at me from the left. I spun, catching it with an elbow that caved in its skull. Two down.
The third hesitated. Smart.
Not smart enough. I was on it before it could retreat, fangs sinking deep into its neck. Hot demon blood flooded my mouth—bitter, wrong, but it would have to do. The creature thrashed once, then went limp.
Better. Not perfect, but better. The poison was still there, but the fresh blood pushed back against it.
Keir’s shout snapped my attention back. No more time.
I dropped the demon to the ground, the metallic taste still coating my tongue.
My heart lurched. Keir collapsed, clutching his arm like it was broken, his face twisted in pain. The sword—his lifeline—lay just out of reach.
Gunnar’s wings collapsed behind him with predatory satisfaction. “Should have run, Unseelie king.” The mockery in his voice made my blood boil.
Keir tried to get to his feet, desperation flickering in his eyes, but he was unsteady. I ran toward him, desperation clawing at my chest—too far, still too far. Then Nyx came from the side, his sword arcing in a vicious slash that caught Gunnar's exposed arm. The blade bit deep, splitting flesh and muscle. Dark blood sprayed across the stone.
Relief flooded through me. Nyx had blood splattered across his shirt and stood between them like a shield, fierce loyalty blazing in every line of his body. “Stay away from my king, you bastard.”
Gunnar snarled, rage twisting his features.
“Nyx, run,” Keir said, fear thick in his voice as he reached desperately for his sword. Not fear for himself—fear for Nyx.
The fool. My chest tightened with dread as I rushed toward them, boots pounding against stone, but not even I was that fast. I picked up a fallen blade and hurled it at Gunnar.
The blade hit him in the leg, and he cried out. He yanked the blade out of his thigh and dropped it. The blade fell to the ground, coated in blood.
He turned his attention toward me, murder blazing in his eyes. “You’ll pay for that, enforcer.”
Gunnar launched himself at me fast, like he was moving at Mach one speed, a blur of lethal motion. I braced for impact—then Nyx threw himself between us.
"No!" Nyx's sword came up in a desperate arc, the clash of steel on claw ringing out across the courtyard. He moved with fierce determination, every strike meant to keep Gunnar away from me.
I lunged toward them, but Hades blocked my path. The dragon's wings spread wide, a living barrier. I feinted left, trying to dart around him, but Hades matched my movement with predatory precision.
Gunnar was too fast, too strong. He dodged Nyx's desperate strikes with inhuman grace, then his hands shot out, seizing Nyx around the waist and lifting him high into the air.
"Nyx!" The cry tore from me, filled with rage and terror.
I threw myself at Hades, desperate to get past, but the creature's massive lion head slammed into my chest. The impact sent me sprawling backward. I scrambled to my feet, lungs burning, just in time to see Gunnar carry Nyx higher.
His legs kicked frantically as Gunnar carried him higher, his screams echoing off the burned oak trees, cutting through me like shattered glass. He’d thrown himself into danger for me, and now he was going to pay the ultimate price.
No, no, no. Too high. Even as a bat I couldn’t reach them in time. Panic clawed at my chest—I was going to watch someone die for me, and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it.
But maybe I could. If I could get him to Serenity, she could heal him.
Hades sank his fangs deep into Nyx’s leg, drawing a stream of crimson. Horror froze me for a split second. The venom. Hades' bite wasn't just painful—it was lethal. Nyx had minutes at best before the poison stopped his heart. I had to get him down, had to get him to Serenity before it was too late.
Nyx released an agonizing scream that cut straight through me and swung his sword in a wild arc, but Gunnar caught his wrist mid-swing.
I could hear the bones grinding together as Gunnar’s grip tightened. The sound made my stomach lurch.
Snap.
