Chapter Thirty-Eight
Joy
Enzo became a blur, streaking toward the queen faster than my eyes could follow. Hope and terror warred in my chest—maybe he could reach her, maybe he could snatch the stone from her grasp. We couldn't let her win.
Not now.
Not ever.
Queen Alanna stepped back and positioned herself between her soldiers like a coward, using them as shields between her and Enzo.
Next to me, Morden strained against his own captor, his jaw clenched with fury and frustration. But as the soldier pressed the sword deeper into his skin, his shadows hovered on the ground as if an invisible barrier prevented them from moving.
Father and daughter—powerless.
It was up to Enzo to stop her.
Marsha aimed her palms at Enzo, her face twisted with malicious glee. She uttered words in a language that scrapedagainst my ears like nails on stone: "Vinculum naturae, ligare! Radices profundae, comprehendere!"
The earth beneath Enzo exploded.
No No No No
Thick vines erupted from the mud with terrifying speed, shooting upward like striking serpents. They wrapped around Enzo's legs mid-stride, yanking him off balance. He crashed to the ground hard, and more vines burst forth—wrapping around his arms, his torso, his throat. They constricted tighter and tighter, the thorns biting deep into his flesh.
I screamed, my heart breaking. “Enzo!"
He fought against the binding vines, arms pulling, legs kicking. But with every movement they only constricted further, the thorns drawing blood that ran in dark rivulets down his skin. His angry eyes found mine.
“Don’t give up, Joy!”
His faith spurred me on. I had to try one more time. Ihadto.
Shadows, answer me! Please!
My fingers tingled and grew cold. Yes—my shadows were there, responding, reaching.
But then—nothing.
They were trapped, caged by the enchanted steel. Hot panic brewed inside me, threatening to bubble over like a cauldron. I couldn’t reach him. The queen, Marsha, and Ari had won.
Marsha lowered her hands slowly, savoring her victory as she walked over to Enzo. "Did you really think it would be that easy, vampire?"
Gunnar landed in front of her. His black wings retracted, disappearing seamlessly into his back.
“Good. You’re here. Now you can finish him.”
He tilted his head back and forth, then a smile spread across his face—a cold, dangerous expression, making my blood run cold.
Gunnar glanced at Enzo then back at Marsha. “You seriously thought it would be that easy to turn me back again?”
The triumph faded from her eyes. “What’s happened to you? You’re not?—”
He cocked his eyebrow. “Possessed? No, I’m not.”
How was this possible? Serenity? Tinker Bell?
Suddenly, a blur of golden-brown and crimson exploded from the darkness. I flinched instinctively, and the blade bit deeper into my throat. Pain flared, sharp and immediate. What was that? A dragon? No—something else. Half lion, half dragon.
