Her forehead slammed against mine, headbutting me hard enough to send me backward and into the river. Cold water enveloped me, the icy chill soaking into my bones as I plummeted into the depths. My ears rang as water filled my nose, the weight of my clothes and the current pulling me toward the bottom. I struggled against the water’s hold, fighting my way back to the surface and taking deep gulps of air.
There was no way I was going to leave him. Light flashed above the river, and I could hear the sounds of fighting mixed with the metallic clang of blade against blade from the riverbank. But it was the hiss of pain from the man I loved that had my eyes shooting wide. The green of my magic illuminated the river as I rose from the water. Dianna was right. I was good at magic, damn good.
My feet had barely left the water when Dianna’s head snapped toward me. She crouched over Vincent, her hand over the heart I’d helped heal, and I lost it. I threw my hands out, green, vine-like magic whipping through the air. Dianna rolled off Vincent, and he rolled onto his side. He curled inward, shielding his head as my power exploded against the building, sending debris raining down over both of them. My feet touched down onto dry ground, and I ran to him, grabbing his hand and tugging him to his feet.
He looked down at me with wide eyes. “How did you—”
Dianna roared, cutting his question short, fighting through debris and half the building. Scratches and bruises littered her face and arms, the rips in her clothing revealing blood-streaked skin as she healed. She growled, crimson eyes focused on Vincent, and her face wrinkled in a vicious grimace. Her head whipped toward the end of the alley, and the low snarls coming from her throat quieted. Like the sun breaking through the clouds, Samkiel strode around the corner.
My hope flared that the fighting would stop, but then he looked at her, taking in the blood and cuts. All hope died when he turned his cold, molten gaze on us. Samkiel had not come to our aid. No, he’d come to hers. It was a fool’s mistake to think Samkiel would choose anyone over her.
Dianna shifted, the movement barely perceptible, but his attention immediately swung toward her. I watched some silent exchange pass between them, and my magic flared when Samkiel turned toward us, his armor rippling over his body in a silver wave. The effect was terrifying when you were on the receiving end.
“Give us the medallion, Camilla,” he said, his voice like thunder. “We don’t need to fight, and we can all go home.”
“Why do you all want it so badly?”
Samkiel’s jaw tightened, but his expression remained hard and flat otherwise. The crimson in Dianna’s eyes deepened as she glanced at Samkiel, but she remained quiet.
“Just give it to me,” Samkiel demanded.
Not likely. The medallion was far too precious to hand over just because he said so.
“What happens to Vincent if I do?”
Samkiel started to respond, but Dianna beat him to it. “I kill him,” she said, her teeth flashing.
That was all the confirmation I needed. My magic whipped out, spinning through the air like living fireballs. Samkiel blocked two of them as Dianna ducked and rolled. Beside me, I heard Vincent call his blades.
I aimed my strikes at her, knowing that if she got to him, he’d be dead. She spun like a skilled dancer, long, lean, and gracefully dodging my attacks.
Vincent groaned, and I looked behind me to see him struggle and nearly buckle as he caught Samkiel’s blade against his own. It was a mistake because Dianna took advantage of my distraction and tackled me to the ground. My magic screamed and shoved against her, holding her away from me. I saw Vincent’s foot slip beneath Samkiel’s onslaught. He wasn’t going to hold out for long against him. I growled, pouring more magic into the shield, barely keeping Dianna off me as she pounded against it. Groaning, I concentrated and pulled more magic from the deep well inside me. It whipped out and grabbed Samkiel, the emerald band around his waist yanking him off Vincent and throwing him into the rubble of the building. Dianna’s roar was half beast, and her attack grew even more ferocious.
“Run,” I said to Vincent through clenched teeth.
He ignored me and charged Dianna. His sword sliced through the air, aiming for her head. A gauntleted hand snapped out, catching the blade before it could make contact, and I gaped, the shock nearly making me lose my grip on my magic.
“Long time no see,” Kaden growled at Vincent.
“Not long enough,” Vincent sneered back.
Isaiah dropped from the roof of the building on the other side of the alley, landing with a thunderous thud just behind Kaden. “Where is the medallion?” he asked, stepping into the wreckage.
Kaden headbutted Vincent hard enough to crack his nose, and Isaiah rushed toward me and Dianna.
Fuck. I’d thought they were here to grab Dianna and Samkiel, but I’d obviously been wrong. I was barely holding against Dianna’s determined attack, and I knew I would not last long against both her and Isaiah. I groaned and pulled on my waning power. With a roar, I released it like the weapon it was. The force of it sent all of them flying, but a bubble formed around Vincent and me. It flattened Vincent to the ground and held him there. Dianna’s body crashed into the same building Samkiel had disappeared into, and Kaden was slammed against the wall on either side of the alley, pinning him there like a bug.
Vincent rose, and I bent over, panting and feeling as if I could lie down right here and sleep for a year. Debris floated all around us, and I looked up at Vincent to see him watching me with pride.
“You are remarkable,” Vincent said, wiping the blood from his face.
“Tell me later,” I said, grabbing his hand and pulling him toward the mouth of the alley. “We don’t have much time before they recover and come after us.”
We ran across the street, looking for a way out or somewhere to hide. Vincent led me across a bridge, trying to put as much distance between us and Samkiel, Dianna, Kaden, and Isaiah. What the fuck was that? They were working together? I couldn’t even wrap my mind around it.
Vincent slammed to a stop, and I collided with his back. “Fuck,” he said, and I looked past him, expecting to see Samkiel or Dianna, but it was so much worse. A loud vibration made the bridge shake as the five massive warships came to a stop above the city.
56
