There was a blur of a ghostly wolf, then Dryden screamed as it bit down on his arm. But it was only a momentary distraction. The next second, the wolf was flung across the space with a howl.
Crap.
The sooner Dryden died, the sooner those cuffs came off and Castiel could free the others. I took a deep breath, keeping my shield intact as I built up my magic. I stacked it up inside of me brick by brick until my arms were vibrating with power.
Dryden had a wall of fire in front of him and I knew he was doing the same, building up his magic and preparing to incinerate me.
Not today, pal.
Pushing my magic outward at the last second, he countered, releasing his wall of fire. I watched in horror as his fire magic rose up over mine, and then came down right for me.
Before I could build a shield or do anything, a blur of movement leapt in front of me and Artemis was there, a wall of water in his hands. The water and fire collided together, creating a huge steam bomb. I darted to the right, sidestepping the whole spectacle to retrieve my gun. But when I got to the other side of the steam bomb, my heart leaped in my throat when I stared down the barrel of my own gun, Dryden holding it, finger on the trigger.
“I just point this at you and pull the trigger, right?” His voice was deep and filled with anger. I’d pissed him off and there would be no way of talking myself out of this one.
Luckily, I’d just seen a swoosh of blond hair as Maddy came up behind him.
“You have to turn off the safety first,” I lied, trying to keep him talking.
His brows drew together and then the sharp tip of a sword burst out through the side of his gut.
I rushed forward, disarming him, and then quickly put two bullets into his brain.
He stood there suspended for a moment, eyes crossing before he collapsed to the floor in a heap and I looked up at Maddy in shock. She still had part of an arrow sticking out of her leg and was holding a giant sword.Thiswas the leader of Brayden’s army, and now I could see why.
She was a total badass.
“Leah needs you,” she huffed. “I’ll finish him off.” She motioned for me to give her my gun and I did.
I nodded, unable to process anything, I just had to keep moving. I turned to take in the scene. It was a bloodbath, the crimson fluid soaked the white marble floors. Brayden and Lora were lashing into each other with magic and I was shocked to see that she was missing an arm!
Holy crap. These were traumas that I would never be able to unsee.
But it was Leah who held my attention. She was on her knees, bleeding from a wound on her forehead as Ellaria lashed into her with some kind of glowing green magical whip.
I was still thirty feet away, but even so I threw a shockwave bomb across the space and grinned in joy as it crashed into her back, knocking the Fae Lord forward. Her magical whip fizzled out and I prepared to help Leah finish her off.
But I never made it there. Brayden’s cry of pain sliced through the space and into my heart. I spun, just in time to see Lora lunge at him with a dagger gripped between her hands. Brayden was pinned up against the wall, his arms splayed out as if he were frozen. In such a vulnerable position, she could kill him.
I didn’t think, I just acted. Pulling on my power, I ran forward and thrust my palms out, slamming a shockwave into Lora’s back. With a surprised grunt she stumbled forward, falling into Brayden. Whatever power that had held Brayden was released, and he slid down the wall, landing on his feet. I blinked and then in the next second Lora’s head was in Brayden’s hands. I held my breath as he pulled and yanked her head clean off.
He did it.
A half relieved sobbed escaped me and I prepared to run to him but someone grabbed me by the back of the hair, restraining me. I yelped, reaching behind me, trying to pry whoever it was away from my hair.
A scream ripped from my lips but I had no time to process it as I was sucked into a portal.
* * *
We landed on a grassy lawn,close to the castle I’d just fought in; I could still see it in the distance. I knew by the smell of syrup that Novus had taken me. One by one, all of the spirit wolves in my little pack popped in beside me almost as if they couldn’t stray too far from me. They crouched, hackles rising, and growled at the leader of the Wild Hunt.
He stepped out from behind me and ice water flushed through my veins at the sight of him. His black eyes seemed to glitter with malice. There was blood on his teeth, tingeing his lips an angry red.
I lunged forward, throwing a shockwave at him, but it rolled off of him like it’d hit steel.
He grinned, causing my stomach to roil as I spotted a bit of flesh between his teeth. An invisible power seized me suddenly, wrapping around me and holding me in place. I panicked, thrashing against it, but I was unable to move.
“You havesuchpotential,” he purred, inhaling through his nose as he walked around me.
