In my excitement, I keep forgetting how blades get jammed in skulls and keep aiming for the head, wasting seconds I don’t have in the middle of chaos.
Merfolk have the advantage in a fight because they don’t just attack your body… they get inside your head. They figure out which triggers to pull and use them to bring you down.
The stronger your Divine, the more in control you have over your powers.
I’m fighting like a human. Sure, with more strength and better tricks, but some of them have powerful Divines that can control and manipulate even our own kind.
That’s how Timor trapped me before. My Divine was useless against his.
That power is what made Tiberius king. Even his parents feared him because he could never distinguish between power and cruelty. And now it shows in the way he rules his kingdom.
Dean’s shadows move like living things, separate yet bound to him. It never fails to amaze me how it has its own consciousness. They wrap around a warrior, his scream cutting through the air before he burns to ash.
The bloodbath escalates fast.
Warriors drop one after another as Dean and I fall into a rhythm. Maybe it’s the bond, but we work perfectly together. Filling each other’s gaps on instinct.
His shadows blind the warriors before burning them from the inside out until the bodies burst like a balloon, leaving nothing but red goo behind.
His scythe shifts constantly, reshaping into whatever he needs.
I knew Dean was skilled after how easily he defeated me when we dueled, but now I can see he was holding back. He’s tearing into Timor’s warriors like they are nothing.
He’s a beast on the battlefield.
When I first heard the stories about the Grim Reaper, I thought they were exaggerated, but not anymore. He’s more than earned his reputation.
We’re nearing the end when Diamond materializes out of thin air, trampling warriors as he charges straight for me.
Dean shouts at Diamond, but he ignores him completely, forcing Dean to chase after the horse.
“You stubborn asshole! I thought you came to help.”
Diamond neighs as if saying, “What are you going to do about it?”
I bite back a laugh as Dean circles him, but Diamond kicks back… right into Dean’s stomach.
Oh no.
Dean doubles over, the breath knocked out of the poor guy, while Diamond looks away innocently, like nothing happened.
“Oh, come on! How long are you gonna stay mad at me?”
Khatri shows up next. After checking in with me, he moves to deal with the remaining warriors, giving us a moment to breathe.
I lean against Diamond, tugging off my boots to stretch my toes. Lately, my legs and feet have been cramping, and the pain has been building up until it’s hard to stand.
I thought I had more time before the full moon.
Khatri helps Dean drag bodies into a pile, their low conversation quickly turning heated. Khatri is trying to talk Dean out of something—probably something impulsive—but it’s clearly not working.
Before I can ask what’s wrong, Dean strides toward me.
He notices me struggling with my boots and drops to his knees in front of me.
“Here, let me.” I steady myself on his shoulders, the muscles under my hands flexing as he slides my boots back on, tying them looser than I usually do.
How can he tell my feet hurt? The mate bond doesn’t work like that.
