I sighed. “Thaddeus is going to help us gather intel.”
“Hold up,” Alistair said. “If Thaddeus is helping, I want in. YouknowI’m good at gathering intel!”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Marcus said. “You guysdoknow who you’re dealing with right? The Warden is ruthless.”
“Hey! He’s got Eddie,” Alistair snapped. “I’m not letting my man rot without doing something about it. So if you’re letting people into the group, I want in.”
I slowed as we turned the corner. “You two can work together,” I offered. It was the best I could do to get them out of trouble. “How does that sound?”
“Works for me,” Alistair said.
“I guess we could use more eyes and ears,” Kallie admitted.
“Ava?” I asked, to see what she thought of it.
“Ava-Marie.” Someone clicked their tongue as they passed us in the hall. Footsteps slowed— several pairs, by the sound of it. “Now that’s a name you don’t want to hear while wandering these halls.”
“What do you want, Deuce?” Ava demanded.
Aw, fuck. Not this asshole. We’d fought this vampire in the Darke Games, and he’d only gotten worse since then. I absolutely despised him— he’d beaten me in fight club once, and though I’d never admit it, I hadn’t gotten over it. Secretly, I was still looking for my chance to get a rematch, so I could put him in the ground.
“Your head would be a good start.” Deuce chuckled, and his cronies laughed along with him. By the sounds of it, there were four of them total.
Someone cracked their knuckles and spoke in a raspy voice. “I’ll take Charlie. Still can’t speak right after what he did to me in the Games.”
It was Kyle, the merman whose windpipe I’d nearly crushed. A shoe squeaked, and Thaddeus crouched behind me as someone approached.
“Take one step closer, and I’ll finish the job,” I threatened.
Deuce scoffed. “Like we’re scared of you? Two blind guys and these two bodybuilders? Looks like they’ve never seen a weight room in their life.”
“Yeah, well, I wouldn’t test them,” Ava sneered.
Deuce chuckled. “Oh, the invalid talks. Like she matters. Maybe I’ll take yourlegsfirst. You’re not using them anyhow.”
It all happened at once. I heard the squeak of Ava’s wheels, then Oberi’s squawk the same time Ava gave an agonized scream. I felt the pain in her spine ripple through our bond, and thethudof her body as it hit the floor.
Fucking hell!Ava’s thoughts slipped through the bond, and I knew she was in more pain than she’d ever admit to.
Deuce had pushed her out of her chair! Ancestors have mercy, because I sure as hell wouldn’t give any to this bastard.
“Kallie, Oberi, get Ava out of herenow!” I screamed.
Kallie could use her telekinesis to lift Ava back into her chair. I didn’t have a moment to think beyond that before magic burst out of me. Air magic blasted Deuce back so hard I heard the stone wall crack as he landed against it. This bastard was going to pay for laying a hand on my wife.
Deuce let out a primal roar. Air swirled past me as he closed the distance between us in an instant. My friends screamed as Deuce’s gang descended upon them. I heard Ava’s distant protests as Kallie wheeled her away from the danger.
Rage ignited in my bones so quickly that once it lit, there was no putting it out. Air swept down the hall in a whirlwind so powerful that it swooped Deuce and his gang up and tossed them a dozen yards away. The stone walls around us began to shake, and I realized it wasn’t just me controlling them. Thaddeus waspissed, and he was losing control of his Earth magic. Battle orbs crackled as Alistair and Marcus conjured them in unison. Rishi and Pig squealed, and a hawk’s cry echoed down the hall.
Deuce was strong, and my magic barely fazed him. The gang closed in on us so fast, I could barely make sense of it. I heard a snap, followed by Alistair’s pained scream. Somebody grabbed me by the throat and shoved me against the wall. It was probably Kyle, judging by the strength. I gasped for breath that didn’t come, then resorted to stealing the merman’s strength with my Elf powers. My friends cried out as the other two assholes delivered blows. A mere second must’ve passed before I was powered up enough to shove the merman off of me. By then, it was too late.
“Hold him down!” Deuce growled. He jumped me, and I felt the sharp stab of his fangs against my neck. He didn’t release any venom, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt like hell.
This dick obviously didn’t know who I was or what the fuck I was capable of. Magic exploded out of me— a mix of Air, superstrength I’d siphoned, or something. I wasn’t sure. What Ididknow was that it was enough to blast both Deuce and Kyle off of me. I heard the crack of their bodies as they slammed against the ceiling, then thethudas they landed against the ground. Deuce groaned on the floor and didn’t get back up.
Good. I hoped I killed him.
Kyle, on the other hand, lunged for me again, but Marcus body-checked him and tackled him to the ground. All right, so I underestimated Marcus. I didn’t know he had it in him to drop a merman.
