A spear slices through the air, heading directly for Amick. My warning gets stuck in my throat, but it doesn’t matter.
My brother and his strong sense of awareness are ready for it. He spins, allowing it to flow through his awaiting hand. His fingers curl around it expertly and he turns with the motion.
The sharp point travels right back where it came from at unmatched speed and accuracy. It embeds itself right through the gut of the god who threw it first.
More and more dark, disgusting souls come to my call as soon as my power washes across them.
My glare scans the remaining damned gods. The ones who aren’t being annihilated by my brothers, I kill quickly. Instantly.
My search halts when I finally spot Yemi standing at the opening of an archway. She’s already staring at me with wide eyes. Blood covers her body, but I don’t see any visible injuries.
An arm slithers out of the darkness and wraps around her stomach. I take a menacing step in their direction and my power flares.
She throws her hands up, palms facing me, and shakes her head frantically. I snatch my power back by a tight leash as it wraps around the last remaining soul that has redemption left in them.
A face I never thought I’d ever see again steps out of the shadows and stands behind her. I stumble back.
No. How? Impossible.
Relief, anger, hope, and betrayal all war within me at once.
“Let her go, Sevryn. Now.”
His eyes narrow on me. “Funny way of saying hi to an old friend.”
“Friend? Friends don’t betray friends.”
His face morphs into a ball of confusion, but I’m not listening to whatever the fuck else may come out of his mouth.
“Get over here, Yemi. Right this second.”
She opens her mouth, but then her head whips to the right. She’s out of Sevryn’s embrace in the blink of an eye and collides with Thayla not a moment later.
“Gods, you’re okay. You were incredible. Whatever that blast was, was fucking badass.”
“I’m so sorry, Thayla. I failed you. I watched Dimitri snatch you back, but then another wave of the others came, and we ended up getting pushed back to the archway. By the time I saw you again, Creed was running to you.”
“Hey, hey, none of that,” Thayla demands, pulling back and gripping her shoulders. “You didn’t fail me. I felt your power the entire time until I got too far away from you and it was incredible. Don’t be sorry. I still don’t know why this happened, but I know it’s my fault somehow and I’m sorry.”
Kyzen, Riven, and Amick come to stand beside me at the same time, and our glares stalk Sevryn. He steps toward Yemi and Thayla, and they both turn to him with a familiarity and comfort I don’t understand or fucking like.
It’s like seeing a ghost.
“I was right.” Thayla gives him a look I can’t quite describe, and my soul doesn’t care for that shit one bit. I want to lay my fist across his face and snatch his soul from him.
His gaze bounces between all of us, and with a scoff, he focuses completely on them. “It’d seem so.”
“Don’t take another step near her,” Riven warns, shoulder-checking me as he stomps toward Thayla and snatches her to his chest.
“Riven.” She doesn’t bite his name out or even cuss him out for his manhandling. She lays her head against him.
His swirling eyes glance down at her before he grips her jaw and tilts her head back.
“You’re a filthy mess.” His thumb runs across a lump of dried blood built up on her cheek. Her hiss has us stepping closer to them and he chuckles darkly. There’s not a hint of humor in that sound. “Who the fuck did that?”
“It doesn’t matter now.”
“It does.”
