Heavenly Shit.
Shock flushed through me at the sight, but my praesidium didn’t react. My ears didn’t ring. My thoughts didn’t tunnel with rage. His block against me was securely in place.
I almost wished it wasn’t. I wished I had something to stop the chilling fear working its way through my system.
The guardian bond hummed with attention, its claws tapping against my mind as if to sayI’m here.
I shot a glance at Aspen. The bond witnessed the bloody lines streaking across his face and the tears in his clothing, then sank in its claws. It burrowed until it found where my Infernus coiled, dangling my emotions like raw meat before a starving carnivore—until music seethed in my ears and itched along my skin.
Aspen grabbed my face. He was saying something—no, shouting—but the wind ripped his words apart before they could reach me.
“Layers! We need to layer our power,” he urged.
“How?”
The guardian bond tugged on my Hellfire, forcing the haunting music to scream in my ears.
“Watch and follow my lead!” Aspen’s eyes flared, then he stood.
I shot up with him. He flung his hands above his head, crafting two flaming blue domes, directing one with each hand and wrapping them around us.
“About fucking time, beautiful,” Alexei shouted.
Ronen glanced at me right as the wind blasted through Aspen’s power. A few shards flew through the gap directly toward Ronen. I luscelered in front of him, taking one to the shoulder and throwing up a quick dome of Glory to melt the rest.
He ripped me back behind him, his eyes like daggers.
Another blast shredded through all our powers, ice shards following right behind. Aspen intercepted it, throwing up a third dome.
“Lucille, layers!” he called.
I threw more power into my Glory dome, then lifted my other hand and released the incessant itch beneath my skin. My black flames joined my white ones, intertwining like lovers.
The wind tore apart Ronen’s shadows, MJ’s flames, Alexei’s wind, Aspen’s flames, my Glory, then fizzled out against my Hellfire. Seconds ticked by, our breathing labored, our eyes searching, and the storm died down.
Alexei grinned. “Way to go?—”
A blast, more powerful than the last, speared through my Infernus and rocked us back. Immediately, razor-sharp ice tips beelined for me, Ronen, and Aspen, coming at us high and low. Ronen and Aspen stepped in front of me as they flung up two walls of power. But the wind knew what they’d do and already had another attack ready. It pounded through their rippling blue-black shield, slamming ice into their bodies. I didn’t see their wounds, only heard their hisses and felt a sharp pain pierce Aspen’s mental barrier.
The invasive force tore apart my flimsy control and shoved me out of the driver’s seat. It forced me into its darkness, and a cold wrath spread from my chest and flowed through my muscles. All I felt was strength. All I heard was Hell’s music. And this time… I didn’t mind it. I didn’t try to fight it.
We were darkness. Vengeance. Inevitable.
I felt a smile spread across my face and warm pressure build behind my eyes. The wind and ice paused, almost as if taken aback.
“Mmm,” I hummed, savoring its weakness. Its fear.
Then I stepped forward, only for a hand to latch onto my shoulder. I lifted my head, and Ronen stiffened. He dropped the shadows from his eyes, and I turned away.
“Hellion, let me help you.”
Never.The guardian bond practically hissed in my mind.
“Stay here,” I ordered. My words sounded odd to my ears. “Stay safe. Don’t move.”
Then I luscelered out of Ronen’s hold.
The wind and ice attacked. And so did I.
