I would have him fully.Soon.
We hadn’t consummated our Wingbinding yet. We unintentionally took our time getting familiar with each other first. But now... I was ready. To have him. Devour him. To brand him into the very essence of my spirit.
“Guard your thoughts, Nahomie, or I will abandon this frivolous party. I will drag you into an oblivion of pleasure until I wring out every whimper of need from these devilish lips of sin you dare taunt me with.”
Rottingstars.
My skin burned.
I pressed my body into the king, ready to give in to the threat, hungry for his mouth to be on my skin, for his hands to explore every inch of what I’d kept all these centuries for the one I would call mate.
Tassarion lowered his mouth to the crook of my neck. He drew a soft whimper from my lips in anticipation. Then the sound of a thousand cawing boneravens, shattered through the music of the night.
In one breath, every islander present fell silent. It was like listening to the silence of an open grave. As one, we all lifted our heads to look up. Then I saw them. The endless wings beatingagainst the night. Flying towards Everthorn Manor. I trembled with bloodcurdling fear.
“Ohno,” I whimpered.
The angels were the first to move. They snapped their wings open and launched into flight to escape. The boneravens descended, talons out, clawing through wings, skin, and bones. A cacophony of horror erupted in the ballroom. I was frozen, unable to believe my eyes. I had seen the flock about a week ago that came with the peonies. It was an omen. A warning. And I was too busy enjoying my wingmate to pay attention. To be aware of impending danger.
Adrenaline seized my limbs. A chorus of screams filled the air.
Then my worst nightmare came to light.
A contingent of bloodhounds stalked out of the shadows.
And every last one of them had their eyes on me.
Chapter 32
Nahomie
The waveof descending boneravens inextricably tied to the onslaught of the bloodhounds was a horrendous sight to behold. Without mercy, the Mortevain Islanders were attacked, their bodies beginning to drop like stones. Only a few hours ago I’d told Tassarion no bloodshed this twinight. And yet.
Unfathomable rage colored my vision crimson. Blackfire erupted inside my body, demanding to be used. Demanding to be set free. I had to do whatever was needed to shut this down.Now. Without wasting another moment, I wrenched away from Tassarion andfyused.
Gone was my gown of jewels and starlight. I took on the silhouette of an onyx flame with beaming lavender starlight and exploded into action. When the other Seraphim in the room saw mefyuse, every one of themfyused, too. Multiple Seraphim carried the element of fire. None as commanding, powerful nor destructive as mine. But still effective as an offensive weapon against these demonic beasts. I soared into the air. Boneravens up close were horrifying with their angular beaks, beady crimson eyes, taloned claws, and ear-shattering shrieks.
I flew up into a cluster of the creatures. Their sheer size swarmed me, but I shook away my fear. I pulled on blackfire,summoning spears made of flame. Spinning with fury, I hacked away at the boneravens around me. I shoved the tip of a spear into the boneraven on my right; the weapon protruding through the back of the beast, while whipping around to impale the other on my left.
“Behind you!”Tassarion roared down the bond.
I whipped around, launching bolts of fire from my palms like a vortex as three bloodhounds leapt from the backs of the boneravens that carried them into the air. Mouths opened, the bloodhounds snarled viciously, aiming for my throat, their clawed paws protruding outward. I launched a volley of blackfire bolts. The hounds howled, their garbled voices ringing in my ears.
The powers of the Hallowed exploded in the open ballroom. Cherubim used ethèr of artistry, singing into the twinight, lulling the boneravens into a melodic trap. They were poisoned by song, while other Cherubim danced around the creatures, killing them off through the enthrallment of movement.
Lawrents slammed their palms together, chanting through verse after from the Saccrent. As they spoke, their words formed into swords, aiming for boneravens and bloodhounds alike. Each sword struck true, piercing through furry and membranous skin.
Mortents glowered all around the chamber, their eyes glowing like coal-hot jewels. Surrounded by the angels of his rank, Tassarion floated in the air, his eyes steel jewels that glowed like lightning. His body swarmed with an infinite number of souls. He seemed to wear them like a cloak of oblivion, ready to eradicate all who stood in his way. Tassarion opened his mouth and began a lullaby that nearly hypnotizedme.
I covered my ears with a pair of wings as I watched in rapt fascination how the souls poured out of his body and shot intothe waves of boneravens and bloodhounds. The souls turned into horrifying little minions, hissing with sharp teeth as they began tearing through flesh and bone.
A swipe of claws across one of my wings snapped me out of my distraction. I was yanked to the floor with a grip strong enough to yank my shoulder out of its socket. I screamed, popped the shoulder back in, and whipped around, blasting the creature that had attacked me.
But it wasn’t a boneraven.
It was one of the masked Hallowed who attended our masquerade.
And he was surrounded by bloodhounds.
