Page 106 of The Blood Rites

He steps forward, close enough that heat rolls off him into my face. “The only mercy here is efficiency. A quick death. But I don’t think either of you has earned that.”

His tone shifts, all playfulness gone. “Unfortunately, that Prince of yours has made himself a problem. Harder to break than I expected. He would want to see this, though, don’t you think?”

He casts a theatrical glance around the mist, as if he expects Kael to drop out of the sky. “I want him to watch as I destroy his little pet, knowing that he was too late to save you.”

Understanding cuts through the haze.

They’re waiting. Not for the kill, but for Kael. For an audience.

I am bait. Nothing more.

The thought chills me through.

Kael will come.

He has to.

I just need to keep Marissa alive until then.

I turn and pull her close. “I need you to run,” I whisper. “They don’t want you.”

She shakes her head, a sob tearing from her throat. “I won’t leave you—”

“You will,” I say. “Find Callen. They won’t chase you. It’s me they want. This is about Kael.”

She clings to my shirt, knuckles white. “Please don’t die.”

“Not today,” I promise. I hope it’s not a lie.

Behind me, Lyssandra’s prayer swells, soft and unbroken in the warm mist.

Serraith is circling now, fire dripping from his fingers in licking strands that hiss when they kiss the ground. Maleiros stands like a wall at the edge of the mist, arms crossed, waiting.

Atheron leans in, voice soft so only I can hear. “If it were up to me, I’d let you go. Save your death for another day. But the Prince made this personal.”

He straightens, then shouts to the sky. “Anytime, Prince. We’re waiting.”

“He’s not coming,” I shout.

“Oh, I very much doubt that,” Atheron sneers.

The silence stretches until I can barely think. I position myself in front of Marissa, shielding her with my body as I draw my Mana to the surface.

Atheron steps back, nodding at Serraith. “Let’s see if he’s paying attention.”

The next attack is coordinated—Serraith and Maleiros move as one, their fire converging in a spiral that strikes the half dome of light I manage to summon. The heat is staggering, a physical force that buckles my knees. A scream tears out of me, furious and raw, as the golden light pulses, barely holding.

“Go now!” I shout and shove Marissa as hard as I can. She stumbles, then runs, animal-like panic propelling her forward. The Fireborn don’t chase her, but Serraith launches a fireball that clips her shoulder.

I shout her name as she falls, shrieking in pain. Somehow, she hauls herself to her feet and vanishes into the mist, legs trembling beneath her.

Atheron doesn’t move, just watches her go with a small, satisfied smile. “No matter. She is unimportant.”

He gestures at me, bored. “Perhaps we should finish this. It seems your Prince doesn’t care after all.”

Maleiros steps up, his hand crackling with dark orange flames.

I’m about to get up, to stand tall even if it kills me, when I feel a presence behind me.