40. Chapter 40
Chapter 40
M y breath held and my body frozen in place, I reluctantly tip my head back to scan the seemingly peaceful night sky. There’s nothing there.
“ Run ,” I hear Nuala spit out as she throws herself in front of me.
The very next second, a wall of shadows so wide, I can’t see the end of them, crashes down from the skies.
Before I know it, all the remaining members of my team have their bodies wrapped up in them, paralyzed and completely helpless.
Everyone but me, Nuala’s body shielding me.
Before I can do anything, there’s the sound again, followed by a cloaked figure diving down from the skies.
The moment Cain connects with the ground, the movement of his enormous wings sends a gust of air knocking into everything around me — dust, leaves, clothes.
In the dead silence that ensues, he slowly straightens, already moving to deal the final blow. He’s about to kill all of them.
Without thinking, I pull my hood down and step out of the cover of Nuala’s body.
The second I do, Cain’s head snaps in my direction, but to lead him and his shadows as far away from my team as possible — so they can safely make their way back into the Academy, I’ll need to do more than this .
I’ll need to make him realize who it is that’s about to escape.
So I take a step back and I get my Aurora tattoos to start glowing.
And I can sense the intensity of his gaze when it lands on me again. I even see his head tilt a little, but he’s not moving.
There’s a moment during which all I can hear is the pounding of my heart in my ears, thinking I’ve failed.
Trying to salvage the situation, I shift.
But as I kick myself off the ground, I spot him freeze.
And I know it in my bones — he’s moving to go after me.