Chapter 42
Ian
Ilunged, twisting as I drew my blade across the neck of a dark one.
Or, just an enemy at this point.
Lana destroyed the darkness in Thames’s army. My chest burst with pride for her, for all she’d accomplished. For all she’d endured to get to this moment.
It had been shocking to see the amount of darkness seeping out of so many people on the battlefield.
Only, that alone didn’t stop the army from fighting us.
“Ian!” Raya shouted behind me, and I turned quickly, finishing my opponent.
I ran to her, the closeness allowing the building tension in my chest to ease. I’d lost sight of her when the storm rolled in. Though the skies didn’t dump rain on us, the clouds shrouding us made it difficult to see.
Her eyes appeared glossy, and when I took her elbow, she shook her head in the direction of two enemies battling each other in front of us.
She wobbled but then looked over to the right, freezing again.
I watched in awe as one of the soldiers turned around, slashing right through the man who had been following him. The other managed to thrust his own blade into the neck of his attacker, and both collapsed to the ground, dead.
“You’re terrifying,” I told her. “Terrifyingly brilliant.”
She laughed. “I decided to push my magic since this bond supposedly makes us stronger. I can’t do it for as long as I hoped though.”
I gripped her cheeks in my hand and kissed her fiercely. “Fates, woman, I love you. You can puppet me around for practice as much as you’d like when we finish this.”
“Don’t tempt me with a good time.”
I kissed her again, not caring we were in the middle of a war. How had I not believed in mates before this? Before her?
“I will be honored to tempt you for the rest of my damn life,” I murmured, my lips still stealing kisses between words.
A battle cry behind me stole my attention from the gorgeous woman beside me. An annoyance my attacker would soon pay for. I spun, fighting back-to-back with Raya.
Thames’s army, though significantly less than it had been, still boasted larger numbers than I wished. This was far from over. Thames’s taunting echoed around us as he called to Lana and Kade.
His minions ran forward, a fresh wave approaching. I wanted to go to Thames directly and take out years of anguish on behalf of Lana; Andras had been his lackey after all.
But I knew that Lana would have to be the one to defeat him with her light.
So instead, I clenched my sword and continued destroying his army one by one.
Cassandra’s voice shouted above the storm, calling for Thames. I saw her white hair billowing behind her as she fought with her own mate. I shivered, not wanting to think about how long she would be able to last.
Lucien barreled through the army, breathing fire at a group of soldiers cornering Ryland.
He was a better swordsman than I was, but right now it was eight on one, and even the best swordsmen had little hope of beating those odds.
“Go,” Raya shouted as she charged into another fray. “Help him.”
Ryland saw me as I destroyed any who crossed my path on my way to him. He barely looked fatigued, standing there, smiling. “Captain.” He tilted his head as he continued swinging.
Fucking showman.
The more men and women we took down, the more confident I became. We had to be making a difference, making some kind of dent in what was left of Thames’s army.
But it would be up to Lana to finish this. I stepped back as I felled the last of the group Ryland battled. I needed to find Lana.
A streak of black whipped by my line of sight. Jax’s panther jumped by me, ripping the throat out of a soldier before he shifted back. He left his claws out, swiping at the chest of another and gutting him instantly. He glanced back at me. “Bet you wish you got that partial-shift down now, huh?”
I narrowed my eyes, looking up as strox crashed down on Thames’s army overhead. I grinned wickedly at Jax and shifted my arms into wings.
Fuck yes, I didn’t think that would work.
I rode a gust of air under my wings to bring me into the group of enemies stalking toward Jax from behind before dropping into the center of them and unleashing hell.
When I’d taken down three, Jax finally appeared again. “Not bad, Stronholm. Perhaps I’ll allow you a place under my future command.”
A scream behind him seized our attention. Kalliah lay on the ground, one of Thames’s men standing above her, holding his sword over his head to strike.
Jax’s figure blurred in front of me, moving faster than I could fathom, but he wasn’t going to make it in time.
Though he was a few yards in front of me, I still ran. I couldn’t lose someone else—not Kalliah, not anyone.
Jax shifted and leapt farther than what should have been possible, front paws outstretched as he dove, not at the soldier but to cover Kalliah.
The blade came down and he roared, falling to the ground on top of her.
A blade shot through the gut of the soldier that wounded Jax.
Leif stood on the other side of it. “Fuck you,” he seethed, kicking the man back and turning to face Jax and Kalliah.
Jax shifted back to his Fae form, and when I made it over, I froze. He lay bloodied in Kalliah's lap, his left hand missing.
Leif stood motionless, in shock, but Kalliah moved fast. She adjusted, moving to lay Jax’s head gently on the ground before tearing at her pants, ripping the cloth.
“You stupid, stupid man,” Kalliah cried. “Why would you do that?”
Jax groaned. “If it’s a limb or your life, I’m choosing your life every time.”
Kalliah brushed a hand over Jax’s forehead. “Ian, help me staunch the blood so his healing can kick in.”
Raya’s voice shouted in pain from behind us, and I spun toward the noise.
“Never mind, go,” Kalliah ordered.
I hesitated, but she wouldn’t let me stay indecisive.
“Go, we’ll take care of him.”
She stroked Jax’s head, whispering reassuring words as Leif turned, guarding both of them. “I’ve got them,” he said.
My confidence wavered before crashing into a rock in my gut. Why did it feel like this was all suddenly spiraling out of control?
I ran toward Raya’s voice and saw her battling fearlessly, killing dark ones without hesitation. But their numbers were too great for her to fight alone.
Before I took another step to help her, darkness enveloped us. Shouts of terror and cries rose, even louder than the sounds of battle as everything disappeared from my sight.
“Raya!” I yelled, but my voice was only one of many crying out.
What in the Fates?
I couldn’t even see my hand in front of my own face.
I stayed still, unmoving until the darkness faded, allowing me to see again. I twisted around, trying to regain my bearings.
Then I heard it. An agonized scream I recognized all too well.
It was only then that I saw her. Lana, holding her dagger lodged in Kade’s chest, screaming a sound I would never unhear for as long as I lived.