Chapter 28 #3
“Okay, so we can’t—“ BAM! “—stab them or—“ BAM! “—overpower them. So what—“ BAM! “—does that leave?”
We all frantically scanned the room, searching for a miracle, but the Hall was practically empty. We’d already tossed half of everything into the fire. All that was left were a few chairs pushed up against the walls between the oil lanterns, and I couldn’t imagine how they could?—
The oil lanterns!
We’d found our miracle.
“Let’s burn those bastards to ash!”
As quickly and quietly as possible, I relayed my plan to Sophia and Hannah. They looked at each other for just a second, but since neither one of them could think of a better plan, they agreed to try.
Hannah and I raced around the Hall, pulling the dozens of oil lanterns off their hooks and bringing them to Sophia in front of the fire.
There, she split the oil into three pottery vases.
After that, I took one of the high-backed chairs we’d been lounging in just minutes ago and swung it as hard as I could against the side of the stone fireplace. The wood shattered, splintering into several pieces.
We all grabbed a leg and lit the end in the fire.
Then, with trembling knees, we made our way back to the door.
The wood was now so battered that every plank bowed with each hit, sending slivers and sawdust flying. The structure wouldn’t last long now.
“All right,” I said, pressing my heels hard against the ground to steady myself. “This is it. Hold steady until I give the signal.”
Sure enough, on the next pound, two of the hinges shot from the wall. The left side of the entrance flopped to the side, giving Nelissa’s alphas just enough room to push their way into the room.
My hand shook around the vase, my stomach churning as I waited for the last alpha to slip through the gap.
For a moment, the bastards just stood there, smug and smiling, promises of cruelty and violence shining darkly in their eyes.
“No more running, bitch,” Garron snarled with vicious joy. “No one’s coming to save you.”
“Maybe not, asshole,” I shot back. “Then again, nobody’s coming to save you either.”
Pulling my arm back, I tossed the vase. It hit against the side of Garron’s head, shattering into a thousand pieces. Hannah and Sophia followed right after, hitting their marks as well.
But the bastards only laughed.
“What was that?” Garron growled. “Did you really think you could knock us unconscious? All done is piss us off.”
“That’s not all we did,” I told him with a smile. “We also doused you in lantern oil, you stupid son of a bitch.”
For a split second, Garron’s eyes flashed with confusion. He raised his hand up to his head and felt the thick, sticky oil running down his finger. But that puzzled look quickly turned to terrible understanding as his gaze swung toward the torches in each of our hands.
I didn’t wait to see what emotion might pop up next.
“Now!” I shouted.
Three torches flew across the Hall.
White-hot flames shot up toward the ceiling as the blazes caught. Instantly, each alpha’s head was enveloped.
Howling screams filled the room. Panicked and in pain, the alphas flailed, crashing into the walls as the flames spread further down their bodies.
“Come on,” I cried out to Sophia and Hannah, pulling them toward the break in the door.
We slipped out, stepping over the guards’ bloody bodies, as fetid smoke started to billow out into the hallway.
The Lykaon’s house was so massive that I feared we’d never find our way out, but Sophia knew the way.
She led us as we ran, feet flying down the carpeted stone, desperate to make it to the front door.
When it came into view, we barreled toward it—but just before we could reach it, the door flew open.
My heart clenched, terrified that we were about to run into another group of Nelissa’s men.
But the arms that I crashed into were as tender as they were familiar.
A sense of relief, stronger than any I’d ever experienced, swept through me like a summer storm, fierce but cleansing.
“Lash,” I breathed, looking up into his eyes. “How did you know to come?”
He didn’t answer. He just stood there, holding me tight, as if both our lives depended on this embrace. But with my head to the side, I could see that Kyre and Tauren were by his side, busy holding their own mates.
“Lash spotted the smoke,” I heard Kyre say behind me.
“The attack at the gate,” Hannah said, her voice choppy as she tried to push the words out between gasps of breath. “It’s just a distraction.”
“We know,” Tauren said. “We figured out Nelissa’s plan on our way here. It will be her last, though. With Lash’s help, we were able to determine the attacker’s position outside the gate. Our warriors are rounding up the last of Nelissa’s men now.”
“And the ones she sent after you?” Kyre said. “Are they still inside?”
“Yeah, but they’re…” Sophia’s voice trailed off.
“They’re what?” Kyre demanded.
“Crispy,” Hannah said.
“Toast,” Sophia said, right on top of her.
“What are you talking about?” Tauren broke in. “What the hell happened in there?”
For a second, Sophia could only chuckle. “Felicity happened.”