FIFTY
CAZ
The dragon is made of metallic red scales with claws sharp enough to cut through steel. The ribs of it are exposed, wrapped in ringlets of fire with three horns atop its head.
Throwing its head back, the dragon roars again. A plume of fire explodes from its mouth.
“What is that ?” Rowan hollers.
I can’t look away from it. Its wings flap slower with its descent, and it doesn’t take long for me to see the person riding it.
Selah.
She stares at me as she whispers in the dragon’s ear. The dragon’s slitted pupils dilate between the ambers, and it opens its mouth to release a streak of sweltering orange flames.
“Take cover!” Devlin screams. The men around me scramble and shout at the top of their lungs. I hear Rowan and Killian calling for me, but I stay in place.
Something tells me not to move, not to run. It’s like a whisper in my mind, a guide. And that’s when I realize the flames are hitting something—an invisible barrier. The flames are pouring out from the beast, but they’re not touching land.
A buzzing sensation crawls over me again, and my ears twitch. I feel them before I see them.
Hassha and Korah appear on either side of me, glaring up at Selah as her dragon continuously heaves flames at the barrier.
“Glad to see you haven’t abandoned us.” I take a thorough look at both of them. Both are dressed in gold armor with their hair braided and hands lit in colored flames.
“Don’t start your snark right now, Caspian,” Korah mutters. Just as quickly, she flies toward the barrier, leaving a cloud of dust in her wake. I look at Hassha, and her glowing eyes narrow briefly at me before she joins her sister.
I watch as they release beams of light to hold the barrier in place, but the dragon is relentless. Selah jumps off the dragon and floats directly above them.
“I can do this all day, sisters!” she yells.
“And we will hold our stance all day if we must.” Hassha’s voice should be farther away, but I hear it like I’m right beside her. Like she’s talking to me too.
Another Regal ability, I suppose.
“Ah…but not if I do this.” Selah tiptoes along the barrier, withdraws a sword of flames, and stabs it into the invisible wall. She rips across it to create a hole no larger than a window. The only reason I can see the rip is because it’s bordered with fierce orange light.
The ground shakes, and I step back, watching the dirt and rocks rattle beneath my feet. Another looming shadow hovers above us, but it’s not made of a single person or thing. There are hundreds of shadows combined to create one.
Creatures similar to how Warren looked during his final days clamor over each other as they crawl along the invisible barrier. I hear their hissing from all the way down here, and it doesn’t take long for them to slip through the gap Selah created and make a rapid descent into my territory.
“No!” Hassha screams, throwing a hand at the first batch to drop. They explode in her light of fury, but that doesn’t stop more from joining.
Move. Now.
I frown when I hear a deep voice in my head. It’s definitely not Willow’s.
“Killian, Rowan!” I spin around but they already have their guns pointed at the sky. “Those guns won’t do.”
“Some of the swords are already done.” Killian rushes to one of the vehicles and opens the trunk. “Here!” He tosses one to me and another to Rowan.
Some of the creatures land on the roofs of houses and buildings before dropping to the ground and storming my way.
They’re coming for you. Don’t let them touch you.
For fuck’s sakes. It’s enough having Willow’s voice in my head. Now I’m hearing another?
“What about us?” Devlin asks, watching the creatures grow closer with wide eyes.
“Well, that depends, Devlin,” I say, eyeing him. “Are we allies or enemies?”
“Of course we’re fucking allies! Now toss me a sword.”
Killian tosses a sheathed sword to him and the several other Rippies who tagged along. We load our guns with Luxor ash bullets as quickly as possible, but the first creature strikes, clawing at one of Devlin’s men and sending him flying toward the tavern.
I withdraw my own sword just as one leaps into the air. Thrusting my blade upward, I slice him through the center, and he screeches before hitting the ground. Black liquid drips to the hilt of my sword, but I fling it off just as another creature comes for me.
Rowan swipes at his head and sends it scattering.
“They’re coming in fast,” Killian yells, shoving his blade into another.
“Oh, how I’ve missed slaying with a sword,” Rowan laughs, pivoting before stabbing one of the creatures in the back.
Devlin roars behind me as he strikes, taking down multiple creatures at once.
A growl erupts next to me, and when I look to find the familiar noise, Cerberus is leaping in the air to bite into the neck of one of the creatures. He snarls as he rips at its flesh then pounces on another.
The fight continues with some of Devlin’s men going down while my clan and I overlap to take them down. One moment we’re back-to-back, and the next we’re stabbing or shooting one of the creatures in unison.
I suppose all that forced training from my shit father paid off.
In the distance, I notice some of the civilians screaming and running. One of the creatures notices too and hisses as it turns away from the fight to chase after a woman.
I bring my fingers to my mouth and whistle. “Cerberus!”
Cerberus pulls away from the dead creature beneath him to eye me, black dripping from his mouth. When I point toward the one chasing the woman, he dashes off.
Incoming.
That familiar buzz crawls up my skin again, and a beam of lavender light blinds me. Along with it comes a gust of wind so strong it sends me stumbling backward and slamming into one of the Rippie’s motorbikes.
Black liquid flies everywhere, staining our clothes, the ground, the cars— everything .
When the bright light fades, Korah stands in the center, holding the wing of one of the larger creatures. The area around her is bathed in inky blood, flesh and guts, but she’s completely spotless as she radiates with energy.
Her lavender gaze snaps to mine, and she cocks her head. “Go. I’ve got this.”
Just as she says that, one of the creatures shrieks and soars above her. She raises a hand and wraps it in an invisible grip, ripping it in half mid-air.
I look from her to Hassha who is no longer holding the barrier but flying through the gap Selah created. Selah slams into her as soon as she makes it out, but Hassha doesn’t drift too far.
She returns the blow, slamming into Selah in a burst of blue before doing the same to the dragon still breathing fire. One blow from Hassha separates the dragon’s jaw from its head. The fire dies, and the dragon shrills as it flips sideways, sliding down the dome-like barrier surrounding Blackwater.
She’s coming. Defend yourself.
I realize what Selah just did with Hassha was only a distraction. She’s now made her way through the crack in the barrier and is flying directly toward me.
Her hands are raised, those claws of hers revealed like daggers. She closes them around my throat before I have time to raise my gun or my sword.
I choke as I reach for the blade attached to my thigh, but Selah hisses and withdraws the blade with her own magic to stab it into my leg. I roar in pain while she dons a devious grin.
“You’re nothing but a mere mortal,” she sneers, still choking me. “I can’t wait to end you and your precious little mate. It’ll all be mine, Seed of Yuri.” I claw at her hand, feeling the heat building in mine. My breath is trapped as she squeezes tighter.
In that moment, all I can think about is Willow.
The baby .
Our future. She’s safe at the manor now, but she won’t be if Selah kills me.
Is that what you want? the voice in my head asks. You’re all your mate has. Now fight!
A roar builds in my throat, and one of Selah’s brows inclines when I manage to press a hand to her chest. Though her skin is hotter than fire, it’s not enough to stop me.
I’m not sure where the power comes from, but I feel it brewing in my veins, bubbling like a pot of boiling water. I feel my own fire churning in my gut, and with a grunt, I shove Selah off me.
She ascends but doesn’t dare take her eyes away. As she steadies herself, she withdraws her sword of flames and growls as she aims for me again. Blue and lavender light smashes into her from both sides and sends her barreling to the ground.
“You all right, brother?” Killian rushes my way, helping me to a stand. Rowan appears right next to him, and we watch as The Regals take the battle in the sky, throwing invisible punches or swinging swords of fire.
Selah slices at Korah and cuts through her armor, dragging across her skin. She belts out a scream that rapidly transforms into a growl as Selah attempts to penetrate her with the tip of the sword.
Hassha rises above and kicks Selah so hard she flies backwards and slams into the barrier. Bolts of blue and purple lightning spread throughout the dome barrier from the impact.
“Enough, Selah!” Hassha yells when Selah recovers. Selah brings herself higher in the air, glowering at her sisters with eyes made of flames. “What do you want?”
“You know what I want!” Selah shouts back. “I want his power. I want this world erased. All of its people, its animals, its senseless creatures—I want it all washed away to the shores. I will not stop until I get rid of every inch of this place.” Another flood of creatures breaks through the gap in the barrier, and Korah flies toward them, throwing fireballs and swiveling with her sword, but it’s not enough.
The two of them will never be enough to stand against her and those creatures. They file in like ants, crawling along the barrier with deep hisses and growls.
Hassha rises higher to level herself with Selah. “End this. Now !”
“Never,” Selah seethes.
“Then let this be a fair fight,” Hassha insists. “You want to take this world? Fine. You can take it—but only if you give the people a fighting chance. What you’re doing here is beneath you. Let the people prepare. Give them a chance to protect their lands before you destroy it. If they lose, it’s yours. But if they win, Vakeeli remains.”
The creatures are dropping on the ground again. I and the remaining men level our swords, preparing for attack. I fight a wince from the stab wound in my thigh, gripping the handle of my sword tighter.
When I look up, Selah’s head cocks unnaturally. Then she snaps her fingers. The creatures freeze where they are, and their noises cease.
“So it is a war you want?” Selah asks, revealing a sharp toothed smile.
“We have never wanted a war. That has always been your desire,” Hassha declares. “But if it is a war you want, it is a war you’ll get. And as you know, with every war, there is always an opportunity to prepare. Let us gather ourselves. As I said, if we lose, you can take everything…even our power.”
“Hassha,” Korah calls with worried eyes.
Hassha raises a hand at her sister.
Selah tips her chin and studies the ground beneath her feet. When her eyes land on mine again, I clench a fist.
“Even the Seed of Yuri?” she probes.
“ Everything ,” Hassha returns.
A smirk sweeps across Selah’s lips. Then she snaps her fingers again, and the creatures crawl and fly back up the barrier, slipping through the crack as quickly as they arrived.
“Very well.” Selah floats closer to Hassha. “I will give you five days to prepare your beloved people. If you win, you keep your silly tribe, lands, and the pests beneath our feet. But if I win,” Selah purrs, looking between her sisters with a menacing stare, “you will watch me burn everyone and everything alive right before I strip you of your energy and harness it for myself. That goes for your chosen child too.” Selah’s eyes flash a threatening orange as she locks on me.
I stare back, gritting my teeth.
“Five days,” Hassha says. “But during those five days, you cannot come after Caspian, his mate, or his family. If you refuse to play fair, we won’t either.”
Selah chuckles. “Don’t worry. I’d rather wait until the five days are over so he can watch me burn his family to a pretty little crisp.”
“Fuck you!” I bark back, and all The Regals’ eyes drop to me.
Selah cackles, pressing a dainty hand to her chest. I know she’s saying those things to get under my skin, but hearing her speak that way pisses me off.
I’ll kill her, I swear I will. Just like I swore to kill Decius.
“I should go prepare then,” Selah chimes, drifting past Hassha. Hassha catches her by the shoulder and grips it firmly before she can get by.
“When we win, Selah, we will strip every single layer of power within you,” Hassha growls at her. “Then we will use your skin to feed the demented creatures you’ve given birth to.”
“Ah.” Selah stares into Hassha’s eyes, amused. “There she is. Hassha the Regal. Queen of Vengeance. We’ll see how well you use that vengeance in the next five days.” She looks from Hassha to Korah. “Sisters,” she hisses, eyes flaring. She flies through the gap in the barrier, and Korah hurries to seal it again.
“What were you thinking?” Korah demands as she and Hassha lower to the ground.
Hassha ignores her as they march in our direction. I take a step back as Cerberus meets next to me, his snout coated in thick black blood. He licks his chops, glaring up at Hassha and Korah while waiting for my next command.
“I’m with Korah,” I toss in. “You shouldn’t have agreed to a war with her. We don’t know what she’ll bring when it happens.”
“It will buy us time,” Hassha says. “Would you rather she take your head right now while you’re weak in power and torch this place like she did Ripple Hills?”
“No, but we haven’t had a war in?—”
“I don’t care how long it’s been since your last commoner war,” Hassha snaps, closing the gap between us. “This is a matter of life and death. You have no choice but to prepare yourself and activate Yuri’s fullest power inside you. Now let’s go.” She steps around me, marching toward the forest. “Your training begins today.”