Page 58 of Blood and War
“She told me I had unfinished business. That I wasn’t done yet.” Jace shook his head, a new wave of tears taking over. “I didn’t even get to thank her before Evan was dragging me away.” His fists clenched around the cloak at Demitria’s back. “Like a coward, I ran. I followed him out. I abandoned everything.”
“There was nothing more you could have done. You did what you could, Jace. Running doesn’t make you a coward. You would be dead and the community would still be burnt to the ground had you stayed.” Demitria squeezed his hand.
She’d run from them all, too, and felt exactly like the coward she’d claimed him not to be. Was she any different? Did that make her a coward?
“They came looking for you, and I panicked. It scared me to no end, but knowing you weren’t there—I should have saved them. Should have gotten them all out. I was their leader…” His voice trailed off into nothing, and she felt the tremble of his fingers as he spoke.
Her. They’d come looking for her. She wanted to scream. Wanted to let those emotions welling up inside consume her until she was nothing but unyielding rage.
“You got out as many people as you could. The attack wasn’t your fault.” It was hers. None of this was on Jace. She was the one responsible for it. And as a guardian, she should have been there. On the front lines with him, holding those creatures back until her arms couldn’t wield a weapon anymore or she was dead.
“How many people escaped?” Gabriel had been silently watching when he dismounted, striding over with an unearthly grace before holding a hand out toward them.
Jace watched it tentatively, unsure, but finally took it and Gabriel pulled them both to their feet. “Five others made it out with me. We lost contact with Pieter and Braun in the beginning of the raid.”
“Pieter didn’t make it.” The thought of him stirred something in her chest. Him lying in her arms, whispering to him softly as he took his last breath. Jace’s gaze met hers at the sound of another friend’s passing. She watched that guilt pass through him as silver lined his eyes, pooling down his cheeks as he cast his eyes downward. “I held him in my arms until he took his last breath. He wasn’t alone.”
“Thank you. For being there for him when no one else could.” He smiled softly. “What of Braun?”
“We never saw him.” Demitria wondered if he was one of the many bodies that littered the ground in Solis. She hadn’t been strong enough to check. Despite their quarrels, she wished she would have.
Jace nodded, his face sullen. “Cory, Tyler, Evan, and the twins made it out with me. I just…I can’t wrap my head around everyone else being gone.” Demitria felt a flutter in her chest at the names. Cory and Evan, Tyler. Hell, even the twins, she was happy about. She didn’t wish death upon anyone, not like that, no matter how much they hated one another.
“Great, now we have two fucking humans.” Eire spoke up from behind. One by one, everyone turned, all eyes focused on her. “I brought him back thinking we could ditch this one. She was already bad enough.” Eire motioned toward her, and she couldn’t help the roll of her eyes.
“Sounds like we’re about to have seven, actually.” Kane chuckled from behind, clapping his sibling on the back as his mount moved toward hers.
“Who is this lovely piece of work?” Jace whispered, his voice laced with a hint of amusement as he shrugged the commentoff, stretching out his arms, rubbing the aches from the bind on his wrists. “I had a feeling she was one of them.” He motioned toward Kellan.
“Don’t even get me started.” She grumbled, the chuckle leaving her lips effortlessly. It amazed her how easily he pulled her from the depths of that darkness.
Demitria moved to look at Kellan, following that inexplicable pull seemingly dragging her gaze toward him. Kellan had been unexpectedly quiet, and she wondered what was going through his head as azure eyes anchored her to the spot. She felt that look deep within her, pooling in her, and had to force herself to look away.
“What happened after you left?” Gabriel prodded for more information; his arms crossed over his chest. The dark cloak billowed around him, caught in the breeze that swept through the canyon.
“We’ve been holed up in a nearby shallow cavern. We traveled on foot for days. Everything is gone…” Jace stared at the eldest horsemen. “Every community we’ve come across has been destroyed. Burned to the ground. There is nothing left but ash.”
Demitria looked up at Kellan again, his expression visibly hardening at the news they’d just received. He was aware of the being that was threatening the entire existence of this planet, but there was no way any of them anticipated just how quickly things were going downhill.
“They were taking me to Augustus.” Demitria nodded at the Horsemen. “For refuge while they investigated further.”
“It’s gone.”
Demitria’s breath caught in her throat.
“Valencia was burned to the ground shortly after you left.” Jace said.
Another community gone. Burned by the fucking monsters that were a plague on this planet. Demitria refused to cry.
“Just fucking great.” Eire threw her hands in the air.
“This cavern, will you take us?” Gabriel asked. “I said I would return you to your people.” Forest-green eyes turned on her. Hard. Final, as if she had no say in the matter.
“I told you I’m not—” He cut her off midsentence, hand raised to silence her.
“You will do as I say.” Gabriel took a step toward her. Demitria’s fists clenched at her sides. The Horseman held no sway over her, but his tone had been so stern. So…matter of fact. Law. “I mean you no disrespect, but things have been rather…difficult with your presence.” Her features dropped, hands falling limp at her sides as she shot quick glances at the siblings. Did they all think the same? Eire, she already knew. But the others?
She was an idiot.
