I turned my gaze to where Warrick sat atop his beast, watching as the fae fought his army of outliers. The Katakin monsters remained beside him, their eyes glowing red as they remained silent and unmoving in their lines. As the larger outliers lumbered through the ranks of silver, sending fae flying, ranks of fae soldiers moved away from the fight with the rebels to battle the creatures.
A group of fae used their wind magic to push back a giant outlier, and the creature overbalanced and toppled to the ground. The fae swarmed the beast, soldiers attacking the outlier, and the creature howled before it was silenced.
I turned my gaze to where the wolves of the House of Worzel were being overrun. A fae soldier lifted her hands and trees burst from the ground, creating a wall behind the wolves and giving them nowhere to retreat. Kade growled as lines of fae soldiers advanced on the group.
“Fight,” Kade muttered under his breath, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the hilts of his swords.
The wolves snapped and snarled, trying to attack, but the fae continued to push them back until they were close to the trees.
“Why aren’t they working together?” Kade snarled, cursing under his breath. “They could get out of that if they moved as a unit.”
My chest heaved, my panic rising because I knew why, but I didn’t want to have to say it. “They need their alpha,” I rasped. “They need aleader.”
Kade’s golden gaze connected with mine, his body tight. “I won’t leave you, my mate.”
I shook my head slowly. “You’re not leaving me. You’re savingthem.“ I moved my hands, unfastening my weapons belt so it fell to the ground. “And like hell are you going without us.”
I was done waiting. Whatever moment Lyr had wanted us to wait for, this was it. Around us, the rebels were falling. Borren and the demons of the House of Thorem cried out as they fought an overwhelming number of fae, and two massive outliers crossed the battlefield attacking the shifters of the House of Silat.
A howl rang out as another wolf from the House of Worzel fell, and I stepped back a few paces and surrendered to my dragon. My skin rippled, hard scales forming like plates of armor as my body grew in size. When the change was complete, I opened my maw and roared, satisfaction going through me as the sound rose above the noise of the battle. Fae and monsters glanced in my direction, and there were cheers and answering roars from the rebels.
“We’re with you,” Asher told Kade as he held his massive axes. “Now let’s fuck some shit up.”
Kade’s golden eyes flashed, and then he was shifting as well, his limbs changing and sleek brown fur sprouting over his body until he was the large wolf I’d come to love. Darian and Locke gripped their weapons, and Kade stared at me one last time before he started to run.
We moved as one, joining the battle, and I crashed through the trees that had blocked the wolves. Together, my mates and I started to push back the fae. I moved my massive body, sending soldiers flying backward, and Darian let his stars loose. Asher and Locke worked in tandem to take down a large outlier that barrelled through the demons of the House of Thorem and toward us.
Kade growled as he jogged past the wolves, his large paws flicking up the dirt. The sound was a command from their alpha, and the wolves formed up, regrouping and launching back at the fae as a unit, their teeth tearing through flesh. With renewed strength, and Kade’s massive form leading them, they moved as a pack, taking down fae soldiers and outliers with lethal precision.
A screech sounded from above and the flying outlier from earlier swooped down from the sky, materializing from the darkness like a wraith. A black blur in a sky of red. I narrowed my eyes as it drew closer, its talons outstretched as it targeted my wolf.Mine. My treasure. My mate.Kade continued forward, unaware as he used his teeth to tear off an outlier’s arm.
The flying creature swooped lower, and heat bubbled in my belly, but there were too many rebels around me. And too many fae. Before the outlier could grab my wolf, I let out a deafening roar and the creature veered away, picking up a fae soldier instead. The fae cried out as he was lifted into the air, and I moved, my wings unfolding.
Darian jumped onto my back before I launched into the air. I would kill the creature that tried to take my wolf. A small voice in the back of my mind screamed that I should stay with the rest of my mates, but all I could think about was how the outlier would taste as its blood slid down my throat.
~ Asher~
One glimpse, that was all I could spare as Raine and Darian flew away. One glimpse, and then two more outliers were coming at me. Locke cut through one, and I hefted my axes cleaving through the other.
My vampire brother peered up at where Raine’s blue fire filled the sky, momentarily blocking out the red moon.
“Go,” I shouted at Locke.
Indecision flickered across his face, but then he shook his head and cracked his neck. “Raine and Darian can handle that outlier, but I’m not so sure about them.”
I lifted my head to where he was staring at the demons of the House of Thorem, and the orcs and trolls of the House of Axeran. The monsters were surrounded by outliers and separated from the main rebel army.
I stared at the demons who had turned their backs on me long ago, and Borren, the alpha, who’d taken my mother’s life. An outlier struck Borren across the face, and he fell hard to the ground. As the creature stepped forward with its huge, clawed paws, intending to crush him, he rolled to the side and jumped to his feet.
“It’s your call,” Locke said giving me the choice as his twin swords cut through another outlier. “We fight here or there, makes no difference to me.”
I hesitated only a moment. Kade and his pack were still tearing down the outliers and fae in their path.
“He doesn’t need us for now,” I yelled, indicating to the wolves. “So, let’s go have some fun with the demons.”
Locke’s pale lips twitched upward. “All right then, brother.”
We ran toward Borren and Kenric, cutting down the outliers in our path and making our way to the circle of trapped monsters. Just as an outlier was about to sink its fangs into Jade’s throat, I let one of my axes fly through the air, slicing the monster’s head off.
