“I won’t leave you,” she replied, her gaze moving between the outliers.
I let more fire shoot out. The flames engulfed a few of the outliers and the creatures fell to the ground. “Then you’d better stay behind me,” I said.
Before she could respond, I stepped back a few paces and my body was shifting and changing until I was a dragon again. I flicked my tail, lifting her onto my back.
“Well, what are you waiting for?” Cara yelled at the fae. “Do you want to die tonight, or do you want to live?”
The generals looked over the dead fae on the battlefield and the remaining soldiers waiting for their command. When King Chalir still looked uncertain, one of the generals lifted his sword, and shouted, “I say, we fight to live! Let’s fight with the rebels!”
CHAPTER 33
~ Kade ~
Acrossthebattlefield,mymate fought the outliers that attacked the back of the fae army. I howled as she took down another of the giant beasts, and my pack howled with me.
Garan and the gargoyles, and Lyr and her mates fought beside us, along with a large portion of the rebel army. Lyr lifted her arm, pointing to where Asher and the Houses of Thorem and Axeran were fighting to get to Warrick.
Something had changed with the fae army, and they were turning away from us, starting to solely focus their magic and weaponry on the outliers. I could only guess Darian and Raine had managed to sway the king.
“We must get to Warrick!” Lyr yelled, black blood trailing down her chin as she stood in her human form.
I peered at the wolves. Their fur was thick with blood, their tongues lolling from their mouths as they panted. Kasey and Tristan padded up beside me, and when I changed direction, leading them to where I could see Asher and Locke battling creatures twice their size, the wolves all followed.
~ Locke ~
I stayed with Asher, the pair of us fighting beside Kenric and the other monsters as we headed for Warrick. The cowardly vampire still hadn’t advanced on his beast. No, he watched with a cold calculation that was all too familiar.
My entire life he had studied me. And once again we were all in one giant experiment. The Katakin monsters under his control stood still, their red eyes glowing as they watched us. Perene remained with the other members of the Taratun council, but I felt no sympathy for my mother. They’d been Warrick’s puppets long before he’d infected them, they just hadn’t realized it.
I couldn’t say exactly when the battle shifted, but soon the rebels were rushing up behind us. Kade and his wolves sprinted ahead, combining with our ranks, and then came Garan and the gargoyles, and Lyr and her mates. Vasken tore outliers apart in his chimera form, his snake tail hissing and striking the creatures that tried to attack him from behind. The rest of the rebels formed up, flanking us.
And then came the fae. They pushed through the outliers, their magic forcing the beasts back. Raine and Darian fought at the back of the fae army, Raine’s dragon tearing down the larger outliers like the majestic monster she was. If anyone could have convinced the fae, it was her.
Darian jumped onto her back, sitting behind a female I didn’t recognize, and Raine launched into the air, her massive body skimming over the fae army until she was flapping above us. Opening her maw, she burned the outliers blocking our path, and the stench of burning flesh filled my nose as the creatures turned to ash.
Raine dropped down behind me, the rebels making way to accommodate her large body, and Darian jumped from her back, holding the strange female in his arms.
“Who the fuck is that?” I shouted as Darian propped the female on her feet. Her ears were rounded and if it weren’t for the gems, I would have thought she was human.
Raine snorted smoke at me, and Darian’s lips curled upward.
“This would be Raine’s dear sister, Cara,” Darian explained as the female eyed me warily. “It’s in our best interest to keep her alive.”
“Her sister?” My brows rose as my swords cut through an outlier that leaped over its dead comrade and lunged for me.
The beast fell hard, and Darian shrugged. “Seems Raine’s entire family is full of surprises.”
I shook my head in disbelief.
An outlier leaped over our heads, heading for Raine, and I flapped my wings, lifting into the air as I severed the creature’s head.
Raine let out more fire, and another section of outliers turned to ash. There was still over a thousand of the beasts, but with the fae and rebels working together, it finally felt like we had a chance.
Warrick sat up straighter, his black eyes bulging with fury as he watched us draw closer. He turned to the sirens beside him, and they opened their mouths as one.
“Raine, take out the sirens!” I yelled in warning, but she hesitated as she eyed the Katakin monsters.
We were close enough to them now that as their song filled the air, we all heard it. The sirens sang in unison, their sweet notes melding together and becoming a warmth that wrapped around me. My movements slowed, my limbs feeling sluggish as though I was wading through deep water. Desire coursed through me, but as quickly as it came it was gone.
