He was going to tear my head off, and if she hadn’t shown up when she had, I’d be dead.
“Hear me, baby.” I reach out with my hands and cradle her face, my thumbs brushing across her cheeks. “I’m fine.”
Her skin blazes like the sun, and it’s not just the heat I can feel. The Amoro inside her is surging outward, pulsing with a force so strong it feels like it’s trying to tear itself away from her.
A loud boom explodes behind her, but she doesn’t shift. Trees fall in the wake of whatever happened, yet she doesn’t so much as blink. I’ve never truly seen her lose control, and while I wouldn’t mind watching her slaughter everyone here… I can’t have her accidently decapitating Sydni in her rage.
“Little demon.” Her head slightly twitches, along with her eye lids widening. “You got him. There are more for you to kill… but you need to stay in control.”
It’s only now do I realize she isn’t breathing.
“Breathe for me,” I murmur, leaning in and brushing a kiss to her lips. “Breathe, Xera.”
Her lips part as she sucks in a shaky breath, the air catching in her throat. Her eyes flutter rapidly, as if trying to ground herself. Then, without hesitation, she slides a hand behind my back and pulls me into an embrace.
My arms encircle her head as my eyes shift from left to right, watching for an attack. I can hear shuffling occurring in the forest, but nothing has stepped in our direction. I’m able to take this moment with her, but only these fleeting seconds.
“What the fuck happened?!” she bites out, her grip around me tightening as she violently trembles. “Why are they here—How did Jay have you pinned down?!” Her words come out in a jumbled mess. “If I had been two seconds later…”
“Shh…” I soothe, running my hand down the back of her head. “Let’s talk about this later. Kayn has his hands full with that Incubus.”
She doesn’t release me, but lifts her head to peer up at me. The black has receded, and now all I can see is her silvern eyes that are bloodshot.
“Alaric is helping,” she whispers. Both of her hands move up to rest against my cheeks. “Damn it you can’t be… reckless.”
I chuckle. “I don’t think I was being reckless, little demon, they came here.”
The tremble of her bottom lip accompanies her soft words, “I’m sorry. It’s my fault, all of this.” The crack in her voice breaks my heart. “I’m sorry…”
“Xera…”
I don’t get more than that when Mister rushes up between our feet, stepping over the motionless body of Jay. My girl turns her head downward, seeing the cat looking up at her.
Murrrow. Rrrow.
She takes in a shaky breath and a sudden expression shift on her face has me tensing.
“Mister? You’re here…”
“There you are.” A slithery voice catches my attention, and instinct takes over—I grab Xera, dragging her behind me. My eyes snap to Archer as he steps out from the thicket, looking like he was just thrown through a blender. “You know, this is all so tiresome.”
I should know better not to try and hide her, but I will always be protective of my girl. Regardless of whether she wants it or not.
She pushes around me and stomps toward the Incubus. “Where is Tali? And matter of fact, Lars, while we’re at it. He needs to be dealt with before I send thatbitchto the Beyond.”
He laughs, and while I’m watching their engagement—slowly following right behind Xera—I’m equally listening for Kayn. The red sky still hugs our vicinity, so I know he isn’t dead. He is twice as strong as I am, so I can’t imagine this man bested him in such a short amount of time.
Archer shrugs his shoulders. “You weren’t really our target tonight, anyway—just a consolation prize. Unfortunately, it looks like our littlemissionhas failed.” His eyes dart off to the side of me, and when I gaze back, it’s Jay that he is looking at. “Endless battles aren’t really my thing, and…” He strains his head up, ear pointed toward the sky. “It sounds like your little crew has taken care of our distraction.”
Xera stops a dozen or so feet away from him. “Archer, what did she promise you?”
A sudden shift in his expression has my heart physically flipping in my chest.
What the…
“You deserve the worst kind of punishment,” she continues before he can find the words to answer her question. “The things you did to me… I’ve made men eat their own shit for less.”
His lips twitch as he tries to smile, but it’s like he understands what is coming next. “Did she promise you would seeheragain?”
