he could engage the creature again, Vale, the fae warrior who had joined their side, stepped in between them to cut off the vampire's head with the two short swords he held in each hand. Without so much as a “you’re welcome,” he kept moving, slicing through foe after foe. His moves were so smooth that he appeared to be dancing instead of fighting.
“That’s just not right,” Drake said, panting, as he stepped up next to Decebel. He was watching Vale with no doubt the same dumbstruck expression Decebel had. “When you fight, you should not look like you’re frolicking.”
Decebel couldn’t help chuckling. “Please let me be there when you tell him that he looks like a frolicking dancer when he fights.”
Just then Vale jabbed one sword into the ground and raised his free hand. Light shot from it, flying across the field. It hit a troll in the face, and the being turned to ash.
“On second thought, maybe you shouldn’t tell him that he frolics when he fights,” Decebel corrected.
“Agreed,” Drake said. “Watch out.” His words were spoken so calmly and matter-of-fact like that Decebel wouldn’t have thought two vampires and two trolls were closing in on them.
“Does going into battle always get you this excited?” he asked Drake.
“After going toe to toe with my enraged mate, this is child's play.” Drake grinned.
They both lunged forward at the same time, side by side, and plunged their swords into the impetuous vamps.
“Okay,” Decebel said through gritted teeth as he pulled his sword back and then sliced it across the vampire’s throat. “This is much easier than fighting with Jennifer. At least with this fight we get to kill something.”
“Exactly.” Drake beheaded the second vampire attacking him and then faced off with one of the two trolls as Decebel did the same with the other.
Peri used her magic to propel herself forward, jumping as far into the battlefield as she could. The instant her feet hit the ground, she was surrounded by struggling fae, vampires, and even a warlock. She held up her hands, which glowed with power. Like an automatic weapon, she shot out pulse after pulse of her magic, hitting the vampires in the chest, disintegrating their hearts and then burning their bodies from the inside out. She saw the warlock’s eyes widen before he turned and ran the other direction. Peri would have laughed if three fae males hadn’t begun attacking her, making her focus once again on those who weren’t surprised by her display of power.
The fae circled Peri, attempting to get behind her. She’d be damned if she was going to let that happen. Instead of shooting for the obvious spot, center mass, Peri sent her power down to their feet. If she aimed for their chests, they would either block it with the fae blades they held or their own magic. But they wouldn’t expect her to knock them on their asses with her magic. Sure enough, once the white light hit their feet, they fell like three bags of rocks.
As soon as they were on the ground, Peri kicked the sword out of the hand of the closest male. Then she stomped her foot down on his chest and sent her power down through her leg. Yes, she could do that. When he was dead, she moved on to the next one. He attempted to jump to his feet, but Peri was there the second he was in the air. She grabbed the hand that held his blade, pulled it around behind him, and jammed it into his spine. Without a second thought, she let the male fall. Now, the third male was back on his feet, and he looked quite pissed. That was good. Intense emotion caused mistakes in battle.
He roared as he lunged for her. Peri manifested her own blade just as he reached her, and it slid into his chest as if he were made of butter. The man’s mouth dropped open, blood spilling out and down his chin as he looked at her.
“You chose the wrong side,” Peri said and then lifted her foot and placed it on his hip. She shoved hard and pushed him off her blade.
“Peri, behind you!”
She heard Fane’s voice, and her head whipped around while she swung her blade upward. The side of the sword landed against a vampire’s neck and cut straight through, removing the bloodsucker's head. She’d have to remember to thank Jacque’s mate for giving her a heads up. She was not