of her bones. It was something she’d never experienced before. She felt as if her soul was going to implode in on itself, leaving her nothing but a shriveled husk. This wasn’t the way it was supposed to happen. She knew that no one could choose the time of their death or the way they would die, but Alina should not have had her heart, the very symbol of her love and kindness that was a part of her being, ripped from her body. As Lucian had said, a kinder heart had never been known. And now she was gone from a world that so desperately needed her kindness.
Cindy felt the air being sucked from her lungs as she watched Alina’s lifeless body fall. She’d seen it while she’d been with the seer sprites, wanting to keep up-to-date on all that was happening. She’d nearly lost it a week ago when she’d seen Titus taken and then Sally walk right into the enemy’s arms. Not that Cindy wouldn’t have done the same thing. Regardless, sprites weren’t allowed to interfere in destiny, despite what they saw. They weren’t allowed to alter the future. But when Cindy had seen what was going to happen to the Romania alpha female, she couldn’t just stand there and let it happen. The ripple effect was just too great. She had to try to do something. She’d seen Nissa showing up in the sprite great hall, and Cindy had run as fast as she could to get to the high fae and return to the battlefield with her. But she’d been too late. Her foresight had been worthless.
She’d heard the battle raging around her, but it had been background noise. Then the enemy started flashing away, as if this were what they’d been waiting for. As Alina’s body fell, Peri was there in an instant and caught the alpha female, lowering her gently to the ground. A moment later, a huge white wolf leaped over Peri. He landed on the vampire still holding the precious heart. She watched as the wolf ripped the vampire to shreds and then turned on the warlock who had held Alina. He ripped out the man’s throat. His already blood-covered muzzle became even more saturated. Then he phased back into his human form. Lucian knelt down and picked up the heart, holding it so carefully, and carried it over to his mate and Alina. Other than sobbing from behind her, which she assumed must be for the fallen alpha pair, there was complete silence around them, and Lucian’s words carried as he spoke. The incredible respect he showed Alina was breathtaking and gut-wrenching at the same time.
The moment the words left his mouth, Cindy was knocked by a flash of bright light and a massive gust of wind. With an incredible amount of effort, she rolled to her stomach, grunting as she went, and pushed herself back up again, though the wind pounded on her as if to beat her back into submission. Her hair tangled around her face, and she had to push it back to see what the hell was going on. Were they being attacked again?
Cindy surveyed the scene and saw that every supernatural being was on the ground, prone on their stomachs. The trees for at least half a mile had been leveled to the ground as if they were nothing more than rows of dominoes easily knocked over. Huge roots that had once grown deep into the earth's soil were now pulled up out of the ground from the force of the power that had pushed them over. And the strangest thing of all, if those two weren’t enough, was that the ground and surrounding foliage were blackened as if they’d been scorched.
Movement from the corner of her eye made her turn her head. It took effort because the gusting wind was still very powerful. Chris, her husband, was kneeling on the ground, though he was holding himself upright by his arms. The unbelievable show of the force of nature must have something to do with Peri’s power because she was glowing so bright it hurt to look at her. The edge of the light surrounding her was rimmed in darkness like a shadow left across the moon by the sun. Chris's eyes met hers, and Cindy could tell they were asking her if she was okay. She nodded and pushed her hair from her face again. He looked safe as well, though he was covered