Ashes of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms #2) - Amelia Hutchins Page 0,54
who offered me a crooked grin, noting where my attention had moved to for strength and reassurance. I hadn’t even realized I’d looked to Knox for that purpose until Taren grinned, twisting his lips. Lifting his arms, crossing them over his muscular chest, he observed me carefully.
“Are you ready, then? Or do you need a moment to tell your lover goodbye in case you don’t survive what happens next?” he asked, studying the way I slid my eyes to Knox once more.
“No. I am ready.” I swallowed past the lump in my throat, pushing down the anxiety that threatened to choke me.
Would Knox care if I died?
Would he mourn me?
I doubted it. I’d just be another dead witch he couldn’t sleep with anymore. Knowing Knox, he’d miss being unable to cause hell on my libido, but not necessarily miss me. He’d probably place my skull in his bedroom, and skull fuck it to make sure I never fully escaped him.
Taren held out his hands, and I placed mine into his, stepping closer to his body while a frown played on his generous mouth. If I fucked this up, his race was toast.
No pressure.
Right?
Taren’s lips twisted as if he was sensing my thoughts, and he tilted his head to the side as he brought me out in front of him, forcing me to face Knox and his lethal gaze.
“You’re going to call to the land and ask it for the element of lightning. Then, you’ll call the lightning forth, and when it answers, I will push it into your soul. When I disengage, you will need to summon the lightning from the four corners. Contain it, or we die. Do you understand?”
I swallowed past the worry and the lump growing larger in my throat. “Yes.” Knox smiled coldly as power continued to slam against the barrier.
My attention slid to the witches beside Knox, adding to his power to break through the barrier that held him at bay. I exhaled, letting my gaze linger for a moment before focusing on Knox’s form, letting my hunger-filled eyes slide to lock with his.
Goodbyes were overrated anyway.
Right?
“Knox is impatient to reach you. Considering your body’s delicate position, and the scent it is currently releasing; I don’t necessarily blame him. Shall we begin?” Lightning crashed beside us, causing the loose strands of hair to float in the air as the rich scent of ozone filled the surrounding barrier.
“I’m ready, Taren.”
Lightning lit the field, causing it to turn indigo with the intensity of the power humming around us. Taren threaded his fingers through mine, spreading my arms wide as he chanted softly, the sound swallowed by the hum of energy filling the space. The protection circle pulsed, and crystals shattered as violet-colored bolts slammed into them, sending fragments through the air, pelting my bare legs.
Knox yelled, and my attention slid toward him at the same moment lightning rocked through me. A scream escapes my lips, and my head flew back, exposing my open mouth to the sky as a violet streak of light shot down, moving through me. My body jerked and twisted as pain rushed through every cell.
Screaming filled both sides of the barrier, mine and Knox’s pulsing through me as the power slithered around me. Taren held me up, his hands continuing to hold my arms out wide. The pain persisted until my legs threatened to deposit me onto the ground, but the rigid body holding me refused to let me fall.
The moment it ended, Taren released me.
I dropped to my knees, and he stepped away from where I’d crumpled to the ground. My head lifted, locking gazes with Knox, who was on his knees, staring as my body, covered in a violet hue, trembled violently.
It took everything I had to push myself off the ground, my eyes never leaving Knox as he did the same. Power rushed through me, and electrical pulses sizzled over my flesh as I turned my head to the left, holding out my hand, calling for more of the power.
Lightning slammed into me, sending me sailing across the ground as I screamed. Tears slipped free, and my nose popped as everything within me felt torn apart. Sobs escaped, and my eyes closed, reopening to stare down at the ground where blood coated the earth.
Exhaling, I heard screams mixed with the pounding of my blood in my ears. Louder than any battle drum, it hammered deafeningly. I forced my body to rise, slowly moving back to the protection circle.