The Frozen Prince (The Beast Charmer #2) - Maxym M. Martineau Page 0,128

of love.

Yazmin bellowed from the dais. “End it!”

“I’ll distract Yazmin. Save your Laharock!” Gaige took off, extending his hand outward and summoning a B-Class monkey-like beast called a Boxismus. Incredibly nimble and fast, it would be able to safely maneuver through the mist without being struck by lightning. For the most part it was covered in orange fur, but silver plates protruded from its shoulders and knees and along the backs of its hands and knuckles. They were volatile creatures that often fought for sport.

And while a punch would do little to a Vrees, it would certainly knock the wind out of Yazmin.

Gaige sent it after Yazmin, and the beast screeched at the top of its lungs as it barreled toward her. She shouted and tried to protect herself, but the creature landed on her chest and began wailing hits left and right.

I turned back to the Vrees. The air was swollen with static energy waiting to be ignited. But in that moment, all I could think of was the beast’s hesitation. It reminded me of Wynn’s Scorpex when it’d battled us on the sand dunes outside of Ortega Key. Doing the bidding of a master it didn’t believe in.

And suddenly I was running. Right into the thick of the mist. A flurry of shouts erupted from my comrades. Gaige, Kost, Ozias, Calem. All of them. I charged right into the storm, and every hair on my body stood on end. Even my locks lifted upward as I came to a stop between Lola and the Vrees.

He stared down at me as blue sparks surged from his rib cage and flickered in the space around us. A sharp stinging prickled against my skin like I’d been caught in the tentacles of a jellyfish. I could take it. I would take it to save Lola. To save the Vrees.

My voice cracked. “You don’t have to do this.” A soft, rosewood glow pulsed from my body. The Vrees’s maw peeled back to reveal rows of teeth. A guttural warning growl simmered from somewhere in his cutout form. More lighting flickered around us, and I winced.

From somewhere, I heard the groan of the beast realm door opening, followed by a vicious snarl. Yazmin’s voice registered, commanding something to attack, and then Gaige was screaming at his beast to retreat.

Focus. Extending my hand forward, I offered the Vrees my palm. “You don’t have to hurt anyone. Especially not Lola.” I tilted my head toward my beast. The Vrees lowered his snout, dwarfing my body and showering my hand in a fine spray of heated mist from his nose. Blue currents raced down the space around my arm. Waiting. Testing. Ready to strike at a moment’s notice.

A blip of doubt surfaced in my brain. I’d done this with a Scorpex. A Scorpex. A B-Class beast. This beast was S-Class. Why did I think this would work? Because he’d hesitated? He could’ve just been calculating. Shoring up power before making his next move. I knew nothing about this creature or what limitations and talents it had.

Slowly, I touched my chin to my shoulder and picked Noc out from the snarling mess of shadows that made up him and Kost.

“I’m so sorry. I promised I’d save you,” I whispered aloud. Tears crashed down my cheeks. Noc’s eyes were wild and lost, and he fought against his brother, his oldest friend, without an ounce of recognition in his gaze. I’d never get to see him again. I’d never get to truly experience a life with him like I’d always wanted.

And yet… I brought my gaze back to Lola. Back to my beast. Placing my hand against her chest, I channeled everything I had into my symbol. Rosewood light fractured from the place where her scales met my fingers, and I heard the door open. She tried to hunker down, to stand by my side through the end, but I wouldn’t let her die for me. My muscles shook as my will battled against hers, and she let out a low whine.

Again, the Vrees targeted her with a curious stare. The swell of electricity receded a fraction.

Racked with fatigue and drowning in mist, I struggled to breathe. But Lola wouldn’t budge. A lone tear dropped from my chin into the plume of fog surrounding me. A ripple of blue radiated outward, and the Vrees’s ears flicked up. Lola lowered her head toward mine and rubbed her nose along my cheek.

The Vrees leaned forward and sniffed Lola, just behind her