Not that it would have mattered with Colin cutting off my air supply with those demon-strengthened hands.
Verena’s giggle prickled over my skin like I’d run into a thorn bush.
The lying little bitch. My senses returned two seconds after I landed on my back, and I rammed my elbow up, clipping Colin in the jaw. His head snapped to the side, loosening his grip just enough for me to roll over onto my stomach.
A snarl exploded through the room as I summoned my darkness and attempted to squirm out from under Colin’s body, to no avail. The weight of him pinned me down, his fingers quickly snaking into my hair. I sent a current of my power into his body. Colin swore at the first stirrings of cold darkness working its way into his system, but he maintained his hold on me, ripping my head back. Despite the pain, I searched for Ashor, stunned to see the sight before me.
While I’d been having it out with Colin, Ashor had his own problems to deal with it. How cunning for the queen to drop her glamour at this particular moment. Or maybe it was that I was seeing for the first time. It didn’t matter how, only that Ashor and I were in a sticky situation.
From every corner of the room, Verena’s sentinels materialized, her glamour fading, allowing me to see what everyone else did—which explained why Ashor had been so cautious when we stepped into the throne chamber. But he wasn’t wary or watchful anymore. He was livid.
Ashor’s lip curled off his gleaming teeth as he tore into the demons that stood between him and me. Darkness swarmed in an impact that shook the world, splitting the ground underneath us like a spiderweb.
The Queen of Envy was lucky she was sitting on her throne, for the aftermath of the blast would have knocked Verena on her ass.
Sitting up, Colin pulled me with him, shoving me back against the cage. “What did you do to me?” he demanded.
I grinned, my head leaning on the cell bars. “Wouldn’t you like to know. Guess you’ll just have to wait and find out.” Truth was, I didn’t know how long my power would stay in his system or how much damage it caused. Since he was still breathing, my assumption was the darkness wouldn’t be enough.
Chaos ensued, all while the queen laughed and enjoyed herself as if she were taking in a show. A half a dozen of her sentinels were on the ground, bleeding all over her pretty white floors.
“Ashor!” A voice I recognized bellowed through the mayhem of demons, fists, snarls, and magic. It was Cayden.
Picking a weapon off the floor, Cayden tossed the hatchet, hitting a guard two feet in front of Ashor. Colin’s gaze flickered to the dead demon, and I kicked my left foot out, connecting with Colin’s thigh. His grip loosened in my hair, and it was all I needed to break free. I unleashed my power on Colin again and surged to my feet. Pain barked at the first bit of pressure I applied to my foot, and I cursed. Running on pure instinct, I limped and climbed my way toward my mate, but he reached me first.
His thumb brushed over my bottom lip, wiping at a speck of blood dripping from my lip. “You’re hurt.”
I hadn’t even realized I had bitten my lip. It must have happened during my struggle with Colin. “I’ll live.”
Ashor’s fist rammed into the face of a guard, sending him sprawling backward, following up with a stream of darkness that whizzed past. I didn’t bother to glance over my shoulder to see who was entangled by Ashor’s power.
Colin growled. “I’ll kill her.” Untapped rage underscored his voice.
Ashor stepped to the side, a hand on my lower back. I’d been right about the prince’s magic. It wrapped around Colin from his hips to his shoulders, tying him up. “You can try, but I promise you, I will end you before you can touch her again.” Ashor curled and uncurled his hands, flexing his fingers. “I’m actually considering why I shouldn’t just kill you now.”
Verena called off her demons. “If you kill him, she fails the test,” the queen reminded him. Her loyal demons waited to see what the prince would do next, but they were poised to attack.
Cayden was still separated from us at the other side of the room, not too far from the doorway where he had appeared. It would take one