Mated to the Chaos - Georgette St. Clair Page 0,36

Heath.

Carlo was nearly to Kallan, his hands hovering in the air and ready to grab him, when he was thrown back with sheer force. Skuld’s power was too strong to get through. They roared, the men twirling amongst each other, fighting hard as they could get to Kallan.

Teague sang a song of destruction and pain, weaving it through the room and belting notes that swelled and rippled through the air. Carlo fought to ignore his sensitive ears so they wouldn't start fucking bleeding from the noise. As beautiful as Teague's skill was, it was terrifying.

At the same time, Nanshe stepped forward and lifted her hands toward Skuld. “You will not hurt them anymore!”

A blast of her power burst forth, slamming into Skuld’s insidious black smoke.

Nanshe was much different, twirling with dust and glittering with white light. It was nearly the exact opposite of the oily residue left behind by Skuld. It pressed around Kallan, trying to pull him and yank him away from the smoke that held him aloft, but Skuld had a tight grip.

“You are not welcome here!” Skuld gripped Kallan's throat tighter with the smoke and dancing behind her guardian Hollows so the team couldn't reach him.

“It's not her!” Nanshe yelled. “It's only a projection. She's not nearly as strong as she should be I her true form. Focus on the Hollows. Removing and killing them will break her hold.”

Carlo, Lennox, and Teague redoubled their efforts, burning the Hollows to a crisp, slitting their throats with sharp claws and teeth, bursting their heads open with song. The men moved as one, not saying anything or directing the battle, yet their motions were almost choreographed as if they had fought together countless times before. Their joint need to save one of their own was much stronger than any one of them having to take the lead.

As they get got closer to where Skuld held Kallan in the air, the replica of Skuld screeched, throwing the black cloud out from her like a thousand fingers, searching for any enemy to take down. But the men danced around the tendrils, focusing on the Hollows as Nanshe had told them.

“When I tell you it's time, I need you all to jump at him and grab any part of his body.”

They all grunted their assent before attacking the Hollows more viciously after Nanshe positioned herself in the center.

“Now!”

They all jumped in unison. Carlo grabbed Kallan's legs, Lennox grabbed his right arm, and Teague grabbed his right. Nanshe hovered above them all, wrapping her arms around Kallan’s neck and sending in white light to blast away the dark cloud.

“Now, the past overcomes the future as it always once was. Past is now the ruler. Bow before its weight. Bow before its majesty.”

Nanshe’s words were a mantra, a prayer, a ritual, and they pulsed with power and conviction through the room. The light grew brighter and brighter as the dust swirled in a whirlwind of strength, until everything finally dissipated.

The Forgotten Tower disappeared, the room with archways and rooms shattered, fractured in the Chaos. Pieces dwindled until they were minuscule atoms fading into the darkness. If Carlo hadn't had his hands on Kallan, he would have felt he was alone.

He hovered in the air, weightless. A piece of nothing until the room spun and wind buffeted his skin. Then he dropped down to pure white with a groan. The men got to their feet.

“Where the hell are we?”

Nanshe rested, and Carlo choked when he took another look at her. His breath stilled in his chest and his heart beat against his ribcage. Nanshe was much different here, her white hair flared around her shoulders. Her skin was more vibrant, and the black horns around her ears were shiny as jewels.

“Welcome to my home. Welcome to my domain. You are now within Ashes, and here is where I have the most power. Here is where I can be who I truly am.” Nanshe's voice echoed through the room, multiplying itself. Layers of past, layers of information, on top of each other all at once.

Carlo had never heard such a beautiful sound, and it was all coming from her.

“What the fuck?” Teague whispered, trying to get to his feet.

They were struck with awe as they looked around the room.

This was much more than he ever had seen. Pristine white, almost blindingly so, was around every inch of the room. There was no color, no vibrancy, nothing. It was a milk-washed world. The furniture was carved from the