before she could strike Froston, I hit her with a combination of my and Drake’s magic. This time, she didn’t have the reflexes to block it, and I made a direct hit.
Froston swung the staff downward as she fell, severing her head from her body. Darkness surged in the room, and I was brought back to the first time I’d ever met the Morrigan. She wasn’t tied to a physical form like a human was, she could dissolve into shadow at will.
“Anna!” Froston shouted. “Like you did with the king!”
I sucked in a breath. I’d killed the king of Winter by sucking all of the power out of him, but this was different. The king’s magic was light like mine, death was the opposite.
Drake wove his fingers in mine. “Don’t hesitate,” he urged me. “We don’t have long.”
I closed my eyes and reached for the Morrigan. Her magic was slippery and foreign, and I couldn’t get a hold on it.
“Not like that,” Drake whispered to me.
It took me a second, but I realized what he meant. I needed to use his magic along with mine. His magic was similar to hers. This time, when I sank my metaphorical claws into the mass of swirling darkness that was the Morrigan, they were wrapped in Drake’s dark magic. When I pulled from her, I funneled it into him. That much death magic could kill or change me, but it was natural to Drake.
Other streams of magic hit the Morrigan, weakening her further, and I spared a glance to see that the other gods had broken free of whatever magic held them captive and were now fighting with us.
Drake helped me as Froston and the other gods continued to attack the Morrigan, not letting her gather her strength back. I felt her weaken, felt as her consciousness slowly faded. A faint scream sounded as the last of her shadows scattered and then dissipated into mist.
I panted and leaned over, exhausted from the exertion. Drake stretched beside me like a satisfied cat.
I shot him a dirty look out of the corner of my eye. He looked way too pleased with how the situation had turned out. I had a feeling that once again, I had been left out of the real plan and manipulated by Froston and Drake.
Drake flicked his fingers, and the chains fell off my mates. The shadow fae that lurked in the corners of the throne room bowed down to their new king? God?
There were a few that hissed and spat at him, but they were quickly killed with only a glance from Drake. Just how powerful had he become?
I stood up straight and locked eyes with Austin. Without hesitation, I ran to him.
“Anna,” he murmured into my hair. “I was so fucking worried about you.”
“About me?” I asked in disbelief as I ran my hands over him, looking for serious injuries. “You almost died!”
Drake chuckled from behind me. “Luckily, it didn’t come to that.”
My temper boiled, but I ignored him to check on my other mates. James was hurt the worst, but I healed him easily with my magic. The others were healing quickly on their own – probably a bonus of being mated to a goddess. Everyone but James was already on their feet, if a little tired. I sent them all a small boost of energy through our bonds, hoping that would be enough for us to finish the day.
“I missed it?” James grumbled in complaint as I helped him sit up. “That’s fucking bullshit.”
“I suggest you collect your friends from the dungeons,” Drake suggested. “I may have inherited the power of the Morrigan, but I’ll have to prove my strength to her followers before they swear fealty to me.”
“I have a few scores to settle,” Mason said darkly as he pulled Jason to his feet.
“Agreed,” Cody said as he swung his arms and cracked his neck.
“You’re not going anywhere without me,” I informed them. “We finish this together.”
“Drake and I need to have a few words,” Froston interrupted. “Free your allies and bring them back to Seaside while we clean up here.”
I stood and looked between the two of them. “Once again, you’ve both proven that you can’t be trusted.”
“Anna,” Drake said indulgently. “Without my help, you wouldn’t have been able to defeat the Morrigan.”
“There were more straightforward ways to do it,” Vayu added as he strode up to us.
“But none that would have succeeded as well as this one did,” Drake said with a smile.