Lachlan, my father, my mother, or any of the others be in vain because I let my emotions get the better of me.
Torrez makes a chuffing sound like he just heard everything that flew through my head and is in complete agreement, and I rub my face against his neck for one more second before I pull away. I keep a hand buried in Torrez’s fur, and I methodically start to scan past the fighting, looking for Adriel’s distinct red-brown hair. I don’t spot him anywhere among the madness, but I do catch glimpses of a group of his guards. They’re fighting shoulder to shoulder, their backs encircling something I can’t see. Each of them is holding a katana-like sword, and I watch as one guard stabs a wolf in the shoulder and then pulls the blade out, all in the blink of an eye.
Blood splatters the wolf’s coat as well as the lamia wielding the katana. The shifter yelps in pain and is quickly shoved out of the way by another wolf, who immediately begins to snap and lunge at the guard. I can’t see who they have in the middle, but my gut is telling me it’s Adriel. The guards take another step closer to a set of doors before more attacking shifters cut off their path, and I know if they make it out of this room, the hunt for Adriel will start all over again.
I begin to shoulder my way in the direction of the group of guards, body checking wolves and lamia out of my way indiscriminately. Torrez’s big ass body helps with my efforts, and I’m only ten feet away from my target when lamia start attacking Torrez and me in force. Torrez’s jaws snap around the head of a charging male, and he shakes the lamia like a rag doll until the body turns to ash. I dodge blows and avoid claws as much as possible, knowing if I try to use any magic now, I will be wiped by the time I reach Adriel and have nothing in me to fight him with. I shove a lamia back into the jaws of another shifter, but I don’t turn in time to avoid another set of claws coming right for my neck.
It’s like I can see it in slow motion, the arc of his claws as they move closer to shred the skin and muscle not protected by this fucking collar that’s rendered me useless. I don’t close my eyes. I stare death in the motherfucking face and let it know exactly what I fucking think of it. It stings when the lamia’s sharp-tipped fingers start to slash through the skin of my right shoulder, but just when I’m expecting to feel hot blood pouring out of a wound in my neck and chest, the lamia is yanked back in a flash like it’s been harpooned.
A blue sword explodes out of the lamia’s chest, and it turns to ash immediately. Dust and ash drift slowly to the ground, and the sword wielding figure steps through the mess and bellows out a challenge. My heart leaps at the sight of Valen. His hazel eyes are filled with fire and fury, and I know that look well. I wear it anytime I’m fucking pissed that something or someone tried to mess with what’s mine. Bastien materializes next to his twin, and I’m in awe of their presence. They’re covered in ash and move like they’re extensions of the same body.
Lamia charge them, and they both twist and turn around each other, taking out attackers. Their swords arc and slice through lamia almost in perfect synchronicity, and I’m so stunned by how beautiful and magnificent it is that I almost miss a lamia coming at me from the side. I ball up my fists and ready myself to knock the fucker out when Knox steps in front of me and, with a swipe of his short sword, removes the lamia’s head.
“I was wondering if you were going to stop drooling long enough to realize we’re in the middle of a battle here, Killer,” he teases, and then he grabs the back of my head and slams his mouth to mine.
The kiss is hard and fast, and when he pulls away, his eyes sparkle in that naughty way that’s entirely Knox. He turns around and starts hacking away at anything that’s threatening us, and I smile at his back and then shove a lamia that’s running at