The Rise of Fortune and Fury (Chronicles of the Stone Veil #5) - Sawyer Bennett Page 0,14

her.”

Kymaris waves her free hand. Although my vision starts to go hazy from lack of oxygen, I see she’s frozen every human around.

Her magic clearly can’t touch Carrick as he materializes at our side with a quick bending of distance. As I struggle to breathe, I take in Maddox and Titus appearing behind him with relief.

Behind Kymaris, Pyke appears, along with several Dark Fae. They far outnumber our side, but I’d stack two demi-gods and an annihilator against them any day.

Kymaris seems utterly unperturbed by Carrick standing there with fury in his eyes, and that’s to her detriment. She has no time to react when he conjures a mighty battle ax out of thin air and swipes it down hard and fast, cleaving off the arm that is holding me up.

Gravity takes me down as Kymaris shrieks in pain, clutching the stump pouring black blood just above her elbow. As I hit the ground, I realize her hand is still clutching my throat but without any strength. I’m completely wigged out as I pull it loose, tossing it to the side and crab-walking backward away from her. Unfortunately, Pyke appears and hauls me to my feet, placing a dagger at my neck in warning to Carrick to hold his ground.

Carrick glances at me and Pyke. While I know him well enough to realize he’s vibrating with fury because Pyke holds a dagger on me, it’s with complete nonchalance that he bends and picks up Kymaris’ arm. When he tosses it underhand to her with a smirk, she hisses as she catches it.

It’s with ease that she magically reattaches it, but her anger is palpable. She snarls at Carrick. “That was a mistake.”

“I said Finley wasn’t to be harmed,” he reminds her with a shrug.

“Give me the Blood Stone,” she demands, holding her reattached arm out and shaking it as if to get the blood flowing again.

“Finley first,” Carrick demands.

Kymaris cuts a glance to Pyke, nodding curtly.

Pyke removes the dagger, puts his hand between my shoulder blades, and gives me a rough shove in Carrick’s direction. I don’t need any further prodding as I hurry to his side.

“You good?” he asks without taking his eyes off Kymaris. I can hear the unspoken statement, though, which is if I’m hurt, he’s going to kill her here and now.

“Peachy,” I reply because I’m fine.

Without any delay, Carrick tosses the satchel to Kymaris. She deftly catches it. Pulling the flap open, she peeks inside and her eyes start glowing with victory.

Before she can even look up, perhaps to prepare for her and her crew to leave, Carrick points a finger at Pyke and yells, “You.”

Pyke, who had been gazing at Kymaris with a victorious smile, turns to Carrick.

His smile slides from his face.

“A reckoning is coming, Pyke,” Carrick says in a voice that promises severe retribution for the kidnapping. “I suggest you put your affairs in order.”

I want to laugh when Pyke goes a little green in the face, but I don’t have time.

Carrick nabs my hand and bends distance, then we’re stepping into the kitchen in his condo.

CHAPTER 5

Finley

I no sooner plant both feet on the kitchen tile before Carrick has me engulfed in his arms, face mashed to his chest and his chin on top of my head so I can’t even turn it to take a breath. He squeezes—not in the demi-god way that will crush bones, but the way a man does when he misses his woman—and I cherish it, just as I cherish everything about him.

When he releases his hold, it’s merely to take my face in his hands and kiss the breath out of me—far more effective than the hard squeeze of his hug, and he does this while everyone watches.

“Are you okay?” he asks, pulling back slightly to look me over. He even turns me around to check my backside, before turning me again and pulling me into another hug.

“I’m fine,” I assure him.

“Good,” I hear Rainey say before I’m pulled from Carrick right into her embrace. She’s a brave woman, holding back her tears but fervently whispering in my ear that she’ll kill me if I ever scare her like that again.

“Noted,” I laugh, and then Myles is hugging me.

Then Titus.

Then Maddox.

Zaid is sweet, with his usual awkwardness and tiny pats on my shoulders, but as we release from our embrace, the relief in his eyes is great.

And finally… I turn to Boral.

The only time I’ve ever touched the mass murderer Dark Fae was when he