“Well, Erna’s not going to help us out.” She would pretty much kill every one of us and then likely work some spell to turn Summer into her very own magical battery. “Has anyone thought about the fact that if the walls between the planes come down, it won’t matter who the leader is or what the fuck Erna’s trying to become? We’ll all be dead. Game over and no one wins. I take it winning is important to you guys.”
“We’ve already won, and my leader will stop the convergences. When we raid the Summerlands, he will raise our dead and we shall feast in the heavens forever,” the warrior vowed.
“Okay, you’re a moron, and I have to hope that your leader has some kind of sense.” And if I got close enough, I might be able to take the bastard’s head off, and maybe that would release all his warriors from their thrall. We might have a chance to run while they were wondering what the fuck happened.
“You really should leave the diplomacy to me,” Donovan said under his breath. “You’re not very good at it.”
I agreed with him. I was sure Quinn was already trying to charm the pants off of everyone and…hey, there was an idea. “You think it’s just the plant stuff Erna’s blocking? Because if Quinn unleashed an orgy, that could really help us out.”
Up ahead, I could see that Erna was standing beside the man who could only be the barbarian king. He had that look. And a weird crown on his head. He pointed to Summer and suddenly two of his burly henchmen grabbed her and held her arms out like they might tear her apart.
That was the moment Donovan forgot he wasn’t a vampire. Or maybe it was simply that he’d never forgotten he was a father. He wrestled his hand from the guard and started running for his daughter.
I shouted out, but it was too late. The guard who’d held him in one hand had an ax in the other, and he reared back and threw it Daniel’s way. The king stopped as the ax found a place between his shoulder blades. Blood began to flow and I realized we weren’t all getting out of this alive.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Summer
I stood behind Dean as he managed to keep the flames from hitting us. His hands were up, funneling his unique magic into a protective arc. Orange and red flames sparked off the invisible barrier and flew around us. I could feel the heat of that fire. It brought sweat to my brow and a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach because I was sure these were much like the flames that had burned my village when I’d lost control.
Once they’d come from my fingertips.
“Where is Daniel?” My mother was crying, and Papa was having to stop her from running out to look for my dad. He’d been caught too far from Dean.
I sent a small prayer to the universe to keep him safe. And Kelsey. They were out there, and Erna’s flames were merciless.
What would I do if my dad died because he’d been close to me? If I’d had a hand in killing Kelsey? They’d come with me, to protect me. Did I deserve any protection at this moment?
“Summer, you can stop this.” Marcus stood in front of me, though Dean’s shield seemed to be holding. “You can stop it with a thought.”
The charm around my neck seemed to pulse as though reminding me that I’d done this once. I’d burned down the world. Those flames…hadn’t I been waiting for those flames to find me for almost ten years? Hadn’t I always known that I should go out in those flames?
The world around me seemed to recede. What had I been thinking? I’d known what I should have done the moment I met the male standing in front of me. Marcus was trying to protect me, but I’d been the one who dragged him into danger. He was going to lose the rest of his long life because he’d mistakenly thought I was worth loving. He hadn’t been there to see the damage I’d left behind. He hadn’t seen my charred and wrecked home. If he had, he would think differently about me.
I had a decision to make, but in the end there was really only one way to go. I needed to give myself up and pray they would let everyone else go. It was time to