The warden inhaled deeply and leaned down. “It’s true. She’s the one. No wonder Doherty wanted her.” He placed his face millimetres above Ember’s and whispered something in a language I didn’t understand.
Claws pushed through my fingers and I fisted my hands, stepping closer.
“Out of my way, imbecile,” he barked, and with a flick of his fingers sent me crashing into the far wall. “She still has life and soul, and she has no heir. I can suck her soul and her fire spirit from her body and open the gate,” he whispered, his attention solely on Ember.
My blood ran cold. I wouldn’t let him take anything from her. Whatever power he harboured, I’d stop him. She deserved that from me. I stared at Ember’s soft features. I loved her so much that my heart ached. I could at least save her from him, even if I couldn’t save her wolf. Maybe, she would still come back to me...
“Get that other body and get out!” the warden dismissed me with a twist of his shoulders, looming like a dark spectre over my soulmate.
I got to my feet and slid a knife from the sheath on my thigh. The metal whispered against the leather. Forcing my claws to recede, I gripped the handle with a shaking hand.
Chanting emanated from the warden, and Ember’s body bucked. Blood no longer flowed from her wound, her face now a deathly, beautiful mask devoid of emotion and surrounded by a halo of soft fiery hair. Pain ripped at my chest, and all I wanted was to reach out and touch her.
Prowling quietly, my footsteps no more than a whisper against the tiled floor, I approached them. Not even my wolf could dampen the devastation tearing me apart. Ember and I were matched souls, perfect for each other, yet constantly being torn apart. The thought of her being enslaved sickened me. Even if she did die, her soul should be free, not belong to this piece of shit. Before I could think about the consequences, I called my wolf and leaped. The warden’s head snapped up and his eyes widened, his hands lifting. He was too slow. I sunk the knife between Ember’s ribs and into her heart with all my strength.
Flesh tore and my fist thudded against her chest wall, the knife embedded to its hilt. Now she was free and this monster could not enslave her soul or her magic.
I left the blade embedded in her chest and ripped off my mask, gasping for breath. My heart shattered into tiny pieces, so painful I could barely think. I howled and roared, my voice amplified by my power. Please come back to me. Please come back...
The warden snapped his attention to me. He snarled, a deep eerie sound that sent ice skittering through my blood and along my bones. Hell stared back at me from his eyes, veins of fire running through the obsidian orbs. He gave a sinister chuckle. “You can never save her, wolf. Her soul is eternal and belongs to us.”
I blocked my ears to his lies. She didn’t belong to him. She was mine! Something tugged deep inside me and agony tore through my whole body. My wolf howled and my knees buckled even though I fought to remain standing.
The warden’s demonic eyes followed my movements. He lifted his chin and inhaled deeply. A malicious grin bared his too perfect teeth. “You must know you were never going to leave my little prison, Prime. You and your kind were made to serve my lord, and now you have expedited your end. You will serve in my legions and become one of my best soldiers—but not yet, first I will cause you great pain.”
I tensed as he lost all pretence of civility. Razor sharp teeth grew from his gums, his whole body distorting and enlarging until his twisted horns reached the ceiling.
Breathing hard to control the pain that still racked me, I summoned my wolf. It fought so hard to explode from my skin, only nothing happened. Sweat slicked my spine and palms and dripped down my forehead. The strong and beautiful spirit clawed at my insides, trying to hold on to me, only something much stronger pulled at him. He howled even as his presence faded from my body. A scream ripped from my lungs and I clawed at my belly, doubling over as hollowness, vast and unending, gaped inside me. My knees sagged and I hit the ground