Page 92 of Immortal Burden

Ryker took his hand and held it between them, softly stroking the back. “It will forever be at the forefront of my mind. I keep my word. We’ll go in, assess the situation, then take it from there. Neither of us acts until we’re in agreement with a strategy that gets us all out alive and well, yes?”

The corner of Lucian’s mouth turned up at Ryker’s offering. “That sounds reasonable. I accept.”

“Good.” Ryker turned to me. “Agreed, sweetness?”

“Yes. Agreed.”

I managed to not only put the words out there steadily, but to also keep my expression and demeanor neutral, not belying any hint of suspicion.

The truth was, we weren’t in agreement.

I couldn’t allow that.

I couldn’t allow any harm to befall them.

As soon as we arrived on scene, I’d take care of it and keep them the hell out of it.

Ryker, especially, had already suffered because of my mistakes of late.

I wouldn’t fail to protect him again.

“Let’s move. Now,” I spoke.

They both came to me and I held out either hand and called my blue fire forth.

In the next moment, I enveloped us in a cloud of teleportation.

22

~Ryker~

Selfless. Courageous. Warrior.

Hell on earth surrounded us on all sides.

Mia had teleported us to the steps of the main building, hedging her bets, considering the fact that the Maven Coven grounds covered several acres.

And, shit, she’d been right on.

The central courtyard that was just feet from it was the epicenter of the struggle taking place.

Hell, it was way more than a struggle. From where I was standing, it was goddamn Armageddon.

It was the dead of night and not a single light shone from any building.

Mia had been trying to call the Coven Heads the old fashioned way with all the magic flying about, making the interference too dense to pinpoint any individual magic-wielder’s essence, and failing over and over, indicating that the power was well and truly out. The place should be steeped in darkness, but, instead, it was lit up like an out-of-control forest fire. It wasn’t far off from reaching the dense forest surrounding the mammoth compound either. Just a few feet out from what I could see.

Half the buildings were burned to ash.

There were bodies dropped everywhere, those remaining alive shrieking in panic and pure hysteria, and merely a handful firing their magic in vibrant streams off to the right, just outside of the field of vision that our current position afforded.

“Why isn’t anyone putting these fires out?” I muttered, striding toward the closest three-story building, one of the dormitories being devoured by the most intense fire I’d ever seen.

With a burst of speed, Lucian blocked my path, a firm hand to my chest. “That is no regular fire,” he warned. “It is Hellfire. Only Immortal magic can put it out.” He studied the building rapidly. “That structure, much like the rest, is already lost. Within moments of touching any object, Hellfire devastates entirely. It’s too late.” He gestured to a charred corpse lying in what was left of the doorway. “Just as it is for them.”

I looked away quickly, the sight churning my stomach.

He stroked the back of my head, fingering my hair in a gentle gesture of comfort. “It’s a good thing you are not Vampire.”

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