Page 133 of The Phoenix

But his Indy. She was a Valkyrie of old. With wild hair escaping its braid, lashing across her face, she launched deadly spells at the enemy. She was beauty and death in a terrifying package.

She was his.

Roark circled the field again, content to observe. To wait. Still no sign of Cerberus or Lort. The cowards. He landed, flaring out his raven wings before he settled them into his back. He spun and kicked an attacking Arisen Dawn soldier who was stupid enough to charge.

Rein released his inner vampire, his claws slicing and dicing their way through a crowd. A witch turned to attack, but before she could cast a spell, his jaws clamped tight around her throat. Then he tore off her head. When he looked up from his kill, his cold eyes were red with rage, his fangs dripping with blood. The grim line of his lips spoke of uncontrollable thirst.

Kole, no longer flesh, was pure animus demon, his beast consuming his body in fire. He fought a satyr. The contest was short-lived, the soldier realizing his mistake just before he burst into flames like meat on a grill doused with kerosene.

Jarek knocked a berserker’s shield to the ground. Depriving the dishonorable male of his power to block magic, the encampment commander turned to smoke, re-formed behind the behemoth, and severed his head from his shoulders.

Roark felt a presence at his back. Before he spun around, though, an arrow zipped by his ear. It headed straight into an incubus’s heart. Roark sliced through his attacker’s neck while he nodded a thanks to Chay still on the rise with other archers.

Despite the Coalition’s skill, when a single Arisen Dawn soldier fell, twenty or thirty took their place. Their numbers seemed inexhaustible.

On the human side of the battle, big guns wiped out masses of Aeternals, blasting or incinerating them. It wasn’t enough. More breeds broke through the lines, tossing aside Earthers like rag dolls. Overhead, squadrons of harpies swatted airpower out of the skies and snagged missiles in mid-flight. Along with mages, they effectively dismantled the superior weaponry.

Roark twisted toward the Blood Coven descendants, who were flagging, hundreds of bodies at their feet. Though they had proved formidable, their powers waned. Of Fin’s wolves, only a few remained uninjured. Lizette’s conjured Bengal tiger still blocked a path to the witch, but it wobbled on its four legs, blood matting its fur. Braelyn was faced with too many minds to control. Even Miller’s dead sank to their knees, faltering as his power over them failed. Margo, Jace, Haley, and Skyler surrounded their battle-weary coven, their shields as strong as bullet-proof glass.

Indigo’s gryphons were outnumbered, most having been hacked into pieces by Arisen Dawn blades. With Oskar still fighting beside her, she lobbed deadly spells at attackers.

Dax barreled toward Chiara. Her spells were weakening. Pointing his blade at an Arisen Dawn fighter while he shoved his mate behind him, he bared his fangs.

When Denim’s storms and earthquakes ceased, Ram stood by her side. His eyes glowed neon green after he fed from the enemy to renew his strength.

Sabine, having dispatched a combatant, checked on Nico. Though he continued to pull weapons out of the hands of his attackers, he was sapped. She smiled at her dark-haired mate before she swung her staff in a figure eight, prepared to defend the depleted coven mages if their defenses failed.

Kole extinguished his beast’s fire while he did a three-sixty looking for Skyler. Seeing her in the distance, he plowed through everyone in the way. Friend or foe. Once he muscled to his mate’s side, he tucked a strand of icy blonde hair behind her ear and exploded into flames once again.

The Coalition was getting its ass whipped. The Firebrand recruits, gaffers, and civilians were the first to fall. Their numbers were dwindling, heads ripped from shoulders, flesh torn from bodies, souls extracted, lifeforces sucked dry.

But the human army was the weak point in the chain. With harpies and mages disabling air power without breaking a sweat, Arisen Dawn rushed the ground forces, slicing through them like a hot knife through garlic butter. They overturned tanks and armored vehicles, feeding on the humans, re-energizing themselves with blood, soul, breath, or emotions. Upon breaching the defenses in the flat southern sector, they raced toward Earth.

Roark flew to Cadmon at the command post to tell him to shore up the Earthers. When he landed, the earth trembled. The quake was so strong he spread his legs wide to keep his balance. He glanced around. All fighters paused as thunder rolled across the sky and lightning struck the valley, blackening the soil. Dark clouds blocked the sun, turning the day to night. Tornadoes danced on the mountains.

Roark observed a shadowy figure stride with confidence through the open gateway of the garrison. The male’s chin tilted upward as he glanced at the sky, his lips curling into a prideful smile. He blended with the darkness in black fatigues, a long-sleeved T-shirt, and combat boots. With a wave of his hand, he called forth more thunder and sent jagged shards of lightning skittering along the ground.

Arisen Dawn soldiers stared in awe. Recovering, they banged weapons, rattled shields, and roared. Their hero cometh. Roark shrugged. A little dramatic, but he guessed villains needed the adoration more than the good guys. The figure, however, didn’t even nod to his worshiping fans.

Cerberus stepped onto the field of battle.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Rein was in his glory. Having released the savage beast inside, he gave it all the blood it craved and more. His first victim was a young incubus, barely out of his Awakening. No challenge. The second was a warlock with few skills. The third, a satyr, though more worthy, was no match for the enraged vampire-mix warrior. Rein wrapped an arm around the Arisen Dawn soldier’s neck, pulled him chest-to-back, and reveled in the guy’s thudding heart as he sank his fangs into the jugular. He savored the sound of the soft pop of his teeth penetrating skin and vein. The tainted battle blood poured into his mouth. His many other conquests blurred as he took down one after the other, glutting himself.

While fisting the matted hair of a berserker, Rein snapped his eyes toward the Arisen Dawn garrison. The ground shifted beneath his feet. He retracted his bloody fangs, dropping his latest victim. Before he located the mage who created all the hoopla, he sensed somebody on his six. The vampire mix Firebrand one-eightied, blood oozing from his mouth. Crouching, he prepared to attack, his thirst in full swing. But he came pupil to pupil with Roark.

The arrogant shifter spoke to him telepathically. It’s on you.

Rein puzzled his brows until Roark pointed at the sword on his back. Reaching a hand over his shoulder to touch the hilt, the vampire-mix nodded. The pleasure of killing Cerberus was his.

Rein’s cold, blue gaze searched the battlefield.

Outside the garrison’s front gates, he spied his dickwad nemesis, his arms stretched wide, his long blond hair whipping in the breeze, spells pouring from his lips. Here was the male who sought to conquer the world, to subjugate humans, and to make Aeternals their worst selves.

The earth shook again, nearly flinging Rein off his feet. He widened his stance to avoid falling on his ass. Once his battle frenzy cleared, he noted the dark roiling clouds overhead, the clamor of thunder, and the crackling lightning.

With his hand gripping the hilt, he drew Blood’s Kiss from the sheath along his spine. He held the sword, blade pointed high. With a flick of his wrist, he created a ball of light, sending it to the weapon. When it contacted the shiny steel, a ray of brightness shattered outward.

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