Page 32 of Fated Angel

“The witch is near!” Colt gasps.

They both turn to Vlad as he unleashes a volley of vile curse words.

“You will never get to her. She’s untouchable!” he snarls.

Colt spins Gabby out of his arms and impales man after man as he storms toward Vladimir. When they’re close enough to see the whites of each other's eyes, Colt grins and nods to Gabby. She nods back, rises in the air, and releases a ring of fire around her as she spins in place. A dozen men fall, the magic pops and vanishes, and Colt starts to count.

“One…two…”

“No, you can’t!”

“Three…four…”

“You foul witch! Gather your powers and defend me!”

“Five…”

The scream comes, all the men in the room rise back up and charge at full strength.

“You know what that means, Vladimir?” Colt asks him, swinging his sword in a graceful arc as three men come at him at once.

They fall one after another, and Vladmir’s face burns with rage as he stands up and spins his own swords warningly in his hands.

“That means that if we kill enough of them, I’ll have at least five seconds to get close enough to run you through!”

“Kill them! Kill them now!” Vlad roars, and the men come at them all at once.

“Time for the big one, my angel!” Colt calls over his shoulder and ducks, flattening himself to the floor.

“Coming right up!” Gabby calls back.

Colt buries his head under his arms as Gabby turns her entire body into an inferno. Although he can’t see, Colt knows what’s happening. Her body will glow, flames licking up her arms and legs, and when she’s completely encapsulated in celestial fire, she’ll let out a burst of energy that will sizzle everything around her. In preparation, Colt tucks underneath his own wings and prays to any god who may hear him that the fire deterrent they sprayed on them does the job.

Scorching fire blazes over him and he can barely breathe. It comes out of Gabby in wave after wave, until everybody on the floor is reduced to ash. When it dissipates, Colt opens his eyes and sees Vladimir peeking at them from inside the door to the next room

“And they call me evil!” he snarls, turning to run.

But Colt lunges forward and grabs him by the collar. His magical aura is gone, and it’s helpless human flesh that he drags back in the room and throws on the floor in front of Gabby’s feet.

“No scream,” Gabby points out, and Colt nods. The magic barrier hasn’t come back either.

“Do you think she’s okay?” Colt asks, and Gabby frowns with concern.

“What’s this? You care about my witch?” Vladimir laughs. “If I had known that, she would have been protecting me with her body along with her magic!”

“She’s the sister of someone very important to us, so I hope you never risk her life in such a stupid way!” Gabby glares at Vladimir. “I think it’s time we had a little chat, don’t you?”

Colt stands over him and places his boot on Vladimir’s chest to hold him down. “Do you even have any men left to lose fighting us?”

“There is no limit to the amount of people willing to fight the righteous battle,” Vladimir hisses, and Colt presses his foot down harder on his chest.

“You’re on the wrong side of righteous, Vladimir,” he snarls.

Gabby shakes her head as she walks around Vladimir’s other side and kneels next to him with a dark look in her eyes. “I’m tired of fighting your men every time I turn around, so this ends here and now. What is it you think you’re doing?”

“I have nothing to say to you childish fools!” Vladimir spits.

Colt raises an eyebrow. “I’ve been old longer than your grandfather’s grandfather was alive. I am not childish.”

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