Page 99 of Crown of Chaos

I slid my fingers into her hair as she struggled to escape. Her body twisted, forcing me to straddle it before I slammed her head hard against the ground, gasping as her magic flowed through me, shocking me while I fought to subdue her. She bucked, reaching back to dig her nails into me, but I rose a little, grabbing both hands before the sound of snapping bone met my ears.

Her body clattered to the ground, and she remained there. The moment she stilled, I turned her over and slammed my hand against the mark on her forehead. My power ignited, pressing flames from my palm to seal her mark and stop her from escaping the body I’d just battered and trounced into the dirt. Nails shoved into my side, and I screeched as red-hot pain shot through me. My vision eddied, but I refused to relent.

I couldn’t.

It was either hold her down or die.

Hecate wailed as my hand continued to glow against her forehead, causing her lime-green eyes to glow. Her razor-sharp nails dug deeper. The bitch was trying to force her way through my chest to rip out my heart, and she was doing a damn good job of it. If I could have, I would have screamed when I felt my body shaking with her shield of protection returning.

Reaching down beside her head, I grabbed a rock with my bloodied hand and bashed it into her head, screaming as tears rushed down my cheeks. Her claws retreated, and I struck her again in the same spot, knowing she was becoming disoriented. The hand against her head continued to burn as it worked to destroy the mark she bore. She shrieked, fighting against what was happening. Her legs kicked and her hips bucked, trying to unseat me from where I straddled her. Her eyes slid to a ghastly white color, and she snarled as she bucked and howled against the magic holding her down.

The world stopped around us. Utter silence filled the meadow, only broken by the combined whimpers and gasps of pain Hecate and I released. I felt my bones trembling, and it was as if my head were splintering as I continued burning the mark. Sobs exploded from my lips, and blood splattered against her face, painting it red.

My entire hand glowed bright red, and I screamed as the scent of burning flesh filled the surrounding air. My hands changed from the color of burning flames, to a blinding golden light that forced me to shield my eyes from the intensity.

Then . . . Hecate vanished, and my body collapsed onto the spot she had been. I sucked in air, pressing a shaking hand against my shredded side. My breathing was labored and wrong as it escaped my lungs.

I flipped onto my back and sucked in air. The stars sparkled, moving in a hazy pattern above me. I watched them shooting across the sky until the sound of people screaming echoed its way into my awareness. I couldn’t discern who they were or what they said, but then Esme was next to me.

“Get up!” Esme demanded, crashing to her knees. “Aria, say something!” She shook me, physically pulling me up to do so.

“She fucked around, and she found out,” I whispered before coughing up blood, which ended up splattering over Esme, who ignored it while relief flooded her features.

“You asshole.” She sobbed, leaning over me before she yanked me up, sliding her eyes over my battered, bruised body.

“Ouch, bitch. Careful, she tried to rip out my heart. Obviously, she wasn’t paying attention to what I was saying.” I wheezed and then coughed up blood before smiling at Esme, uncaring that my teeth were red and covered in blood. “We did it, bitch. We fucking did it, Esme.”

“Youdid it, and you’re fucking bleeding from everywhere.” Her eyes shone with genuine concern as she helped me sit up.

“She’s trapped in one body, and that body is weakening. We can kill her now.”

“If we can find her, which isn’t likely. I doubt she’s going to make finding her easy, or seek you out until she’s healed. You did a number on her face, too. You trapped her in that formandyou fucked it up as a parting gift.” She laughed and patted me on the back, which had me glowering over at her.

“Celebrate when she’s dead, okay?” I whimpered and was thankful when Avyanna knelt beside me. “Sew it up. I have a keeper to call and an element to collect. I don’t intend to stop now.”

“You’re bleeding out of your eyes, nose, ears, lips, and boob.” Avyanna grunted, shaking her head.

“Aria,” Aurora whispered, but I refused to look at anyone watching from beyond the barrier. “You almost died.”

“What’s the matter, Mother? Pissed because she’d have taken what you think is yours? Don’t worry, Aurora. You’ll get your shot at me, too. And when you do, you’re going to wish you’d fucking swallowed me.”

Chapter Forty-Nine

Ayanna had amazing sewing skills.If we ever needed a seamstress, I knew where to find one. By the time I’d stopped bleeding all over the ground, sunlight was lightening the horizon. They’d plopped me up on one of the undead warriors, who stunk to high heaven, but it beat the cold ground.

I glowered at the army that was still searching for a way to break through the barrier. Knox had knelt, shoving against the barrier to search for the weakness in the spell. Every time he caught me glancing his way, his eyes burned with a storm of relief and murderous rage that left me spiraling.

“You realize you had the outline of the sun on your forehead, right?” Esme inquired, gently thrusting water into my hands.

I accepted the animal bladder, which sounded a lot worse than it was, and drank from the nozzle. It leaked down my chin ungracefully, but I didn’t care. I’d seen the glow of whatever she spoke of when I’d fought Hecate, but I hadn’t known what appeared.

“A sun?” I asked, peering back at Knox, who refused to look away from me.

The others were walking back and forth, speaking in hushed tones. I couldn’t make out what they were whispering, but then, I could still hear my heartbeat pounding in my ears. Everything ached. My side was sewn shut, and I still had to face the keeper of the wind and take the elemental he held. It could mean another fight, but at least Hecate wasn’t coming back anytime soon.

She had been terrified when she realized what I was doing, and by then it had been too late. It didn’t mean she wasn’t dangerous. She was. I’d merely trapped the Goddess of Magic in a body that could be killed. I hadn’t actually killed her.

“You had a swirling golden sun symbol on your forehead. Oh, and your eyes were glowing, too.”

---