Page 142 of Heiress of Fire

Davina snapped her gaze at the ten Predators standing around her. She needed to heal, and fast.

Right now, she had to find a way to regenerate her strength to fight off the Predators. She had to go back to him. She couldn’t give herself over now. Not yet. Not ever. If she could only figure out how to heal then she would be able to hold them off long enough for the others to get the Bellatormans into Castellum.

Davina closed her eyes and searched within her mind to find the ability to heal. What could it be? Where is that power?

In the darkness of her mind, a lilac sphere appeared. It had been so small that she had to give all her focus to the approaching light.

A purple ball of energy danced among the walls of her mind, she reached for it. Perhaps, that was the power that she was desperately searching for. A tingle spread across her torso as energy rushed back into her blood.

Davina opened her eyes, flared with flames.

Her hands filled with fire, and she ignited those nearest to her as the others approached her swiftly. She refused to deflect them, so she brought her flamed hands to their sticky gray jaws. Despite them being the Main Predators, their appearance was just as horrible as the Lowly Predators.

Davina turned and lit up the next incoming Predator.

Another brought out his large sword, swinging almost immediately. Davina dodged each one of the Predator’s slashes. She blocked with her forearm, then grabbed his arm. She smirked as she watched him disintegrate into ash. She took his sword and flipped it in circles while she set her eyes on the last standing Predator.

He was standing still. She noticed his bright auburn hair, she could recognize it anywhere. “Sadoc.”

“Davina, I-I’m not here to hurt you.” He held his hands up.

“Really? Is that what you’ve been doing this entire time? Not trying to hurt me?”

Sadoc sighed. Other Predators, shouting from a distance, appeared behind him.

“I know that I have not given you reason to trust me but believe me when I say that I’m so sorry for everything that I’ve done. I’m not here to fight but to warn you,” Sadoc began, keeping his hands where she could see them. “Leilani is on her way to tell Raven what you’re planning. Raven’s going to make the force field close in on the islands. You need to leave, now. I’ll hold them off.”

No.

“You’re a liar! Shut it with your lies!” Davina yelled.

“I may be. But right now, I am speaking the truth. You need to go,” Sadoc panted.

“Why would I believe you?” Davina asked. “It’s Leilani we’re talking about. My best friend. She may have been foolish to allow you into her life but she’s not a traitor.”

“You don’t have to believe me. But if you stay here, you’ll have much more to lose,” Sadoc said, turning back to the incoming Predators.

But Leilani… No, it couldn’t be Leilani.

“Lani wouldn’t do that to me,” she whispered. Sadoc had to be lying. Leilani was her best friend, since the very beginning. Leilani taught her everything she knew about offense and defense, she held onto Davina whenever she had to cry, and Leilani cleaned her wounds. No, the traitor was Isaiah. Just Isaiah.

“Yes, she would. It’s my fault that she has betrayed you, I used her greatest weakness against her. Leilani has always been the best at everything. And for once, she wasn’t,” Sadoc said.

“What does that even mean?”

“She wanted to be the Captain of the Protectors but the King chose you. She said that you were not stable enough to be a good fit to be the Captain. And then, on top of that, you didn’t consider her to be your commander and instead you chose Beacon Levina.”

Davina shook her head.

“I am ashamed of exploiting her weaknesses. I regret clearing the pathway for Raven so she could have another advantage over you, but you knew that already. I saw you that night, hiding on my rooftop with Ron, and months later you were hiding behind the bushes. I was hoping you’d tell Leilani, and you could warn her about me from the very beginning. The day you went to my house and threatened me, she was already falling into the trap. I know you tried to speak to her about me but that only convinced her even more because she hates being told what to do. That is why for a while she was distant and then it was like nothing had happened,” he confessed. “But it was until today that she has decided to strike a deal with Raven. At this moment, I have chosen to be truthful with you because I admire your compassion and your strength. Which is something I have lacked my entire life.”

Davina continued to shake her head. The wind escaped her lungs. Not Leilani. The Predators were getting closer with their weapons raised.

“How long have you served Raven?”

Heartbreak and shame flashed through his green eyes.

“My family has been loyal to Raven’s cause for generations,” he explained.

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