Page 81 of Above Cursed Winds

“Myko, you’re to stay with Jeremiah and your father—do not leave their side, Boo.”

Fearful indigo eyes watched her as she teleported a bulletproof vest in his size into her hands and shoved it over his chest.

“Come on, baby, we’ve got to go.”

Grabbing his hand, she caught Jeremiah’s eye. The extra kick of adrenaline fueled her psychic senses, empowering her to teleport all four of them into Luna’s shelter where the healer was waiting with several other mothers.

“Luna, keep him safe.” Crouching, she hugged her son close, then pressed a desperate kiss to his forehead. “I love you very much, Myko.”

When she straightened, it was to see that both men regarded her with nothing less than sheer determination—a resolve to keep Myko safe. “Take care of my son.”

With one last rueful look at the boy, and after locking eyes with Jeremiah’s crystalline gaze in gratitude, she teleported to Nero’s signature.

The Wall was a rocky natural barrier that’d been erected by a Raeth with the power of Bloom several hundred years ago. A monument to their power, humans had taken it for a naturally occurring phenomenon when it was anything but.

The sole purpose of the wall was to ward off any untoward visitors, like those advancing on their clan lands with weapons designed to kill her kind. Zia growled low in her throat, and Nero gave her a sidelong glance.

“Like old times, my friend?”

A chuckle threatened to spill from her sneering lips. There was a reason she had been chosen for Nero’s second. Other than the lengthy history they shared, their abilities complemented each other. When they’d been young, their then-sovereign had taken great pleasure in challenging them with feigned attacks and training scenarios. Nero and Zia would easily counter any assault that came their way.

Behind them, Key, Nolan, and Zayn settled into defensive positions. While Nero and Zia could easily remove the threats that came first, occasionally one or two slipped through.

“Nolan, secure the sea,” Nero barked. “If we have anyone arriving by boat, I don’t want us taken unaware.”

Key chimed in, “There will be no unanticipated attack from the sea, sovereign. He may be better served here.”

“Fine.” A clipped word from their sovereign, the massive male rolling his muscular shoulders as if to ward off the mounting pressure. “Nolan, cover the dome; there are too many young there to leave them without extra support.”

That was when the enemy appeared over the horizon. Palm trees and brush parted to reveal the impending mercenaries. Their guns were drawn. Twenty, thirty, then forty silhouettes. The escalating situation sparked a fire within Zia.

Nero didn’t waste another minute.

An oppressive force battered against her psychic shielding, the taste of it familiar but unfriendly. Nero’s initial weapon of choice was always wielding the enemy’s own emotions against them.

A taste of fear bombarded her senses. Although it wasn’t aimed at her, Zia grappled with the residual heat of the transfer, the psychic signatures of the mortals before them twisting into panic, terror, and dread.

Half of them turned tail and ran before Zia could even grasp ahold of their minds. As it was, mortals were simple to manipulate, but after Nero played with their emotional states, it made it mind-numbingly easy.

Grinning, she let her Psyche abilities out of the bag.

Given free roam, they latched onto the first human minds with insatiable lust. It wasn’t long before she’d taken control of every human’s perception.

Currently, she made them believe they were in a dark room, hogtied on the ground, when they were truly standing still among the palm trees of her clan lands.

As soon as Nero knew Zia had them tapped, the rippling shift overtook him. Transforming into a sleek black panther, the enraged cat that was her sovereign leapt over the wall with a single bound, loosening a guttural roar that struck fear into the hearts of anyone who’d been listening.

Zia let those mercenaries hear it. She wanted them to know their death was coming.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

From Luna’s shelter, a set of sliding glass doors looked out upon the crashing waves. Tides frothed against volcanic rock, waters simmering just beyond the drop-off. The lighthouse was within view, standing stark and alone atop the rocky outcrop.

The scene was beautiful, but the danger hadn’t passed.

As the handful of immortals watched, a boat of mercenaries moored on the shore. The heavily armored men jumped off into the shifting sands with guns drawn. Immediately, Jeremiah alerted Luna, who then ushered the mothers and children to the panic room made explicitly for this reason.

Jeremiah and Sehrin, both observing the oncoming mass of intruders, armed themselves.

---