Page 64 of A Surrender Of Hope

I can hear Father’s bellow of rage and try not to look as he rushes after Archer, chasing him down now that he knows we have the girls and will keep them safe. I know Arch has to die for his actions, but I don't think I can handle watching our father kill him.

“Get them out of here!” Nox snarls as he slaughters the Wraiths. He’s completely shifted, his full Demon form towering over everyone as he uses his claws to kill everything he touches. The soldiers scatter, eyes wide with awe and fear as they watch their Prince annihilate the Wraiths who dare step in front of him. Black magic swirls around him, making me wish I had thetime to stop and watch his impressive display. I have never seen this kind of power from my brother before, and from his excited but startled look, it is a very new development.

“Meyer!” I shout, holding my hand out for her and cursing when she lunges at Mom, who is watching Father chase after Archer in his Demon form.

“Come on!” she whispers, trying to coax Mom out of whatever shock she is currently experiencing. The Wraiths move in, focusing solely on Mom and Meyer as they try to duck around Razar and Nox, only fighting enough to try to get away from them. I snarl in frustration, needing to get Mom and Mi Sol off this damned roof, but each time I kill one of these bastards another takes it spot. I can feel my magic waning, the amount I have to use to kill the Wraith almost ten times more than a Beastia.

“Where are they coming from?” Nox roars as Razar stays fighting in front of Meyer. I hear Raz’s Beastia growl and then yelp as a Wraith strikes his left side with a flail, making Meyer scream his name. She has a sword in her hand and is standing in front of Mom, who is trying to shove herself back onto her feet. Ulama are diving at them from above, all the enemy's efforts now on them and no one else.

“Get the Queen and Princess out of here!” I hear Mother’s Lieutenant order. The soldiers rush to assist, but they get blocked by even more Wraiths, making me curse and look to the roof, trying to find a way to jump in from above. But just as I move to climb to the spiraling peak of the roof, the gleam of silver blades cuts through the group of Wraiths, taking them down so fast that they don't have time to block the blows. Creed, covered in dirt and blood, attacks, his swords linked together and spinning so fast that it looks like a shield as he dips and turns, his fighting resembling a lethal dance.

I glare at the Wraith who is trying to fight my magic, and growl at it, eyes shifting, the world moving to shades of grey as I release my magic, letting it do as it pleases. Before I can take another breath, the Wraith is nothing more than dust on the roof, and I turn back to my girl just in time for her to shove Mom into my arms.

“Take her! I’ll get Razar and Creed and be right behind you!” she wheezes, her face red and sweaty and speckled with blood. Her blonde hair is twisted back into tiny braids, all woven together to create an elaborate twist. But the small silver and blue crown on her brow has me blinking at her in surprise, loving how it looks on her head. “Valen!” she snaps, her eyes widening when I don't respond to her.

“I’m not leaving without you,” I grind out, holding my mom up as she shakes her head and looks at me.

“Archer,” she rasps, tears streaming down her dirty cheeks, and I grind my teeth together, hating the pain in her eyes.

“I’m sorry, Mom,” I whisper, hand darting out and catching Meyer’s when I see her try to sneak away in my peripheral. Something inside me snaps at the thought of her running, and I release a deep growl. I slowly look back up at her and raise a brow. “And where do you think you're going?”

“Fuck! Dammit, Valen, let go!” she gasps, sounding panicked as she tries to tug out of my hold and fails. Before I can figure out why she’s trying to run, she lunges for the blade at my side, unsheathing it, and aims just as the blade lights with red, deadly magic. I can feel Meyer’s power drift through the air, the feeling new and unsettling as it collects around her like a protective shield just before throwing the blade with impressive strength.

My mouth drops open in shock when I see the knife sink into the side of a Wraith who had circled behind Razar. It releases a sound I have never heard before, the red magic engulfing it completely, making it curl in on itself, getting smaller andsmaller until it pops, blood and bone erupting around us and making Meyer gag at the horrendous smell.

Razar spins, his needle-like fur standing on end and drenched in blood, black eyes freezing on the Wraith moments before its death, then moving to Meyer. He growls, giant paws scraping over the rooftops as he moves closer to our girl, and I snarl a warning at him. Razar’s Beastia is wild and feral and loves death. He would kill anyone and anything, and I do not trust it around Meyer.

“Don’t,” Meyer whispers, shaking her head as she looks at Razar. “He won't hurt me.” her words are full of a confidence I don't feel, and I growl again when Razar steps directly up to Meyer, his bloody snout only an inch from her face.

“Meyer. You don’t understand. He’s dangerous,” I whisper as she slowly lifts her free hand and moves it toward Razar.

“I know,” she murmurs just as her finger gently strokes over Razar’s large nose, her fingertips lightly brushing the small portion of his face not covered in needles. “But he still won’t hurt me.” Mom’s eyes are as wide as mine as we watch Razar close his eyes and release a noise that almost sounds like a terrifying purr. Meyer grins and laughs when Raz’s Beast leans into her touch. “See, he’s like a puppy.”

“Sure,” I immediately say, wishing I was strong enough to let her continue exploring, but knowing I need to get her out of danger before I lose my shit. “A really scary, deadly puppy.” I agree, tugging her back a little and glaring at Razar when his black eyes lock with mine, and he growls at me.

“Are you mad?” Creed snarls, rushing for Meyer, anger in his eyes that I don't typically see there as he scoops her up and off her feet. “He’ll kill you!”

“No, he won’t!”

I pull Mom close and rush after Creed, following him toward the broken door that leads back into the castle as Nox, Raz,and the soldiers finish killing the remainder of the Wraiths and Ulama.

THIRTY

Creed

“Where the hell were you?” Valen snaps, hot on my heels as I cradle Meyer close, rushing down the stairs and back into the safety of the castle.

“There were eighteen Wraiths on the lower levels of the rooftops. It took me a minute to get through them all,” I grind out, my heart beating so damn fast it hurts. I try to take a deep breath, then another, and calm down, but nothing helps.

When the bells started to ring, I waited, guiding the Legions on how to attack as the Ulama grew closer, but the moment they crossed over the outer wall and headed toward the castle, I turned over the control to the leading Legion and jumped the front wall, racing to the castle to get to Meyer’s side. What I hadn't expected was to find Wraiths swarming the castle, their magic corrupting the safety spells as they moved through the halls and glided up the passageways to the rooftops. Hundreds were already inside, and I knew I would have to scale the castle to get to Meyer.

“How’s mom?” I ask, trying to distract myself.

“I’m fine,” she answers.

“She’s lying,” Valen adds, then grunts when Mom smacks him.

“No, I am not. Set me down immediately,” she demands.

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