Page 154 of Steel Heart Iron Claws

My peripheral vision is nearly 300 degrees, which means I can see all the fae except Woudix, who stands directly behind me.

Captain Tatarin’s hands begin to shake as she lowersanother finger, saying quickly, “You’ve heard the rumors that King Rachillon’s godkiss is waking the fae? It’s true. King Rachillon—Lord Vale—has the ability, but to do so, he must?—”

One.

Adrenaline sparks from the soles of my feet to the tips of my ears, ready to unleash hell on these bastards until the floor is polished with their silver blood.

Almost. Fucking. Time.

She says in a rush, “—he must kill the human to awaken the fae inside?—”

Now.

I don’t give a fuck about her explanations. There’s nothing she could say that would spare every one of them from dying as violently as possible for what they did to Sabine. I can taste the crackle of danger in the air. It shoots electricity across my tongue, burns down my throat.

The second Captain Tatarin lowers her final finger, and her spell breaks, I detonate.

My muscles discharge all the coiled rage they’ve been holding under my skin as my axe slams down to the empty space where Vale had been standing. Seamlessly, I continue the axe’s circle to bring it around, using the momentum to build power, and give a battle cry as I aim it at Vale’s torso.

“Lord Basten, don’t!” Captain Tatarin shrieks.

Vale’s fey ignites faster than my senses can pick up. It shoots straight to the axe, whose copper blade conducts the electric current, transferring it to my arms until even my molars buzz. My vision dims. Pain explodes throughout my body.

Artain lunges for the axe. Even weakened, he has nearlytwice my strength and easily wrenches it from my numb hands.

Still, I recover fast and, while his hands are occupied, swing my fist straight into his sculpted jaw. Such a strike would send a human male to his ass, but Artain’s chin barely snaps back.

Woudix grabs me from behind, locking my arms behind my back.

With a growl, I strain against his frigid hold.

“You want to rain death upon me?” I shout. “Fine. Do it. I have nothing to live for. You bastards took the only thing I care about. But not fuckingyet.”

I slam my head back into Woudix’s face, which surprises him enough to slacken his grip. I drop to a crouch and deliver a donkey kick to his midsection. It off-balances him—but he rightens his stance in record speed.

From the corner of my eye, I see Captain Tatarin lift her hands again to freeze time once more, but Iyre clamps the captain’s hands behind her back.

“No need for that again, Captain,” Iyre purrs.

Eyes wide, Tatarin struggles against the fae’s hold.

Samaur and Vale come at me from either side, sparking orange-gold fey bolts to my left and blue ones to my right. Caught in the middle, I’m about to be a fucking barbeque. The only reason Vale’s fey didn’t burn me to a crisp before was because it struck the axe, not me.

This time, there’s no mistaking their aim.

I widen my stance, braced like an animal, pain racking my ribs. If this is the end for me, so be it. I’ll join Sabine in the underrealm or whatever world comes after this mortal life. Because there is no life without her.

I’m coming, little violet, I just have to unleashhell first…

Woudix comes up from behind to grab me again in a headlock. I slam a kick back toward his knee, but he dodges the strike, bringing his knee up into my kidneys. I wince from the blow as I throw every ounce of strength I have at trying to get free. But the male is fucking strong as marble.

Artain snatches the Serpent Knife from the floor and holds it against my neck.

I go still.

The God of Death pins me from behind. The God of the Hunt has a knife at my throat. The Goddess of Virtue is holding back the only person who can help me. And the God of Day and King of Fae are ready to electrocute me from either side.

A frustrated growl tears at my throat.

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