Page 279 of Tempest of Wrath and Vengeance

“You can try,” she growled in response. Then it washertugging on Theon’s magic. Light and dark wound around her dagger, lifeanddeath, and she sank it into the Hunter’s chest. His wail rang out before he drifted away on the winds, nothing left but wisps of pale, translucent ashes.

“How did you do that?” Tristyn demanded, shoving his weapon through the neck of an Augury member.

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “But I’ll do it again.”

She bent, picking up the sword the Hunter had left behind.

“We’ll guard you, Tessa,” Theon said, falling into step on her other side. “Take what you need.”

It felt wrong. Not Theon, but Tristyn. That was not how this was supposed to be. Someone else was supposed to be there. She still felt off balance, but she gritted her teeth. She’d done this. Now she had to face the consequences of her own actions.

Roan and Nylah had her front and back, and Theon’s and Tristyn’s magic swirled around her, leaving her to focus on her power. It was all instinct at this point. Even Luka’s training had become part instinct. Her power sparked and flared as she swung her sword. Theon was a dark god beside her, his short swords cutting enemies down in quick succession. She could feel Tristyn’s power working too, lulling their enemies into a sense of calm and keeping them at bay until someone could end their lives.

But she wasn’t naïve. It was the five of them versus Legacy and Hunters nearly impossible to kill. They couldn’t win. Not on their own.

“He will come, Tessa. Just keep fighting,” Theon ordered, his sword never ceasing its movements. He’d clearly heard her thoughts.

Tessa shook her head as she lifted a hand, power arcing from her palm and bringing an Augury member to the ground with ascream of agony. “He will not,” she panted, spinning to take on another. “He is too angry. He will not forgive?—”

“He will,” Theon snarled, cutting off whatever she was going to say. “He will come because we are his as much as he is ours.”

“You need to call Eliza and Razik,” she said. She was drawing up more power, her entire body glowing as gold and silver embers swirled around her. “He will not come, Theon. My betrayal was too deep.”

“Whatever you did— Tessa, move!”

Theon dropped one of his swords, reaching for her and yanking her into his side as an Augury member got too close. But he hadn’t seen the other one coming from the other side.

A moment before a blade met Theon’s side, Tessa’s hand connected with the person’s throat, and before he could scream, black webbing erupted all along his skin as she pulled Theon’s power into her and used it. She released the Augury member, and when he sank to the ground, her power flared even brighter.

Then Tristyn was cursing, and she turned, a gasp falling from her lips.

Because those were Night Children. Dozens and dozens of them.

“What are they doing out of the Underground?” Theon snarled, his eyes wholly black now as his power swirled.

As fast and strong as any Legacy, the vampyres were blurs as they moved. Even the Hunters were having trouble keeping up with them.

“There are too many!” Tessa cried. “We can’t fight them all, Theon.”

“We can, Tessa! Luka will come!” Theon replied, having retrieved his dropped sword. Darkness rolled from him like a wave, shrouding several vampyres. When it receded, they were dead on the ground.

“He won’t, Theon,” she argued, turning to him. “He’s too?—”

But her words turned into a garbled mess as pain seared through her spine. Blood bubbled from her mouth when she tried to speak again. She dropped to her knees, screaming as something was ripped from her back. She saw the vampyre from her periphery holding a sword dripping with blood.

Her blood.

Her magic was already swelling, working to heal the wound, but each breath burned in her chest.

Theon bellowed a roar, dropping down beside her and pulling her close. His magic lashed out, wrapping around the vampyre and dragging them closer. “You can’t kill her with a sword, but I will make you wish for death for even thinking you could achieve it.”

But the vampyre laughed. “It may take seven of those blades to kill a god, but only one should be needed for her.”

Luka heard the crack from where he stood as Theon’s magic broke his neck. His head twisted to the side at an unnatural angle before the entire being was ripped in half.

“No,” Theon said as death continued to rain around them. “No, no, no! Where the fuck is Luka?”

“I told you… He won’t…” Tessa tried, but she trailed off. She couldn’t talk and breathe around her magic clamoring to heal her.

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