Page 138 of A Trial of Fate

I looked into his eyes, which made my hard exterior melt away like there was nothing there. “I was terrified…” I blinked as another tear fell, but Dax was there to catch it. “I was terrified I would lose you.”

“Skylar—” He whispered my name as he leaned in, our lips dangerously close to one another’s. The tension between us becoming irresistible, both of us realizing it was becoming impossible to defy.

Dax suddenly stilled, his body becoming rigid as his eyes snapped upward, scanning the area behind us. His expression hardened like stone as he gripped my arms tightly, protectively throwing me behind him. Silver Shadow was reemerging and ready for blood. He released a long, high-pitched whistle with his two fingers in his mouth and frantically looked east. “Castor is heading for the border. You’re going with him.”

“I… What?” There was no time for me to argue.

Silver flashed, and Dax teleported us east, just below the raised plateau we were standing on. His legs shook underneath him, even though he refused to buckle under his fatigue. Castor was by our side no more than a second later. Daxton passed me to his brother, and he gripped my arm tightly. Castor refused to let me go even after I tugged, trying to free myself from his grasp.

“Dax, what is going on?” My heart sank as I whipped my head around to see Castor’s ebony eyes appear once more. “Is it…”

“Yes,” Daxton snapped, his eyes scanning the area around us. “We don’t have time. You know how the shadows and fog interfere with my magic, Cas.”

Castor began to tremble for a brief second before he forced on his mask of composure once more. The whites of his eyes returned, but a darkness lingered beneath. What was going on? What came next after harpies and death hounds? What could possibly be worse than… Oh, Gods, no. It dawned on me once the shadows streamed in from all sides. Daxton reached out and pulled me in behind him while Castor sandwiched me in from behind.

“Dax.” Castor’s eyes were locked onto his brother’s.

“Don’t move, Cas.” Daxton’s magic began to coat my skin in a thin sheet of ice.

I glanced to the side and noticed Castor doing the same, manipulating Daxton’s ice with his own powers, utilizing the shared gift of their father’s magic. A dense black fog encased us, blocking every escape path we could take. There was nothing, but we knew something was lurking behind the curtain of blackness.

Daxton and Castor both locked their sights on top of the plateau where Dax and I had been only moments before. A dark stream of black mist tendrils crawled over the sides as two midnight-cloaked creatures floated over the sands. They came to a stop mere feet away from Daxton, who pushed me backward toward Castor.

A pale, gangly hand extended from the blackness of one of the creatures and it pointed a bony finger directly at me. “Shifter…” itsraspy voice said.

“Touch her, and you die.” Daxton’s voice was low and calm, more terrifying than the deafening roar of a battle cry. He stepped into my view, intercepting the attention of the cloaked creatures. His long silver blade was drawn in his left hand, while his right was wrapped behind him, trying to shield me.

“Dax?” His eyes were locked on the creatures with a cold, deathly stare.

“Not you…”It spoke again, but I’m not sure I would accurately describe it as speaking.

The voice sounded like someone had been screaming for days, weeks, or months on end. There was a gravelly sound that made me want to curl my toes and run as far away as I possibly could. Sadly, I understood how painful it was and how long you had to be screaming for a voice to get to this point.

“Remember your promise, Skylar,” Daxton whispered under his breath.

“What?” I pinched his arm, but he was unmovable. Hyper-focused on the enemies standing before us.

“Your promise, Spitfire.”

Gods be damned.These… These were the fallen. “I am not leaving you, Daxton! Get it through that thick head already. I will not leave you. You’re going to have to force me.”

His eyes fluttered back at me for a moment before focusing on the nalusa falaya, the fallen monsters hovering before us. The moment his gaze lingered on mine, I understood more than I cared to admit as tears appeared in my eyes. I refused to let them fall, because I was not leaving his side.Fuck that.

“Castor,” Daxton murmured.

I looked to Castor to try and read his emotions. He was usually a master at hiding them, but not here, not now. His eyes showed pure terror and fear, not just for himself but for his brother. What crazy fucked-up plan had these two come up with? I was not on board if it meant leaving Daxton to fight this creature and inevitably die while Castor and I ran away to safety.

Shit, I realized that was exactly what they intended to do.

“I willneverforgive you,” I swore at Castor, but it didn’t make a difference. I could see it in his eyes that he didn’t want to do this either. My threat held no hold over him because he wouldn’t ever forgive himself either.

“Castor!” Dax roared.

“Why have they not attacked us yet?” Castor asked.

“I don’t know,” Daxton replied. “But I’m not wasting more time trying to figure it out. Go. Now!” Castor hesitated, but Daxton yelled again, “Go now!”

Silver flashed, and Daxton teleported toward the creature on the right and attacked with his ice magic, followed by a swing of his silver sword. The fallen creature screamed, materializing its long, gangly fingers and turning them into claws that would tear Daxton’s head clear from his body. Tendrils of shadow began encroaching upon him, opening a small window in the fog surrounding us. It was a distraction.

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