Page 81 of Till Death

Or so I thought, until Amon reached behindand latched a massive hand around my head. I yelled as he yanked my body off of his back easily, drawing me to his front, while gripping me tightly, holding a hand out toward Cole.

“Enough of this. Cole, stand down,” Amon snarled. “I command you.”

Terror sliced through me when Cole straightened, his expression going slack and his eyes empty.

“Listen to me now. You will cease this ridiculous fighting and join me.” Amon held me by the scruff of the neck like I was some kind of damn dog and snapped his fingers at his son with the opposite hand. “Come, now. We’re done here.”

“No! Stop it.” I raised my hands with a cry of pain and held onto Amon. “Don’t hurt him.”

“Jade.” Cole took a step forward, then another, his legs trembling with each step until he stooped. His body shook, muscles strained.

“Don’t listen to him,” I yelled to Cole.

Amon clucked his tongue. “He is mine to control, you understand. Whatever hold you think you have on him, it is nothing compared to the bond between us.”

“Cole, please.” I’d say whatever it took to break the spell.

“Cole, you will come here and you will kill this woman. That is an order.”

Amon lifted me higher, and on instinct I reached for my light. I summoned the magic I didn’t have to fight back, right as Cole leaped at me.

He stumbled to a halt a few inches away with his teeth bared at my throat, ready to tear out my neck. My heart.

Pale and shaken, my eyes drilled into his. Knowing he did his best to fight the compulsion and my gut telling me we were both too late. No more running. No more victory.

Only Amon and his will.

CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE

Amon had us corned and he knew it, if his growing belly laugh was anything to go by. He forced me closer to Cole and those waiting teeth and I gritted my own, digging down for the last shreds of courage as I dug my heels into the floor to try and slow my progression.

Please, don’t let this be the last moment we have together.

I sent the thought out to Cole, although I knew he wouldn’t hear me. My lungs refused to work and my throat burned, but not from Amon’s touch. From my own insane emotions and the adrenaline inside of me. When it came right down to it, I regretted nothing. I’d rather suffer every physical torture known to this universe than see Cole suffer. Hopefully he saw those feelings in my eyes.

Panic scraped along my insides and everything stilled as I waited for Cole to react.

“Now. Kill her,” Amon snapped.

Panic filled my head and I wanted to claw it out, unable to move.

“Go to hell,” Cole shouted.

He fought back, going for Amon’s throat rather than me.

“Oh, my boy. We’re already here. And it’s not like any of us are going to leave.”

Cole shook off the last of Amon’s control. The two came together in a massive collision and sent me rolling away from their snarling forms as they fought each other.

Magic exploded from the two of them in a wave of fire. My flesh bubbled, my fear rose, until I realized I had no flesh to bubble and only the fear remained. I wasn’t alive. I wasn’t human anymore. I turned the fire into fuel and let it pour out of me in the form of determination. Shrieking as I jumped into the fray to help Cole.

Amon went down on his knees hard enough to shake the entire realm, but he wasn’t out yet. Not when he raised his hands and cast another circle of magic to keep us away from him. The fire was impenetrable no matter how many times Cole beat his fists against it. He prowled around the exterior of thecircle with a growl rumbling in the back of his throat.

I scrambled to get to Cole’s side and help him in whatever way possible. His chest heaved and his lungs worked like bellows.

“Are you okay?”

His eyes locked with mine and he nodded, slumping suddenly. “Fine,” he bit out. “I’ll be better once we end this.” Hedrooped lower. “I’m not sure how much energy I have left in me. It’s taking everything to fight against his compulsion.”

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