Page 70 of Guarded By the Orc

I struggled to pull my focus away from my gorgeous male, who was protecting me and his family. Krusk, Enka and Savla formed a line behind Rok, something I could tell that they’d practiced in the past. Their axes were taking on any warlocks who had slipped through the formation ahead.

Settled in the realization that everyone was safe, I looked at Veron instead, my admiration curdling into hatred.

If I could get rid of him, I would be able to end this and takemy clan and coven back to safety. He was still aiming his magick at the other women, not looking at me, and I knew deep inside, with the kind of understanding that my mother would have calleda knowing, that this wouldn’t be done until I killed him.

He would come back, again and again. And I was the only one who was going to be able to do it. I was going to avenge every witch in my lineage who had been taken and used by these monsters.

I sneered at Veron, and his gaze sharpened, focusing on me once more. He straightened, and I could tell that he realized I wasn’t going to play games anymore.

He glanced at the battlefield for a moment, and I watched with a barely concealed satisfaction as his jaw went hard.

His men are losing and he knows it.

“The smugger you look, Zara, the sweeter my victory,” his words hissed in my ear, but I ignored him, focusing on what I needed to do. I raised my wand, the barriers protecting the witches as well as the orcs getting stronger as magick poured from inside me.

They come first.

If he decided to attack them in retaliation, I was going to make sure they had the best shot of making it out of here. My breath was coming faster as the power inside of me swirled, becoming a huge storm that I didn’t know how to contain.

“You’re never going to hurt anyone ever again,” I muttered and Veron’s eyes widened.

He’d heard me. Good.

The wand was focusing my magick in a way that I’d never imagined. I lifted my hands, compressing the swirling purple into a ball before blasting it forward into the shield that Veron had erected around himself.

The selfish bastard hadn’t bothered protecting his men, only himself. It’s what I should have come to expect from him.

His yellow magick was visible for only a moment, and I saw the sharp crack down the side. My lips curled as he drew back, swallowing hard.

I’m aiming for you, asshole.

That didn’t stop him from retaliating. He sent a powerful surge of magick at me and it hit my own hastily erected barrier, cracking it down the middle as well. I was gathering my own, when he sent another two in quick succession.

The first did its job on breaking my protection spell, and the second hit me in the stomach, sending me to my knees, heaving out everything I’d eaten that day. Shuddering, my gaze rose to look at his smirking form.

“Not so powerful, then,” he laughed, the sound loud in my ears.

I pushed aside the reckless anger that wanted me to throw everything I had at him. Instead, I gathered my strength, standing and not letting him rattle me. Raising my hands, I watched as the winds picked up, battering against his protection spell. His eyes darted, wondering what I was doing, but he shoved his staff out, blasting another spell toward me.

It was everything I could do to not scream, diving out of the way, but getting hit with another sucker-punch blast he sent in quick succession. I dropped to my knees again, but kept my hands out toward him, working the magick that I knew would surround him the way I needed it to.

The glint of metal made me lose my focus for a moment, watching as he pulled a blade with his free hand. He slid it across his forearm, his eyes swirling with a darkness that had my stomach clenching with fear.

Blood magick.

It wasn’t until he thrust out his second hand, aiming the spell that I hadn’t realized he’d had prepared, that a gasp left my lips.

I’m sorry, Rudgar, my love. In the end, I wasn’t strong enough.

CHAPTER 36

Zara

He’s going to kill me.

I didn’t know how I knew it, but the hand that he held out toward me kept me pinned in place as he raised his other arm, aiming a blast of magick toward me. One so strong that I knew I wouldn’t be able to take it.

He’ll kill me rather than let me win.

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