Page 98 of House of Mages and Raven

“Are you sure?” Silas asked.

“Now!” I shouted.

Cade flicked his wand, and his fire hit my back.

I turned toward the closest female Shrieker, and the mage fire rushed out of me. As soon as the flame hit, it was burned to death, screaming.

Gasps huffed out behind me.

“More. Hit me!” I bellowed. “I need more!”

All the princes, except for Killian, unleashed their magic into me. It joined within me, and I threw my dark ingredient into the mix. Then I send the transformed power into the ranks of the horde.

The new power took the shape of a scythe—the kind carried by the Grim Reaper—and sliced through the Shriekers. Two-thirds of the enemy army fell into pieces, their machine parts melting.

A shock wave of our blended power rumbled across the battlefield, sending dirt, rocks, and dead trees shooting into the air.

“Holy fuck,” Louis called.

Silas laughed. “That was some real shit.”

Rowan nodded while studying me, a light of anticipation flashing in his silver eyes. He sniffed, scenting Sy. And Sy rolled in me, like a fool.

Do you want more pink diamonds or not?she snapped.

I swiftly dropped eye contact with the fae heir. I didn’t have the energy for him to ask about Sy. He was crazy about her. Addicted, even.Well, the sex must’ve been good, then,I thought sarcastically. I was a relationship cynic now.

The sex is fantastic.Sy grinned.Send me to work tonight. We need to feed, like, yesterday.

She was as exhausted as I, even more so after she’d given me all the energy that she’d hoarded to fight the Shriekers, but seeing Rowan renewed her vigor. He was her drug. Also, thanks to the earlier feeding from Killian, I was still standing after my serious injury.

“With Barbie joining us, we proved to be an excellent team,” Silas said. “Even more so than when Killian joined.”

He was saying that they didn’t need Killian now that the heirs had me.

“Good job, Barbie,” Cade said. “Joining my house works out for you. You’re a mage through and through.” Then he frowned, pointing his wand at me. “Aren’t you supposed to be in the dungeon? Who let you out?”

“I broke out,” I said. “Your minions forgot to bring me my meal, and I was bored to tears.”

“Don’t tell me that you destroyed my five-star cell. It’ll cost a lot of money to fix it, and the court is on a tight budget.”

I blinked. “But we’re mages. The house has money. Don’t they say that there’re many poor white men, but there’s never a poor mage?”

“Who are they? Who said it?” he barked. “That’s a lie!”

I nodded to concede, a compromise made.

Ruin was still here, and I needed to deal with him. I turned my head and locked my predatory gaze with my father’s. I pondered—what if I’d added some of my darkest flame into the mix when I sent the heirs’ magic to his abominations? Ruin wouldn’t have detected it, would he? Should I risk it again and let him taste being burned by my flame while he was inside his vessel?

His dark gaze traveled between the heirs and me, taking them into his memory and marking them one by one. Fear,anxiety, and guilt boiled in my middle. If any heir died, I’d never forgive myself.

The realm was no longer safe because of me.

Get your job done, but stop blaming yourself,Sy growled.I’m fed up with your playing a victim or a martyr. Magic in the realm has started to gain strength since we came. Without us, it’ll fade altogether in less than a century. Ruin will find this last magical realm sooner or later, even without our leading him right to the door. We’re the protectors of Underhill and Mist of Cinder. We’re the first defense line, just like what we did today. We bled for the realm and will bleed for it again. We’ve chosen our path. So don’t be a useless, whining cunt. Tits up! I won’t let you spread bad vibes and drag us down. In war, there’ll always be casualties, and we’ll have to live with it. But with the heirs backing us up like today, we can drive away Ruin and his abominations. And soon, we’ll be strong enough, and we’ll take the fight to him!

I’d never thought that Sy could be so eloquent, but she kept evolving and learning at a rapid speed. The showdown between my father and me was inevitable. It was time to ally with the heirs, and we might pull it off and finish off our father in the end.

I straightened my spine, despite my caved ribcage, the crushed organs, and the agony in my every breath. I’d see the end of the battle before I allowed myself to collapse, and all the while I was fighting not to siphon magic from the Veil or anyone to heal myself.

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