Page 98 of The Storm of the Empire

LUKA

She blew the door out and we spilled into the corridor.

The corridor was empty, but my gut told me they’d be on us any second. I kept a hold of her hand because they were armed with whatever they’d used on Kol, and I would not let that happen to her.

I’d protect her with my life if I had to.

We turned to run down the hall back the way we’d come in, expecting the ambush at any second because of the noise the explosion made. The guards who’d thrown us in the cell were at the end of the corridor, just coming out as we approached.

My instinct was to tuck Hazel in behind me, but I’d clearly forgotten who and what she was because a change came over her as she faced the males. A taste of her dragon reared her head, revealing the Archeiai in her. Faster than the lightning she wielded, she had the first male disarmed and splayed out on the floor before he could even react. Then she struck the second with the hilt of the sword she had taken from the first.

I looked both the unconscious guards over and then up at her in awe. “Fuck, that was hot.”

She wiped at her face with the back of her hand and eyed the sword in her grip. “Arsehole took my favorite sword.”

“By the Goddess, that should not have made me hard.”

Hazel looked at me all predator, still seething, but a knowing in her gaze reminded me that she might be able to hear my thoughts. I’d need to get a handle on that because around her, the majority were lustful.

“You can eat me next.”

“I can hear you.”Her tone came with a smirk.

“I know.”

“I hope you don’t mind having a partner who can kick your arse.”

“Not even a little.”

She rifled through the belts of both fallen fae and retrieved the weapons they’d stripped us of and thought to keep for themselves. She tossed me a sword.

I caught it as dread filled me. Our time was running out. “We have to go.”

She nodded once,and we ran.

Shouting came from the way we’d come as they discovered our messy escape, and we pushed on, tracing our way back towards the temple stairs because we didn’t have time to hide or evade. We only had one shot at this, or they’d make sure she couldn’t use her magic.

“Stop them!” Octavian bellowed from behind us.

The way he’d battled Nyx made me sure I didn’t want him on our tail. Hazel was formidable, but she was also half Nyx’s size, and he’d nearly killed Nyx. If they shifted, she’d have a much harder time fighting him.

We had to get clear of the temple and fast—our only hope was to outrun him.

As we turned towards the stairs, more guards spilled out into the hall ahead of us.

“Fuck.”

“Goddess save us,” Hazel muttered, taking on a fighting stance.

I took my place at her side. The guards weighed us, and I knew that would be their downfall. They’d target me because I was a closer match in size while they’d completely underestimate the deadly female by my side.

I almost felt sorry for them.

Almost.

“Stand down,” one of them ordered.

Hazel laughed. She actually laughed, and they did not anticipate what was coming. She moved like lightning taken fae form, cutting down the first and letting the second slip by for me to take on while she lunged at the third. We fought like we had been training together for years.

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