Page 18 of The Sacred and the Tormented

Some even took flight, burning through the membranous wings of the Dark Fae as they brushed past.

Three stepped beyond the fires. It was the last stretch of land separating the Dark Fae from the curtain wall. A wall that seemed so flimsy now, especially in comparison to the rock one the creatures had all but barreled through.

What hope did they have of it standing?

Firelight danced off leathery hides and reflected in yellow eyes. Some creatures she recognized from studying the books in Ruadhán’s library. The hounds that had come after Rion among them. But there were others she’d never seen before too.

Rion’s magic whipped out and crushed the three Dark Fae in seconds. Their bodies writhed on the ground before falling still. Five more crossed that invisible line and Rion crushed them too.

She gaped at her mate and watched as he did it again and again and again. Those standing on the wall around her stared at the male who hadn’t even moved. Only his eyes darted back and forth as he tracked the creatures advancing on them all.

He hadn’t released her hand either.

Talon called her name above the chaos and her head whipped toward him. He only had to point before her heart was sinking all over again. Because stepping through the wall, as if there weren’t creatures with snapping teeth and sharp claws all around them, were the ones with ashen skin and ice at their fingertips.

The very creatures that had run them into a river when she’d been hunting for her mate.

A shiver ran down her spine as the creature’s gazes roamed across the top of the wall. They were assessing. Forming a plan.

She’d thought them incapable of such reasoning, but what kind of conclusions could she really draw from one encounter? They’d attacked her and Talon as a unit. Perhaps it’d all been planned from the start.

Her blood ran cold. Niall might not be directly leading them but if the creatures could be reasoned with, they could very well be here on the male’s orders.

Their dark eyes didn’t display an ounce of fear. Not from the Fae currently bringing down their winged comrades. Not from the fire searing through their lines, and not from the massive pits where beasts still howled in pain.

A test. That first line of Dark Fae had been a test and a battering ram to break through their defenses.

Shit.

The ice wielders were climbing the wall now and landing on the other side, their teeth clicking in a strange pattern. She never imagined there would be so many of them.

“There,” Arianna pointed with her free hand. “Focus on them first.”

Rion followed her finger. “Raise your voice.”

“What?”

“Raise your voice.”

Arianna turned to find a few Fae staring at her, waiting for the instructions they hadn’t heard. She’d had no intention of leading anyone in battle. She’d never wanted the position. But eventually, sometime soon, she’d have to make a stand. It was either here or wait until she was face to face with Niall and the High Lord.

Arianna steadied herself for what seemed like the hundredth time and raised her voice. “Focus on the Dark Fae in the back. The ones that look human. Use heat to burn their skin and stop their magic.”

Arianna heard the creatures hiss and could have sworn it was directed her way. Could have sworn they … understood.

Those on foot were crossing that invisible line in mass now. Rion couldn’t hold them all back by himself … or so she thought. Her mate raised one hand and a chasm that stretched from one end of the field to the other yawned open. It swallowed the Dark Fae in a matter of seconds. They screamed and clawedat one another, desperate to reach the edge, but the chasm closed again, trapping them and their screams below the surface.

The overturned dirt didn’t move again, but more were coming. Sweat rolled down Rion’s face, but rather than look exhausted, he appeared … exhilarated. More alive than she’d seen him in weeks.

He was ready for this. He craved the fight. And maybe her mate needed this battle in order to chase away the nightmares left by Niall. Maybe he needed to relearn his own strength in the wake of that torment.

Arianna had no intension of holding him back.

The next line of Dark Fae closed in and Arianna inwardly broke the imaginary chain holding her magic back.

Finally, it seemed to whisper before bursting from her body in a wave of cold air.

Frost coated her skin, making it shine in the firelight. It wrapped around her mate’s arm momentarily before pulling away of its own accord and spreading around their feet.

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