Page 91 of The Sins of Silas

And then sheran, gracefully protecting those who fought on our side.

I hated to admit it, but once there was no flame and smoke, I fought better. I was focused.

Lena had encapsulated the three catapults my kingdom had brought in ice, successfully disabling them. Taira and Merrick had frozen the forced entryway, allowing the Forsmontians stationed on the walls to focus their attention on those on the outside while we focused on those on the inside. I wasn't sure of the duration of the battle so far—you tend to lose track of time when you're fighting for your life.

There still had to be a couple hundred Otacians inside Forsmont. While we humans had killed plenty, the few Mages and the hundreds of Warlocks were who made the biggest difference in this battle.

We were winning.

Were.

It happened so quickly. One moment, Emma was a lion, ripping the heads off of the men threatening her home and her family. The next, a soldier withdrew a vial, dotting a substance on his palm before blowing the purple dust at Emma. Whatever it was, it instantly shrank her body back into its normal form.

Leroy roared, but there was nothing he could do—nothinganyonecould do, as the Otacian soldier lifted his sword and swung, cutting Emma’s head clean off of her body.

No.

Leroy released a gut-wrenching bellow just as Emma's head tumbled to the ground, charging for the man who killed his wife. But the soldiers around him were prepared—I could see the handful of them had those vials waiting, secured at their sides.

What the fuck do they have?

Rage overcame me, and I rushed forward, fending off the various Otacians that swung their weapons at me.

This man had five children and was now without his partner. I could not let his kids lose their father, too.

“LEROY!” I shouted. His lion head snapped to me, his turmoil-ridden, pupilless eyes burning into mine. I impaled a man before me. “STOP! THEY CAN TAKE YOUR MAGIC!”

His eyes darted to the soldiers surrounding him, now noticing what was in all of their grasps.

A sword slashed my arm, and I gasped as I fell back.

When I locked eyes with the person who injured me, I recognized him.

Emerson. Finnan's father.

“You are a disgrace to your kingdom!” he spat. “Betraying your own kind to side with the witches!”

I held my gushing wound for a moment before wincing and readying my sword. “I am doing what is right,” I growled. “For once in my miserable life.”

His eyes welled with tears. “Was it right killing Finnan?!”

My lip trembled, only for a second. We raised our weapons but were both rendered frozen when Lena’s wail filled the air. We whirled toward the sound, and I loosened a breath at the sight of her.

Electricity crept up both of her arms and legs, surrounding her hair—it was everywhere. The lighting was an array of blues as it sparked around her.

She looked otherworldly, more powerful than anything I'd ever seen, as she glared at our enemies.

She stared at the men surrounding Leroy, but only for a moment before she unleashed her lightning upon every one of them.

She flung her hands out, and rings of electricity went around each of their throats.

They screamed. They cried. They went to tug at their collars made of lightning, but it was no use. They would be shocked to death if they touched it. They weren't going anywhere.

Lena stared at the men with a curled lip before her eyes darted to Leroy. I then understood what she was doing.

These were his kills.

One by one, Leroy tore their heads off, Lena releasing their electric collars only seconds before Leroy’s jaw was around their skulls.

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