Page 131 of Court of Evil

I use it all and let it fuel me, and my ancestors offer their strength until time stands still. I open my eyes to see an army frozen in time, fighting their own nightmares in their heads.

My whole body strains, and I feel like I might pass out.

“Let go.”The whispers come from inside me.“It’s enough. You have given enough. Let go.”

I do as they say. I let go. My power flows back to me as I slump before forcing myself to my feet. I refuse to kneel as Fred’s eyes clear, tears racing down his face before his lips twist in a sneer. “I heard rumours you were just as much of a monster as them. I guess they were true.”

“That’s right. I’m a monster,” I reply. “What does that make you?”

“Is that all you have?” he scoffs. “You did nothing. We are still standing.”

“I wasn’t trying to kill you,” I mumble. Even my mouth is tired, almost too tired to talk. “I was buying time.” I nod over his shoulder. “For them.”

A horn fills the air, the same horn I saw in my vision tonight when I touched the future—one that shocked even me.

There is an almighty roar, and I cannot help but smile as the very monsters they hunt surge over the hill, coming to our aid, called by those I have saved and offered kindness to in the past.

When I had no hope left, my visions gifted me this. Monsters from every corner of our world are coming to help us. They racetowards the hunters who would do them wrong . . . who have done them wrong.

Fae, vamps, wolves, trolls, and dragons . . .

You name it, I can see it.

Fred’s eyes flare before he turns back to me. “You bitch!”

Shamus suddenly stands before me, and Fred stills, blinking as he glances down at a knife in his chest, Shamus holding the other end. “You do not touch what is mine.”

Shamus pulls his blade free, and he falls to the ground as Shamus looks to me. “It looks like they were right. It was a long shot, and we didn’t want to tell you in case we couldn’t make it happen.”

“I saw it,” I whisper. “Thank you.” I look around at the monsters fighting with the hunters.

“It was not me. This was your team. You saved their lives, and now they are repaying you,” he murmurs as a familiar fae stops before me.

“Seer.” She nods.

“Zeev’s sister,” I greet. “I would offer my thanks but?—”

“No thanks needed for my brother’s bride,” she says.

“Bride? I am going to kill him.” She chuckles as she slides a golden helmet down her face.

“Besides, it has been much too long since our people were allowed to seek revenge for the crimes committed against us. My brother was right. We have stayed out of this fight for far too long. If one little human can stand up for the injustice of monsters, then so can we. We can be as brave as you are.” She lifts her sword. “For our people!”

Shaking my head, I watch her move into the crowd with the elegant grace of a dancer, even as her sword claims the lives of those who dare to stop her.

I jerk back as something pops into existence in front of me. It’s Ronan, and he has ghosts on either side of him. “I calledsome friends, hope you don’t mind.” He winks at me. “Ghost army, attack!” I watch him go before something makes me turn. In the distance, I see familiar wolves.

Simon stands with Althea at his side. She nods to me as ancient creatures pour from the forest.

I stand in a field surrounded by the bodies of my peers, their blood covering every inch of me, and yet I have never felt so relieved.

Monsters cover the hillside and Stalkers’ Rest, working alongside hunters to finish off those who would try to lay claim to this organisation. Two worlds come together, knowing that if the true hunters fall here, there will be nothing to stop them.

I scan the masses to see they are losing, being driven back into the arms of beasts in the trees and my team. None will escape. Death is plentiful, but we all know the cost if we do not eradicate them. They made their choice, and we made ours. Besides, this is about more than me and the hunters—this is for the monsters who have been hunted for generations, their families stolen and innocence tainted by evil.

This is their war, and I am simply the conduit.

Shamus and I share a look before we dive into the fight with our own war cries. My sword cuts through them as I fight alongside monsters and men alike, killing anyone who would dare harm us or our people.

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