Page 160 of The Crown of Nyx

They were not nearly as fast as us, but we didn’t need them to be.

As we neared the village, we veered towards the forest. There was enough sound, enough light, that we did not have to worry about thethraxfollowing us.

They would do our work for us.

65

Rowan

The flames of the first fire leapt into the air as Nash, Black, and I moved through the shadows darkening the land around us. The sun was rising in the other direction, near where Maeve, Elias, and thePrimalwere headed looking for those gross zombie things.

I might not have grown up on as much mortal television as Adrian, or exposed to it like Ivy, but I knew a zombie thing when I saw one. I watched all seasons of that show when Adrian and I were in basic training at the compound, and I felt like it prepared me for this.

Well, not for setting fires, but the principal still stood. I could battle it out with the zombies if needed.

Black wielded his swords of shadows as we stalked to the spot Nash wanted to set fire to next. I wasn’t a total fan of deferring to the asshole, especially because this entire time, he hadn’t done or said shit to Ivy about whyhe didn’t want to bond her. If I could claim her again, I would do it in a heartbeat.But he’d walked off into the woods with her, and she’d come back sadder than ever.

The Luna prince, however, looked terrified. I knew he was trying to hide it, and he did it well, but there was something about him that reeked of fear. Maybe it was the fact that he wasn’t nearly as bad as I expected him to be. I mean, he planned on giving Ivy an entireisland. Had doomsday prepped it just in case we went to war with Dante. The prince had been preparing, even if he hadn’t been directly at her side.

I could respect that. I knew I wouldn’t have the strength to do what he’d done, and I knew now that Ivy was fast on her way to accepting him back into her heart. And I wouldn’t blame her if she did.

He kind of deserved it after everything.

But the fear…it radiated from him. He had his eyes on the village and the army itself. It was horrifying. The shifters that weren’t on chained leashes were in cages. The smell of blood, old now, was thick in the air. There were tents for the others, though. I had a feeling Black was keeping an eye out for his father.

Fucking bastard of a male.

For the first time since entering the Old World, I pulled a gun from my belt and checked it. The soldiers had guns, larger ones with more enchanted bullets, and I wasn’t taking any risks—not with any of our lives.

Even Nash had his out. He stalked ahead, eyes moving between our next location and the encampment.

When the first bullet came flying towards us, we all ducked. The explosion of gunfire made me grit my teeth, the sound ringing in my ears.

I felt Ivy down the bond, her worry enough to have me moving. Not risking a bullet wound. She would never forgive me.

“Come on, let’s fucking move,” I grunted, shoving at Black. The male cursed me under his breath, but Nash covered our backs as we ran to the next fire spot. As we moved, the smell of rotting flesh hit me, and the sound of Elias’s howl reached us, even from the other side of the ruins.

“We have to move fast,” Black muttered as he pulled a fire rune-stone from his belt. He handed it to me before grabbing another. “They’ll be on us soon.”

Over the sound of gunfire, more howls, shouts, and voices sounded. The encampment was awake. We tossed the rune stones towards another collection of tents and watched as they hit the ground before lighting up the dark tents. Flames licked at the material, and at those who were desperate to escape.

Too bad Dante wasn’t amongst them. Or Hyperion Black.

“Move, move!” Nash yelled. I didn’t even look back; the Luna Prince and I ran, heading for the back of the village.

I shot Ivy a quick thought and sent a prayer up to Nyx for her protection.Two fires set, be careful. The guns are out.

She responded a moment later.I love you, see you soon.

A shiver rolled down my spine. Fuck, I hoped this didn’t end badly. That the demon king could take us all out of here once Ivy got her hands on that damned skull.

Black came to a sudden halt, his swords raised. Dammit. His chest rose and fell with harsh breaths. I followed his line of sight, and cursed under my breath, raising my own gun in the direction of the three Fae.

Hyperion Black stood before us, his silver-white hair pulled back from his face, a crown of moons in different stages of the cycle on his head. He also wore what looked like armour that might have been worn by the Fae a thousand years ago. It was metal, woven together to look like the night sky covered his chest. There were actual fucking gems carved into it.

He didn’t look ready for war, or battle. He looked like he was about to walk a fashion show back in Avalon.

I almost laughed, more to myself. Damn, and here I thought the other two idiots we killed looked dumb as hell in their knock-off gear.

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