Page 110 of Reaper's Ruin
And we weren’t alone.
My stomach dropped. Not guards. Not soldiers.
“Storm Warriors,” I growled, recognizing the distinctive armor of the elite guards emerging through the far doors.
Unlike the regular palace guards, the Storm Warriors were trained battle mages who had survived the Storm Court’s brutal trials. Each could summon and control lightning, wind and storm elements at will. They were the most dangerous fighters in the Storm Court—and there were six of them barring our escape.
“Surrender,” one called, his voice amplified by the hall’s acoustics. Lightning crackled in his hand. “You cannot escape.”
No human could survive their shocks. I’d learned that back when I was alive and they had torn through the humans with ease. Only Storm fae were impervious to shocks, and in a matter of seconds, these warriors could eradicate us.
But I didn’t matter anymore. Only she mattered. And though I couldn’t slice down six Storm Warriors before their bolts of lightning tore through me, I could hold them off and give her a chance to flee.
“Stay behind me,” I murmured to Soraya. “When I engage them, run for that door.” I nodded toward a smaller exit to our right.
She shook her head fiercely. “I’m not leaving you.”
Before I could argue, the first bolt of lightning arced across the room, aimed directly at us.
Something primal awakened inside me. Without conscious thought, without understanding how, my Veilwings erupted from my back, unfurling with explosive force. I wrapped them around Soraya, shielding her as the lightning struck.
The impact was like being hit by a battering ram, but the wings absorbed it, the electricity dissipating harmlessly into shadow. I felt the power course through me, raw and untamed, ancient and familiar.
I wasn’t just a man with a sword anymore. I was Death again. And these fools had threatened what was mine.
With a growl that rumbled through my chest, I launched myself forward, wings extending like living weapons. They sliced through the air and through flesh with equal ease, leaving bloody arcs in their wake. I moved with supernatural speed, a dark blur among the stunned Storm Warriors.
Their lightning crackled harmlessly against my wings as I deflected each blow. Their blades found only empty air where I had been a heartbeat before.
One warrior fell, his chest torn open by my wing’s edge. Another screamed as I drove my stolen sword through his throat. A third managed to land a blow against my arm, but the pain only fueled my rage.
This wasn’t the controlled, precise fighting of moments ago. This was primal, ferocious—a slaughter.
In the span of heartbeats, four warriors lay dead or dying. The remaining two backed away, fear finally registering on their faces.One turned to flee. The other raised his hands, summoning a storm of lightning that filled the hall with blinding light.
I launched myself to Soraya, enveloping her in the protection of my wings, curling my body over her as the lightning assaulted me. I heard her soft, scared cries as she huddled beneath me. They only drove deeper the raw need to protect her.
I would always keep her safe.
Even with my shadowy shield, I still felt the sharp pains of the merciless bolts coursing through me, but I clenched my jaw, muscles tightening as I held fast keeping her safe below me.
When the last of the strikes ceased, in one swoop I unfurled my wings from her shield and propelled myself forward with unnatural speed. I crossed the distance in the blink of an eye, appearing before the startled warrior as his lightning faded. One slash of my sword, and his head separated from his shoulders.
The hall fell silent except for my ragged breathing. Six elite warriors lay dead around me, their blood pooling on the marble floor. My wings remained extended, shadow energy rippling along their edges like smoke over water.
“Rhyker,” Soraya’s voice pulled me back from the edge of battle-rage. “More are coming.”
Shouts echoed from the corridor we’d fled, reinforcements responding to the commotion.
“Let’s go,” I said, forcing my wings to fold against my back. They didn’t vanish as they had last time I’d somehow willed them to protect her when the Voltmauler had attacked. My instincts, this primal power I seemed to be able to will for only her, knew she wasn’t safe yet. Instead of dissipating, they remained, covering my back like a cloak of living shadow.
We ran for the far doors, bursting through into another corridor. The palace was a maze, and we had no clear route to freedom. All I knew was that we needed to get down and out.
As we rounded another corner, we encountered another group of guards—regular soldiers this time, not Storm Warriors, but numerous enough to be dangerous.
“Give me a weapon,” Soraya demanded, her eyes fixed on the approaching threat.
“What? No—”
