Page 54 of Magic & Secrets
I noticed how Calla breathed differently. Her sweet façade was gone, leaving behind only death incarnate. The Armgard wasn’t created to offer mercy.
The warriors once laid waste to entire Territories. They nearly ended the Elven bloodline and destroyed most of the Witch covens. If not for their incompetent human leaders and the Bane Shifters, the Armgard would rule this world.
I'd witnessed the final Armgard take her last breath. My kind roared in triumph, having buried our own to end them.Now, someone had recreated the Armgard.
The ancient magic pulsed through Calla. The Warlocks’ cries of pain caused her no hesitation. Her magic turned their flesh, bone, and blood into nothing more than delicate mist.
The fetching creature I hungered to claim was gone, leaving behind my mortal enemy.
Calla
THE SERPENT SHIFTER’Stongue was laced with a poison toxic to humans and Elves. It tore through my back, severing my spine, and filling me with venom. My Elven half-breed ruse was over.
As I was dragged away from Roque, I felt our time together slipping away. Surviving these Serpent Shifters and the Warlocks was less of an issue than facing the Bane Shifter’s reaction to my lineage.
My heart ached at the realization of losing Roque. Our mate bond felt like both a gift and a curse.
The Serpent Shifters pinned me to the ground, waiting for me to die. I was a distraction. They were here for Roque.
When my wounds healed, they pierced me again. Their claws dug into my throat. I felt them struggling to remove my armor to access my chest.
Roque roared in anguish nearby. He called for me. His pain sent a shudder through the forest.
I didn’t understand why our mate bond filled us with weakness. Roque’s pain was mine. His death would end me.Why had Solme Divige chosen Roque for me?Was I meant to destroy him?
I reached out to Solme Divige, hidden far away under the peaceful land of Arbdorre Territory, and begged her to help me.
Solme Divige’s magic filled my mind with images of Roque’s death. I saw him torn limb from limb. I witnessed the Cult of Ivitithi revealing his heart during their blood sacrifice to their ancient one.
The images felt like our destiny. There was no saving him. I went limp despite the Serpent Shifters piercing me with their dagger tongues. The agony of Roque’s death stole everything from me. My heart emptied. My mind forgot my training. I could no longer picture my sisters in the world.
Solme Divige filled the emptiness inside me with her power and bloodlust. I opened my eyes and exhaled softly. The magic in my body felt exhilarating. I was more than sword and bow. I was ancient magic made anew.
The Serpent Shifters froze as I rose to my feet. Solme Divige approved of their fear. I released my magic into the air, adjusting to the feel of its power. The Serpent Shifters watched me in horror. Their yellow eyes glowed before their bodies broke down to magenta mist.
In my mind, I witnessed Solme Divige’s throne awash in the same color. The ancient one lived again through her offspring, the New Armgard.
Roque’s roars beckoned to me. I felt his suffering. Not only the physical pain. He feared for me. The mate bond was driving him mad. Roque had no immunity to it.
Stuck between Shifter forms, Roque didn’t look like any species. His flesh tore open from the Warlocks’ magic. He immediately healed. The wounds were painful yet nonlethal.
I didn’t care if Roque was powerful enough to outlast these creatures. I needed his pain to stop.He was mine.I would do anything to save him. By revealing my magic in front of Roque, I had chosen to sacrifice my life to protect his.
The Warlocks and remaining Serpent Shifters transformed from flesh into mist. Their deaths satisfied Solme Divige. I felt her pleasure within my beating heart.
I found myself alone with my mate, who was sworn to kill my kind. Shifting back into human form, Roque growled deep in hischest. His icy blue eyes shone a steely silver as we watched each other.
The intensity of his hate filled the air. If I weren’t Armgard and certain Roque was my mate, I would have fled his rage. Instead, I chose to hold my ground.
Roque moved lightning fast and pinned me against a tree. His hand wrapped around my throat. I stared into his eyes, feeling neither afraid nor regretful. Saving him was the right choice.
“You,” Roque growled and leaned closer until his nose nearly touched mine. “I ought to gut you and walk away.”
“I had to protect you.”
Roque lifted me higher off the ground and tightened his hold on my throat. My survival instinct demanded I lash out, not to harm him but to escape.
His hand tightened until I felt lightheaded. I couldn’t speak. I only stared into his eyes and forgave him for hurting me. Roque’s choice to kill me arose from a lifetime of programming. He couldn’t see Calla any longer. I had simply become his enemy.
