Page 283 of The Lands Defying
“Your mother corrupted you, she was too soft,” he tilts his head, smiling. “As she was in other places, according to your father. Just like Lasandrhea will be.” Heat prickles up my spine and a blast of power comes from me in a wave. The guards around me all fall to the side as I stalk toward Aldus.
Black spurts up with my footsteps, and my magic coats me like a second skin. I’m furious.
My magic is furious.
And with the little hint of fear creeping into Aldus’s eyes, I know what he sees.
An Heir of darkness.
An Heir of the below.
I raise my hand to the right, and in an instant, Drax is within me, standing tall and ready as I come to a halt in front of Aldus, as the battle rages on around me.
“You will not get within the barrier, Alpha Darius, and it is only a matter of time before Lord Higher comes to deal out your punishment, himself.”
“All the other Highers are dead, taken out one-by-one. What makes you think you will not be next?”
“They didn’t have the power granted to me. It is power like yours, but closer to the original source as it came from Catherine, and not her swine, which means your power isweaker.” I ignore him, challenging Drax’s own power to my hand. “Why not come back to our side? Has a female really swayed you? I never thought you weak to the wiles of women? Even Maize couldn’t sway you.”
“Maize is dead,” I growl, placing a hand on his barrier and watching as it ripples and sizzles around my palm.
“You Dare!” Beads of sweat form on Aldus’s brow, the smirk now none existent. “Why did you kill my protégé?” he asks, anger flashing in his eyes.
“Oh, I didn’t.” I smirk as he frowns. “My Vihnarn tore her throat out for daring insinuate to touch what is hers.”
“Vihnarn!” He shouts, hands forming fists at his side as the ripples expand over his barrier.
“Yes. And I will do the same to you.” I press more into the barrier, tiny, black flames appearing slowly. “My mother was kind, and everything that was good and warm. She was everything a son could need or want.” I spread my fingers, making a claw shape as the fire rapidly spreads around hisprotection. “And for her to be killed by the things you all brought to the lands…” I grit my teeth, feeling the cracks in his barrier as I push harder. “For you to have ever touched something else that is good and warm…I will get rid of you all and send you to Cazier, and let him tear you to pieces.”
His barrier is engulfed in black flames, and it’s like the oxygen is sucked out of the air and everything stills for one moment, then two.
Then his barrier breaks, a look of shock spreads over his face and I see him raising his hands, balls of purple in them but I smirk, letting the change come over me and then my two huge paws are sending him backwards to the floor.
He didn’t expect me to turn wolf, didn’t expect how quickly I could do it.
He screams in alarm, trying to get his hands up to defend himself, but it is already too late. I’m already tearing into him.
My claws sink into him and my jaw opens, going around his throat as I rip into him. He screams on a gurgle, and I release him to put my mouth around his head, my teeth piercing into his flesh. His hands hit my sides, causing pain to rattle through me, but I clamp my teeth down, feeling the blood dribble from them as I shake him back and forth.
His body swings left and right, his head still captured between my teeth as I growl, darkness hovering below me like a shadow. I shake him violently, hitting a few guards who try to come at me, but my brothers are there, taking them down.
The pain he pushes into my body becomes worse, and I growl, snarling as I chomp on his head, savagely shaking it, and then I stop.
Aldus is barely breathing now, blood splattering everywhere and I maneuver him to where I want him, placing my front paws on his chest.
Biting a little more to get a better grip with my back teeth, I pull my head back.
It doesn’t take much for his head to pop off in my grip, nor does it take much to bite down one last time and let the remains of his head fall from my mouth.
I growl down at his headless body, tearing into his arms next, his chest, his legs and belly. I make sure nothing is left as a haze of fury comes over me.
As I let that feral side come alive, and I don’t stop.
I can’t stop.
It isn’t until something prickles in my mind.
A strand…one that shines so brightly that I pause and look up, distracted from my prey.
