Page 93 of The Lands Defying
Darius stills at my side, not moving, not twitching. He’s a solid form under my grip as I breathe heavily through my nose. The ground trembles slightly beneath his feet, his power coming from the ground like a swirling wind up to his ankles.
His palm comes up slowly from his side and I watch, my eyes following it until it reaches my cheek. It’s like he did it without thought, the movement automatic, and I let his warmth comfort me as he moves his hand until his fingers come under my chin.
Lifting my face gently, my eyes move up his chest and rest on his neck where his dark Heir markings pulse, feeling mine repeat in kind. When I finally reach his face, his eyes are completely black apart from his glowing, light green pupils, and those silver flecks.
I sense his wolf within, so close to the surface now that I can sense destruction, but I don’t falter my gaze even as I know he can see the shame in my own, sense the pain from Frederick’s words no matter how hard I try to banish the feeling.
“Do not listen, Vihnarn,” he rumbles, his voice deep and I clench my eyes shut at him calling me that. “I will bring his heart to you,” he continues. “I will rip it from his still-breathing body. I will show it to him while he takes his last breath. The last thing he will see is the Heir of Cazier carrying out vengeance for all that was done to what is his.” I shiver at his words, my eyes springing open to see the tails of his power floating behind both shoulders.
Frederick and Mathew laugh.
But I don’t think they should.
“You think you can go against a Higher?” Mathew says, eyeing the beast still standing next to him.
I harden my gaze before looking back at them, feeling myself sink deeper into cold rage for the little girl who ran though flowers and danced underneath the stars, before she had it ripped away by those in power for their sick deeds.
“Dar,” I whisper. He doesn’t answer, but I know he’s listening by the tilt of his head. “If you think I’m going to stand back and let you take his heart without my involvement, you don’t know me very well at all.”
He lets out a breathy laugh. “Little wolf,” he rumbles from deep in his chest, that lights me up from the inside. “If I don’t find at least one wound on their bodies from your blade, I will be very disappointed.” I turn my eyes to him and they become determined. “But get yourself hurt and I won’t be responsible for what I do to you.” I blink, then blink again before nodding.
Darkness surrounds us suddenly, and I call my power to my palms to light the area we are enclosed in.
I don’t think about how to control my magic, I don’t gently try and will it do as I ask.
No.
I can’t think much at all as we split up, and I open my senses to focus on the heartbeats I can hear.
I know Darius’s magic surrounds everywhere here, but it’s only us in the barrier. We move around in a wide circle, listening to their shouts of alarm, along with their guards.
Josh breathes quietly beside me, his eyes furious and his grip strangling his blade. He glances at me, nodding that he’s ready. The Elites don’t even so much as look at each other, they don’t communicate in any way, already knowing what’s aboutto happen as they have probably done this a hundred times together.
The Highers shout for back up, and I can hear the head guard moving around. A sudden purple glow can be seen, and the beast roars, making the other beasts in the cages roar with them.
My heart pounds as Darius looks at me as we settle behind them all, roaming his eyes over the cut on my thigh and arm, then the next second, the darkness evaporates.
I lunge forward and my blade is in the guard’s neck, dead before he can even do anything.
I see the Elites go directly for the Highers as Josh turns around, growling as more guards pour into the room.
Trusting the others to go to the Highers, we go for the guards as that beast roars again. I lash out with my blade, catching the shoulder of one guard and I call my power to my hand. Feeling it concentrate at my palm, I lift it and push. A wave of magic follows, slamming into some of the guards and their front line topples over.
Josh is on them, slicing and stabbing until a puddle of red can be seen as I join him.
More guards come from the back, and I have a sickening feeling that maybe they ported in. And if they did, that means someone went back and asked for back up.
That means the other Highers could know.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
“Darius!” I shout, leaning back as the curve of a blade comes for my head.
“Yes, little wolf,” he grits out, and then a ball of purple flies past me, hitting a guard in the chest.
We all seem to watch as he coughs, blood spewing out of his mouth, the ball of power sinking into his chest, eradicating through his body, growing smaller and smaller the deeper it goes until it evaporates.
I see a thin layer of skin in the center of his chest, which must be his back, and then the body drops.
