Page 63 of Kingdom of Chaos
Ensley’s unconscious, but I can’t find an injury anywhere. I try to shake her awake, but nothing happens. Her chest is moving up and down, so at least she’s still alive.
She needs help. We need to get her out of here.
I look up just as Titus knees the male he’s been fighting with in the jaw. The large human goes down, hitting the ground hard. Titus stands over him, panting as he wipes blood from his lip with the back of his hand.
I yell for him and his head snaps up, his gaze passing over me to connect with Ensley. He’s over to us in an instant.
“Get her out of here,” I tell him, and he immediately scoops her up and starts for the door right as Noah and the other human who Tobias sent to look for Talon and me burst through the front door.
Pointing a hand at them, Titus sends a ball of faelight in their direction and they both dive out of the way, clearing the path for him to rush out the front door with Ensley.
The shadows in the room go berserk, racing erratically back and forth, making the chaotic situation worse. I know I’m doing it, but I don’t know how to control them.
I try to focus like Talon instructed, but I can’t quiet my mind enough to feel the power flowing through me like I should.
Oh, screw it. I’ve managed without magic my whole life. I’m not defenseless without it.
Noah is just getting to his feet when I catch him by surprise with a jump punch square to the middle of his face. He reels backward, blood spraying from his nose.
His hands fly up to cover his face, but I don’t give him time to recover. I deliver a roundhouse kick to his gut, knocking the air from his lungs.
I’m about to finish him off with a punch to the temple when someone grabs my hair and yanks me back. Hard. My footing slips, and I crash to the ground.
Before I can roll and get back up, the huge male who left with Noah drops on top of me, slamming his forearm across my throat and cutting off my air.
I claw at his arm, panic setting in, but he doesn’t budge. He’s an immovable force.
“You filthy creatures all had to do this the hard way, didn’t you?” he spits in my face.
I try to buck him off by twisting and lifting my body, but he’s too heavy and he actually laughs in my face.
I can’t breathe and my vision starts to go blotchy, sending a bolt of panic through me. A tornado of shadows swirls around us, and beefy guy looks up, fear widening his eyes.
All of a sudden, his face goes slack and his forearm disappears from my neck.
I cough as the male slides off me, collapsing face down on the floor, twitching. The swirling shadows dissolve, revealing Imogen standing above me, her intense gaze still locked on the male who had been choking me.
“Thanks,” I croak, pushing to my feet.
I barely have time to survey the room before Talon lands a brutal punch to Tobias’ jaw, dropping him unconscious and then turning toward us, panting, one hand pressed to his side.
The attackers are all down. He starts making his way over.
Imogen steps closer, fury burning in her eyes as she glares at the human still caught in her compulsion. Under different circumstances, I might feel bad for him, but I can still feel the phantom pressure of his forearm crushing my windpipe.
I swallow and wince at the soreness. Talon catches the movement. When he reaches me, he lowers his head to inspect my throat. His brows draw together in concern as he lifts a hand, brushing his fingers lightly over the bruised skin. His touch is featherlight, and despite everything, a shiver runs through me.
Suddenly, the man at our feet begins shouting, startling me. I jerk back from Talon and glance down. The human thrashes wildly, batting at the air and at himself, tears streaming down his face as he screams for help.
“Imogen, stop that,” Talon orders.
There’s a wicked gleam in Imogen’s eye that makes my skin crawl.
“Imogen!” Talon snaps at his cousin when she doesn’t listen, and she sighs.
She tilts her head and the male slumps to the floor, unmoving. Unconscious, I think.
“You are no fun,” she says, turning to Talon with her hands on her hips.
