Page 109 of Forged By Heart and Claws
Footsteps approached fast.
For a heartbeat, I thought it was Rhielle—but no. I looked up into Kaylen’s icy eyes as she stopped beside us, hands perched on her hips and a smirk curling her lips.
CHAPTER 24
Briar
“Oh, Calla Lily,” Kaylen drawled. “This is it? Standing on her neck and giving some overdone villain monologue? How disappointingly predictable.”
What in the hell was Kaylen doing?
She wrinkled her nose in mock disgust. “I still remember seeing you at the Ascension Hall. I thought, ‘Who let that frizzed-out, fake-smiling, bland wench in?’ I almost killed you the same way I did that purple-haired brat.”
I groaned beneath Calla Lily’s weight. Even with the shadow wolves, we were outnumbered at least five to one. The ringing in my ears dulled the chaos, but not the pain.
Calla Lily flicked her hair and sneered. “And what exactly is your point?”
A bloodcurdling scream came from Kaylen, and she sprang forward.
The moment the weight lifted, I rolled, lungs heaving, and lunged toward the dais, my fingers fumbling for the dagger that had been plunged into Vad’s chest. My head spun, blood dripping down my face, blinding me.
Had Kaylen lost her mind?
A thunderclap cracked overhead, and lightning forked down into the center of the chamber. Thalen shielded Myantha, pushing her toward the bride’s door as three guards closed in. He parried their attacks with his wind daggers, spinning them in tight, efficient movements.
Veralt and Rhielle fought back-to-back on the east side of the hall, fending off Colm’s soldiers. And Vad held the front line before the double entryway doors, battling Colm again, his shadows tearing through Colm’s smoke like blades through fog.
I wiped blood from my eyes. If we could take out Colm and Calla Lily,the others would stop fighting. But with those cursed orbs, that was damn near impossible.
Calla Lily turned on Kaylen, fire blazing in her palms. “You wretched little creature!”
Kaylen sidestepped easily and summoned another air blade. “You lied to me, manipulated me, and cheated harder than I ever did. You don’t deserve to be queen. If I could set your mangy ass on fire again, I would!”
“I’m fire resistant,you’renot, you stupid cow!” Calla Lily shrieked. Flames erupted around Kaylen’s feet.
Kaylen launched herself into the air like a damn comet, her magic swirling around her like an inferno. “If there’s one thing you should’ve learned by now, it’s that I’m apettybitch. I could’ve lived with Fate choosing someone better, but to even think that some half-baked, mangy-fleshed, rat-blood of a person who thinks wearing fifteen different rings and six shades of pink is elegant could be queen?” She landed in a crouch, lips curling in a cold smile. “I’d rather die.”
Baring her teeth, Calla Lily lunged, a venom-coated dagger flashing in her hand. “Then die.”
Instead of dodging, Kaylenslammedherself into the blade, driving Calla Lily backward into the altar. She grabbed a fistful of golden curls and yanked hard.
Kaylen trembled, blood already soaking her side, but her sneer stayed razor-sharp. “Only if you come with me.” She jammed her hand into Calla Lily’s pocket, yanked out the soulshard orb, and hurled it into the air.
Calla Lily’s eyes went wide. She tried to shove Kaylen off, but Kaylen held on even when Calla Lily started twisting the blade in Kaylen’s side.
My mouth dried, and I tried to get to Kaylen. After what she’d just done, even she didn’t deserve a death like that.
The orb spun through the air until a massive wolf leapt up and snatched it mid-flight like a chew toy. It landed and padded away with its tail held high.
Blood bubbled from Kaylen’s side, but she collapsed, smirking.
Hot rage exploded in my chest, and I lunged, grabbing Calla Lily by the hair and slamming her face-first into the altar Vad had been chained to.
She shrieked. “You bitch!” She writhed beneath me, but I pinned her down. “Let me go!”
“Kaylen and I didn’t agree on much.” I allowed every ounce of hate to drip into my words as I pressed the blade to her throat. “But I’ll grant her final wish. This is for everyone you've hurt.” A thin line of blood bloomed beneath the dagger’s edge. “For every innocent you tortured. Andmyface will be the last thing you ever see.”
“No!” Calla Lily shrieked, kicking and thrashing. Her nails raked down my shoulder, but I leaned in harder. “Colm!Colm!Help me!”
