Page 50 of The Irresistible Warrior
“Nay!” Aura cried, slipping from Declan’s grasp and moving to stand in front of him and shield him with her body. Her voice shook, but her chin lifted with fierce resolve. “You will not harm him. Take me if you must… but do not harm my husband.”
Declan’s blood roared in his ears. “Nay, Aura! You will not give your life for mine.” He stepped in front of her, his hands seizing her shoulders and his eyes burning into hers. “We are one. I will never let you go.”
Alweth’s laughter rolled low and cruel, echoing around the ring of stones. “How touching. But you are not truly husband and wife. I saw to that, though this would have gone more easily if at least one of those fools hadn’t failed me and abducted Aura as ordered. They all paid the price for their failure. And you, Declan, would have been rid of Aura before you lost your heart to her.”
“My heart was lost to Aura the day I first laid eyes on her. She will always have my love.”
Alweth turned an angry sneer on him. “I will see that memory wiped from her mind.”
“Nay!” Aura said, turning to Declan, his arms slipping around her once more. “Never. There is no power strong enough to wipe you and our love from my memory. I will never forget you.”
“Aye, you won’t, since we won’t be separated,” Declan said with fierce determination.
Alweth turned a smug grin on Theodora. “Tell me, Theodora, how does it feel to watch the daughter you have kept safe all these years pay the price for your broken word?”
The witch’s face twisted with fury. Her arms rose, words of power tearing from her throat as the air snapped with sparks of wild magic. Energy surged against Alweth like a raging storm, but he shielded himself with ease, barely moving as he did, and he smirked as though her effort amused him.
Declan didn’t hesitate. The witch had given him time to take flight, and he did. Tightening his hold on Aura, he headed for the pines. But the ground shuddered beneath them as they reached their only way out. A loud crack split the air, and he shoved Aura aside just as a massive pine branch came crashing down, slamming to earth and blocking their escape.
Alweth’s laughter rang out, rich with triumph. “Did you think it would be so easy? Theodora has no power to best me. None of you can.”
Declan glanced back, the witch’s chest heaved, and her face was pale with exhaustion. Her power was spent.
“Come to me, my love, it is time for us to go,” Alweth said, and summoned her to him with a wave of his hand.
Aura felt the pull, her legs moving against her will, and she clutched Declan’s arm, her voice breaking. “Declan…”
“Nay,” he said, keeping tight hold of her and being drawn along with her. “Never will I let you go.”
The pull grew stronger, tearing between them, and Declan fought to keep hold of her just as she fought to stay latched to him.
Alweth laughed as he teased them, letting them hold on, then putting space between them only to bring them back together again.
The witch watched helplessly, not a shred of power left to help her daughter no matter how hard she tried to conjure it.
Then the sky itself roared with a crack of thunder that split the air, rattling the stones. A blinding flare of light seared across the clearing. From its heart stepped a man—tall, broad-shouldered, long silver hair glinting like moonlight. His fine features were cut with stern resolve, his dark leather garments clinging to him as if forged by the storm itself.
His piercing gaze locked on the warlock. “This ends today, Alweth.”
Aura’s lips curved in a trembling smile, her eyes shining with hope as she whispered, “Da.”
Alweth stiffened and his voice dripped with venom. “So… the one who took what was mine thinks to conquer me? You are as foolish as your wife.”
Aura’s father stepped near the circle of stones, his presence filling the clearing with a force that made even the air shiver. “You threatened what is mine—my blood, my daughter. Today, Alweth, your darkness finds its end.”
A hiss escaped Alweth’s lips. He thrust his hand upward, and the stones groaned as if the earth itself bent to him. Shadows whipped around him, writhing like serpents ready to strike.
But Aura’s father answered with a single motion. He lifted his palm, and light poured from it, white and fierce, scattering the shadows like smoke in a gale. “You have always hidden behind trickery and curses. Face me with strength, if you dare!”
Alweth’s eyes narrowed. “Strength? You forget, I was always stronger. And this time, you have more to lose.” His gaze darted to Aura and Declan, his hand twitching with a spell ready to strike them down.
Aura’s father stepped into his path, his voice thundering. “You’ll never have them.”
The two powers collided. Darkness and light surged against each other, sparks snapping in the air. The stones shook, and the ground cracked beneath their feet.
Aura clung to Declan, her heart hammering as the clash sent waves of energy bursting outward, whipping her hair across her face.
Declan’s arms tightened around her, keeping her tight against him as they both kept their eyes on the fight.
