Page 87 of Dark & Dreadful Brutes

Her fire blazed over the stone, and my eyes widened slightly as I watched it engulf the ancient magic none of my people could affect.

She blazed so brightly that I couldn’t see her through the flames.

“There,” Coarse growled, and my attention snapped to the side of the river.

I studied it for a moment before my eyes finally caught the movement.

Someone was running toward the river.

Not just toward the river—toward Laeli.

Toward my mate.

A second thought didn’t cross my mind as I sprinted toward the coming storm.

“Watch my female,” I growled at Gleam and Coarse, who snarled together in response.

Both of them wanted to fight, but there would be nothing left to fight for if they had time to hurt her.

Gleam stayed on my tail as I leapt over the river and launched at the fae sprinting toward my female. I threw my magic into my blood and skin, and my icy armor and claws swelled for battle.

The moment I saw the fae’s face, I recognized him as one of Ria’s closest friends.

We had been friends once too, before the two of them joined the cult.

Now, mine would be the last face he saw.

He rolled to the side fast enough to dodge most of my warriors—but I wasn’t most of my warriors.

My claws sliced through his throat.

He ducked backward, his eyes full of surprise as he grabbed at his neck.

The damned cultists thought they were as strong as those of us who had gone to war for our kingdom for centuries, but they were wrong. They were just a hell of a lot better at hiding than we were.

“Where’s Ria?” I growled at him, while his blood dripped off my claws.

His eyes stormed, but he didn’t answer.

It was better to send them a message than to waste my time on torture, so I went at him again.

His next motion was clumsy. Too clumsy.

He swung at me, and I ignored the burn of his sword as it cut lightly through my ice and into my side.

My claws sliced through his chest—where I found his heart, and cut through the organ without hesitation.

The man fell to his knees, gasping for air as his body began to shut down.

I was already searching the horizon, looking for more cultists.

There.

I turned toward one—but through the corner of my eye, saw Laeli slip off the rock she’d been kneeling on.

The water engulfed her, and I started to move.

“I’ve got her. Focus on the attack,” Coarse growled into my mind as he and two other idorr dove in behind her.

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