Page 312 of Halfblood Deceived

“No!” Aella cried along with Mari.

Andreas fell to his knees.

“No,” Zeydan said. His chest twisted so hard with anguish that Aella felt the pain echo inside her. “Fuck no.”

Mari placed her glowing green hand over Andreas’s wound, but there was so much blood—

The other two gargoyles launched themselves at Aella and Zeydan.

Zeydan placed Aella behind him, unsheathing another sword. He diverted a blow of red energy with a kinetic shield at the same time as he blocked the slice of a sword with his blade.

Aella felt a layer of invisible protection covering her.

The gargoyles roared and sliced at Zeydan.

He grabbed one male’s forearm, twisting and breaking bones, and knocked the other gargoyle on his ass with his telekinesis, roaring like a lion.

Another gargoyle broke off from the fight across the fountain and went after them. Aella turned to protect Zeydan’s back and summoned her sword. It flew from the fountain to her waiting hand, just in time for her to block the first blow. A deluge of adrenaline that she didn’t know her sore body was capable of flooded her veins. A feral growl crawled from her throat.

Over my dead body. That gargoyle would have to go through her to hurt Zeydan.

Aella blocked and sliced, blocked and sliced. She held her sword with two hands to block a blow, but the impact sent her stumbling. Her back collided with Zeydan’s solid body. He pressed against her, and she knew without words what he offered.

Aella used Zeydan’s unyielding strength to drive herself forward and blocked her opponent’s next strike so hard that the male lost his sword. She kicked the gargoyle in the stomach to stop him from reaching for his sword and sliced at his chest, opening a deep gash. She sliced again and once more until his head rolled on the stone, and his body fell right after.

Breathing hard, she turned to find that Zeydan had dispatched his massive opponents, too.

They shared a look loaded with anguish and all they couldn’t say, then turned as one to see Micah running toward the road—

A blue truck appeared on the left side of the road in a blur of speed. It hit Micah so hard that he flew off his feet and landed on his back, breaking his other wing.

The collision crushed the middle of the truck’s hood. It stopped brusquely as the driver hit the brakes, and Aella immediately recognized the person holding the wheel.

“Aiko?!” Aella and Zeydan called.

Aiko waved at them from the truck.

“She’s alive,” Zeydan said, his brow tight with confusion and lips parted in awe.

“She is,” Aella said.

Aiko tried to start the truck again, but the engine made unpromising noises. The small girl left the truck and came to Aella’s side.

“Hello, Zeydan,” she said.

Zeydan let out a hard breath, placing his hand on her shoulder. “Hello, Aiko.” His verdant, shifted eyes reflected horror at what they’d done to her, but also stunned joy.

Aella knew how he felt. “How did you get a truck?” she asked.

“I found Isaiah by the road,” Aiko said. “He told me to wait in the truck, but I was worried about you.”

Aella’s heart clenched. Oh, you brave girl. “I see.”

Zeydan squeezed Aiko’s shoulder gently.

The three of them turned to find the battle was almost over.

Diana, Kerian, and Sebastian were decapitating their last three gargoyle foes. Isaiah was sitting on the fountain’s edge, holding his stomach. Evan had one hand on the gargoyle male’s shoulder.

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