A sliver of agony sliced through my mind, and I found Kael pinned beneath a lion. I held my palm out as the lion snapped at his neck, but I hesitated.
Could I justify attacking him? It wasn’t self-defense, but what if he killed my partner?
I couldn’t lose Kael.
I pulled in a breath, preparing to attack, when every ounce of air whooshed from my lungs. I’d hit the ground. Hard. A snarling lioness had me pinned. Her claws dug into my back, and hot air warmed my cheek as she growled in my ear.
Pain ripped across my back, and I wondered if I would die from being crushed or having a vital organ punctured first.
“Please,” I said. I could taste dirt on my lips as I gasped the word. “I didn’t kill them.” I tried to shift; the weight hurt so much, I couldn’t stand it. I let out a cry as her claws sank deeper.
Kael was saying something in my mind, but I couldn’t decipher them through the agony. Out of my peripheral, I stared at the lioness’s eyes. Even in her animal form, I could see the pain and loss glistening in the deep, golden orbs. A thought suddenly occurred to me. Had one of her children been one of the ones the two women we’d met made off with?
“Bibi’s. The children…they’re at Bibi’s.”
The weight lifted slightly, and the lioness stopped snarling. I was able to twist slightly, though she kept her claws in my back. A shadow floated toward her and wreathed her neck like a strangling serpent. Whatever doubt I’d placed in her was chased away as she roared with murder in her eyes. Before she could end me, I struck.
The attack was swift and lethal. She tilted off me, and as I sat up, she twitched once in a pool of blood before stilling. For a moment, everything went still. Then, a pained voice yelled out.
“Wife!”
I tore my eyes from the lioness to find the chief standing beside the altar. His gaze was wild, drinking in the sight of his dead mate.
I had just orphaned a child and tore away a man’s lover.
Murderer.
What had I done?
Roars shook the air and rattled in my chest. The tawny bodies of lions ringed around me as I struggled to my feet. Agony lashed down my back, and made it painful to move my arms. There was a commotion on the other side of the lions, and as I raised my hand to attack those closing in, the chief’s voice rang out once more.
“Stop!”
The lions parted, clearing the path so I could see unhindered. The chief held the key in one hand. In the other was the ivory spear, the point of it touching Kael’s neck where he lay on the ground, teeth bared in a growl.
Vehrin walked into view. “You can only choose one, Olivia. The key, or your mate.”
Chapter 25
My mate?
It would almost be amusing if we weren’t both in peril at the moment. Why did everyone keep referring to Kael as my mate? I certainly wasn’t a jaguar shifter.
Thank God for that. Kael’s voice in my mind was strained, despite the light-heartedness of his words.
I stared at the spearpoint threatening to pierce his fur and flesh to rip through his jugular. Are you okay?
I’m fine.
Glad to hear it, mate. I laughed internally at my sarcastic comment, but Kael went suddenly stoic through our unusual bond. Perhaps he was in more pain than he was letting on. Blood stains melded into the golden-brown of his spotted fur.
I glanced up at the chief and swore I could hear a menacing growl rumbling through his heaving chest. The key was still clenched in his hand. Vehrin stood several feet away, hovering like a vulture. He was wanting me to choose between the key and Kael. If I chose the key, I could keep it out of his hands and he’d be less of a threat to the world, and I’d save thousands of innocent lives. My gaze dropped back down to my partner.
It was an impossible choice.
I’m going to get us out of this, I promised him.
Kael let out a low snarl, and his long tail flicked with agitation. Don’t be stupid. Take the key.
And have you get killed? I don’t think so. You owe me poetry and a date, remember?
I sliced a glare to Vehrin. “How do I know if I give up the key, you’ll spare Kael’s life?”
Vehrin smiled warmly, though no light of amusement or earnestness reached his unnerving violet eyes. He raised a hand and pressed his palm to the chest of his long tunic. The runes sewn into the fabric shimmered with the movement.
“On my honor as a mage, Olivia, he will not come to harm.”
“Your honor? Do mages have any? From what I have seen, you are seriously lacking in that particular department of ethics.”
He cocked his head. “You tell me. You are a mage, yourself. Do you not think of yourself as honorable?”
I could hear the soft padding of pacing lions around me, the air pierced occasionally by an impatient growl. They wanted blood. My blood, and Kael’s. They wouldn’t wait much longer.
“You and I are worlds apart,” I said.
Vehrin’s smile faded. “We did not used to be. We ruled together, you and I. You were magnificent, dark and fierce. We were unbreakable.” Though the dark mage stood a distance from me, his voice crooned in my ear. “Do you not remember who you were?”
Memories flickered to life in my mind like a sputtering candle flame.
An incoming storm rumbled in the distance and already sent the canopy dancing below. Birds flew down, seeking sanctuary in the swaying branches. I held my arms toward the gray sky. The growing tempest sent a current of energy prickling over my bare arms. It vitalized me and sent my magic purring around me like a brilliant cloak. Beside me, Vehrin whispered in my ear.
“How beautiful you are,” he said. “How strong.”
A slow grin lifted my face. Thunder rumbled like the growls of my guardian at my back, and lightning pierced from the sky at my command. Rain fell, and I could taste the remnant of my own magic as the droplets rolled over my lips.
I blinked. The dark mage watched me with a knowing smile. “You could bring storms, and fierce winds. You could use your magic to bend people to do your will. You could hurt and maim, but also summon flowers to bloom and trees to bear fruit. Great things were done by your hands, things you cannot even dream of, trapped in this shadow of yourself.” Vehrin held his hand out to me. “Come. Join me, and I will show you the full spectrum of your incredible capabilities. Join me, Olivia, and we will rule this world. We once were worshipped as gods, and with you by my side again, this earth will once again see great things.”
I stared at his outstretched hand as if in thought, but not one ounce of me was tempted. There was no denying what I had once been—the magic in my veins and knowledge of forgotten text was proof of my ancient being. However, I was no longer some ruling sorceress with people worshipping me at my feet.
The air around us had gone still; the lions had stopped their pacing and snarling. Had Vehrin been so wrapped up in trying to convince me to join them, he hadn’t really put thought to what he was saying?
I gave him a sly grin. “Pretty speech. You might want to be careful, though. You’re losing your audience.”
While the dark mage had been urging me to join him, telling me we’d rule together and be worshipped like gods, the shifters were also listening. More than a few of them curled their lips back to show teeth.
Vehrin was unbothered by the lions who began to turn malevolent stares toward him. “It doesn’t matter what they think. The chief knows you are the enemy, and since he is their alpha, they must obey his command.”
The chief was still glaring daggers at me. Vehrin was right. It didn’t matter if the other shifters doubted the validity of the mage’s words. If the chief told them to tear me to pieces, they would. As long as their leader was under Vehrin’s influence, we were outnumbered.
“Last chance, Olivia. I will not ask again.” Vehrin still held his hand toward me. “Join me, or die.”
Magic licked around my hand in preparation. “If I die, I’ll just come back in three hundred years
and make your life hell.”
Vehrin’s violet eyes flashed, and his nostrils flared. Magic cuffed his wrists like smoke-wreathed snakes. “So be it.”
He turned toward the chief and raised his hand. The chief moved his hand to the key, ready to relinquish it to Vehrin.
I released an attack, but instead of striking the dark mage, my energy wrapped around the leader of the lion shifters. Magic swirled around his head, much like it had done when I’d knocked the youth unconscious, but instead of causing him to pass out, my attack hit sort of barrier. Vehrin’s magic. And its touch was twisted and vile.
I pushed, sending more of my power ratcheting against the hold the dark mage had on him. My mind strained, and I gritted my teeth. The evil magic started to give, and then I felt a snap beneath the onslaught of my energy.
The relic flew from the chief’s hand as he stumbled.
Kael, free from the threat of the spear, swiped at the key as it bounced across the ground. A terrible roar broke through the air, and the chief exploded into a massive lion. He shook his mane and roared again, the sound if it vibrating through my chest. He stalked toward Vehrin, and the remaining lions followed suit.
My partner was closing in on the key, but just as his paw reached for it, a burst of energy fanned out from Vehrin.
I grunted as the force of it sent me landing hard on the ground several feet back. Warm blood filled my mouth, and I sat up to spit it out. I’d bitten the inside of my cheek on impact. I wiped my hand across my mouth as my eyes locked on my enemy’s glowing, violet gaze. His lips lifted in a cold, cruel smile.
The air went eerily silent. A tingle scattered over me as if a thousand spiders ran across my skin. Vehrin raised his arms, and brought forth chaos.
I had seen the soldiers he summoned and sculpted from shadow before, but not like this. The ones Kael and I had faced in the ruins in England had been dangerous, but Vehrin was stronger now than he’d been then. The soldiers dropping from thin air around us emanated only one powerful thing…the drive to wipe us all from the earth.
But there must be hope. Vehrin wouldn’t have gone through all this trouble if his army was unbeatable. For all of his confidence and bluster, there had to be a weak point, a reason he hadn’t taken this approach from the start.
The problem was, I didn’t know what that was, and although the lion shifters had been attempting to kill us twenty minutes ago, I feared for their safety as Vehrin’s ruthless soldiers rushed forward.
Kael, help the shifters. I’m going to get the key.
I caught a glimpse of him through the tangle of roaring lions and darting soldiers. He already had his jaws on the throat of a soldier thrashing in the throes of death, and a flash of fierce pride went through me at the sight. I tore my gaze from him and scanned the ground. The key was no longer where I’d seen it last; I hoped that was because it had been kicked away by the battling crowd, and not because it was in Vehrin’s grasp.
My gaze darted up to seek him out, and I found him standing safely outside of the melee. Coward. He would wait until the lions were dead before simply strolling in and plucking the relic from the dirt. My nostrils flared, and I curled my hands into fists.
Not if I got the key first.
I darted into the frenzy, eager magic burning across my skin. I gave into the urge and released it. Power swirled forth, and my wrists twisted, directing the magic toward the soldiers. A flicker of satisfaction bolstered me as each soldier fell. Lions ran past, and a few times only quick footwork kept me from losing my balance.
A lioness dashed by, and as she swept from my path, I spotted the key. My heart leapt. It was only a few feet away. I side-stepped around two young lions taking on a trio of soldiers. Magic crackled around my knuckles, ready to blast away anyone who hindered me. I was so close. I bent down, and just as my fingers brushed the dark key, a body slammed into me.
My magic fled as my head bounced against the packed dirt. Stars scattered across my vision, and a piercing ring stabbed my ears. A horrid smell of decay filled my nostrils. I blinked the flecks of light from my eyes and found one of Vehrin’s soldiers pinning me to the ground.
He didn’t say anything as he stared down at me with the eyes of a serpent. Instead, he grinned widely, and a forked tongue flicked against my cheek.
Ugh, gross.
As I shifted under his weight, I realized these weren’t simply soldiers Vehrin had conjured from who-knew-where. They had to be demons. Which, if that were the case, they couldn’t really do me harm.
I had Bibi’s earring in my pocket. She’d said it would protect us against wild beasts…and demons. I wrestled it free with one hand right before the demon tried to strike. His curved claws stopped an inch from my throat, and his scant eyebrows pinched on his green-tinged face. I grinned and twisted my opposite wrist.
My bracelet turned into my sword, and the blade punched through the demon’s gut. He flopped off me, a terrible squeal pouring from him. Within seconds, he was still.
I lurched up and tried to beckon my magic, but my vision blurred. I sighed sharply. My energy was too low. It would replenish, and I hoped it wouldn’t take too long to do so.
Kael’s snarl suddenly came from somewhere on my right. I scanned the still-battling crowd and found him standing alongside the chief as they advanced toward Vehrin. Though Kael was the largest jaguar I’d ever seen, the lion at his side was massive.
Demons came at me, but each of their reaching limbs and gnashing teeth seemed to glide around me like water. Kael’s elephant tusk earring was lost somewhere with his shredded clothing. If an attack came up behind him, he would be vulnerable. I kept my eye out for the key as I ran to help him.
An icy laugh pierced the air.
There was a small smile on the dark mage’s face as Kael and the chief stalked toward him. Cruel intentions burned in his gaze, and unease twisted in my gut.
Kael! Get out of there!
My partner paused and turned to look at me, but the chief dashed forward.
It was so quick, I couldn’t tell what happened. One second, the chief was reaching toward Vehrin with tearing claws, and the next, he hit the ground several yards away in a lifeless heap.
My heart jolted. The lions stilled, heads swiveling toward their fallen leader. Kael ran with me toward the chief.
He couldn’t be dead, could he?
Vehrin took advantage; more demons poured in. The lions jumped back into action, their attacks fierce, fueled by grief and anger.
The chief’s lion form melded away to reveal a man lying on the ground. That meant he was alive, or it should have meant that, but I knelt down to check. With shaking fingers, I felt under his jaw. His pulse was weak, but it was there.
“He’s alive,” I said.
Kael made a noise that resembled a sigh. Good. Now come on. We have to get that key.
I stood, peering down at the unconscious shifter. If he was left unattended, a demon could easily come along and finish him off. I pulled out Bibi’s earring and pressed it into his palm, then curled his fingers around it.
Kael stared at me, and even though he was in his jaguar form, I could still read the “that guy wanted you dead and here you are sacrificing your armor for him” look.
You’ll be vulnerable, he argued.
I turned back toward the fighting. My magic was already beginning to warm back inside of me.
“I am anything but vulnerable.”
I hefted my blade and strode back into battle once again.
Chapter 26
My skin prickled as the demons ran toward us. It was as if they somehow knew my shield had been cast aside and they couldn’t wait to get their claws in my flesh.
Kael dashed from my side, muscles rippling as he ran sleek and deadly as the blade in my hand. He leaped with a snarl, and his jaws closed around the neck of one of Vehrin’s demons. The demon quickly fell to the ground with a thud, and Kael swiped at the legs of another as it ran my way. A cracked scream fled him as the
jaguar’s sharp claws tore through the demon’s tendon. He stumbled forward, and with a swift downward arc, my sword ended his life.
With each demon felled, more filled their place. I gritted my teeth. My energy had rejuvenated, but I was hesitant to use my magic. I still had a dark mage to contend with once we got through the onslaught of demons.
The lions hadn’t stopped fighting. They darted in and snatched at demons with their powerful jaws. While Kael’s strengths were speed and agility, the lion shifters were all muscle and power. They worked together in small groups, focusing on a few demons at a time. Good strategy. They were taking down a sizeable chunk of our enemies.
Livvie! Get to the key!
In the battle with the demons, I’d forgotten about the key. I scanned the ground through the churning bodies and puffs of dust. This was going to be impossible.
One of the lions backed into me by accident, and I stumbled into a demon. It screeched and whirled around, then knocked me to the ground.
This demon had a long-curved tail like some monstrous scorpion, and I had to roll as he jabbed at me with the venomous barb. When the demon’s deadly appendage stabbed into the dirt beside my shoulder, I took the opportunity and swung my sword. My blade cut clean through the tail, and inky blood splattered across my chest. Thank goodness most of it landed on my shirt; the few flecks of blood peppered on my skin burned.
I lurched to my feet as the demon bellowed. Its eyes glittered like a beetle as it gathered itself and reached for me. A trickle of magic flowed from my fingers gripping the hilt of my sword and licked down my blade. I plunged it forward into the creature’s chest. Its eyes widened in surprise.
After bracing a foot against the demon’s body and yanking my sword free, I left the demon to gargle on the earth as I continued my search. The key had to be around here somewhere.
Focus. Instead of using my eyes, I tapped into the other sense of myself that could feel the key. A slight tug tingled at the edges of my mind, and I swiveled. There!
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