“All right. I’ll deal with Candela, you get in there.”
She nodded, her gaze locked on his. “Don’t get hurt, Brodin.”
Gorr, he wanted to kiss her. “Once this is over, we’ll go back to my lair. I have lots more plans for you, Poppy Ellison.”
She smiled. “Deal.”
They turned toward Candela.
Brodin stalked toward the warlord, and the woman’s single eye narrowed on him. Then it flicked briefly to Poppy, making her way toward the panel.
“Oh, no, you don’t.” She yanked something off her belt and threw it.
Metal rolled across the surface of the machine, slowed, then burst open.
The small device looked like a metallic spider. It skittered on its legs, then launched at Poppy.
“Poppy, look out!” Brodin roared.
She threw an arm up. The device clamped on her forearm, and she screamed.
“Poppy—” He’d taken one step when Candela raced at him. She raked him with her claws.
Brodin leaped back. Three raw scratches opened up on his chest.
Poppy was panting. She reached up with her free hand and broke the legs off the metal creature. She cried out, then tore it off her arm. It hit the ground, and she stomped on it.
“Poppy?” he called out.
She cradled her arm against her chest, her face pinched. “I’m fine. It burns, but I’m already feeling better.”
He turned to Candela. Enough. He stepped forward.
Candela’s eye widened. She threw more balls at him.
Mid-air, they also burst into spiders, and clamped on to his chest.
Ah, gorr. The pain was excruciating. The legs dug into his skin, pumping poison into him.
Like Poppy had said, it burned.
Candela laughed, and the sound was filled with delight. She clearly enjoyed other people’s pain.
Brodin gritted his teeth and yanked the devices off, one by one.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Poppy dive into a hole in the machine.
Good. His gorgeous woman would stop it.
He looked back at Candela, and caught a look of panic in the warlord’s eye.
A shot of savage satisfaction filled him. “Ah, not so sure of your device after all?”
The warlord’s mouth flattened. “I’ll enjoy watching you and your whore racing around, trying to save the day.”
“I’ll enjoy stabbing you with my claws and watching the light fade from your eyes.” He smiled. “I mean eye. My woman already took care of your other one.”
“If you do that, Brodin, at least it will stop her yapping.” It was Annora’s voice. His First Claw pulled herself over the edge. “You hurt my sister, you gorr-cursed witch.” Annora’s claws slid free.
Thadd pulled himself up beside Annora, and yanked his sword free of its scabbard.
It lit up, glowing with gold energy.
Annora ran across the top of the machine, her long legs flying.
Candela threw up her arm and touched the band on her wrist.
A blue energy shield flared to life. Annora hit her and it sizzled. His First Claw flew backward, then caught herself in a crouch.
“Oh, this is working very nicely.” Candela smiled at the shield. “It’s still experimental and untested, you know.”
Thadd started forward, his face grim.
“Well. A Zhalton.” Candela studied him. “I heard you spent some quality time with Krastin, Captain Naveri.”
A muscle ticked in Thadd’s jaw. He swung his sword.
It hit Candela’s energy shield and shimmered.
“How about we try this sweet little invention next?” She held up her claw glove. The center of the palm started to glow… It sucked energy right out of Thadd’s sword.
Brodin sucked in a breath and watched the gold energy flow into her glove.
Then she sent a blast toward the captain.
It hit Thadd mid chest and he flew backward, landing on his back.
Annora raced to him, and thankfully, Thadd seemed unharmed. He sat up, shaking his head.
He rose, his fierce scowl directed at Candela.
Rage flared in Annora’s face.
Brodin attacked. He rammed into Candela’s shield, and it knocked him back.
“Naveri,” Annora cried. She ran and leaped into the air. Thadd lifted his hands, and a pulse of power lifted Annora higher.
She sailed straight up, then straight over Candela’s shield.
With a curse, the warlord dodged, but Annora’s kick connected with Candela’s head. The woman cried out, her shield winking out of existence.
Suddenly, lights on the machine under them winked off.
“No!” Candela screamed. “No.”
Poppy’s head popped up from the opening. She was beaming.
Brodin smiled. She’d done it.
Candela made an infuriated sound. She scrambled to her feet and held up her palm. Energy gathered, pulled from all around them. She aimed it at Poppy.
No. Brodin was already moving, but he was too far away to stop it.
Annora leaped in between Poppy and the warlord.
The blast lifted her off her feet, and flung her off the edge of the machine.
Brodin’s chest locked. She was tumbling over and over. She wouldn’t land on her feet. She’d break every bone in her body.
Thadd cursed, shoved his sword in its scabbard, and ran. With a powerful leap, he sailed into the air.
With a pulse of energy, he sailed high, and caught Annora in his arms. The pair dropped out of sight.
Sucking his anger deeper, Brodin morphed, growing larger and more muscular in his semi-shift. His claws grew longer.
Poppy stepped up behind him.
He growled. “This is the end, Candela.”
“It won’t end here,” Candela drawled. “Your father is relentless. He’ll never stop.”
Poppy heard Brodin growl again, the terrifying sound raising the hairs on her arms.
She stepped closer to him; his muscular back was tense, and every muscle strained.
“For now, I’ll take killing you and destroying your machine,” Brodin said.
“It’s filled with my sweet Damari poison. You might’ve set me back, but I don’t give up, either.”
“You can’t hurt anyone if you’re dead.” Brodin charged, his claws out. Her shield went up.
He hit it and kept up the pressure.
Through the blue glimmer, he saw her grimace.
Brodin pushed, using all his strength and Candela slid backward. He kept pushing and she looked back over her shoulder. The edge was getting closer.
“Your soft Zhylaw bones won’t survive a long fall, will they?” he said.
“You’re just an animal relying on brute strength.”
“Is that supposed to be an insult?” He shoved her harder.
Poppy moved closer, willing her own strength into Brodin. Just a little bit farther, and this would all be over.
Candela’s face twisted. She glared at Poppy. “If not for you, he’d be drowning in guilt and rage, grieving for all his dead. I would’ve watched the dirty wolves descend into madness.”
“You are the worst kind of evil,” Poppy said. “Seeing others as beneath you. As things you can torture and hurt. I’ll enjoy seeing the end of you.”
Suddenly, Candela released her shield. Brodin lurched forward, but Candela dropped to the ground.