Hot tears coated my eyes. “Can you do…anything? Anything at all? Slice through it, cut a hole…anything?”
She pulled her hands away, and I ran through how long it would take us to backtrack and then work around the kingdom to the area where the portals let out.
As if hearing my thoughts, she turned slightly, looking behind me to where the demons stood in a cluster, watchful and silent.
“I can use their magic to fuel me. Borrowing a demon’s magic feels a little like…wading through sludge, and it’s hard to hold on to, but I can use it for a time to open a sort of doorway.” Her indigo eyes landed on me. “I will have to physically hold the door open while you run through. It will tax all of those connected to me, so you’ll have to hurry. Then, when we can’t hold it anymore, we’ll be locked out.”
“If I can’t release that curse, you’ll be glad for it.”
I looked behind me at the dragons landing and the wolves running toward us. Hannon, Hadriel, and Leala jogged my way. They’d been part of the first wave, but they were slower on their two legs. I wasn’t sure why Hadriel wouldn’t change, but I knew Leala wouldn’t have been any faster in her other form, and Hannon still hadn’t figured out how to release his animal. I wondered if he’d be stunted forever.
The next words out of my mouth nearly killed me.
“We’ll wait for the rest to arrive. When we’ve assembled, let’s do it.”
Hannon stopped next to me, out of breath. “They’re coming,” he said. “They’re almost here. Not long now.”
More dragons landed as he scanned my face. A line formed between his brows. He nodded but didn’t comment. He could read me well, and he knew the stakes. We had precious little time.
“Finley, you will never believe this…” Hadriel shook his head and bent down to rest his hands on his knees. Tamara glanced at me, standing with the Wyvern dragons in the flesh, waiting for an opening to unleash hell. “I swear I saw…” He gulped down air. “It’s impossible, I know that. But I swear I saw… Fuck, my wolf is clamoring to get out. That fucking alpha— No offense, sir. Anyway, I first saw her belowdecks when I was checking on people—before Vemar started running his mouth. That guy is not right in the head, Finley. And then just now… I mean, she had a cloak, and her face was all shadowed, so maybe she’s just a look-alike, but I swear to the goddess she looked just like—”
“Goddess help me, Hadriel, do you ever shut up?” Jade barked. “Get your head right. We’re heading into battle.”
He nodded, straightening up, and I saw the fear lining his face. He wasn’t built for battle.
I put my hand on his shoulder and gave him my undivided attention for a moment.
He swallowed, his gaze latching on to mine like a drowning man might grab a piece of driftwood.
“You’re going to be okay, okay?” I told him softly. “Stick with Hannon. He’ll make sure you don’t come to any harm. He might seem calm and gentle, but he will rise to the occasion when he has to. He’s a Mosgrove—my family was built tough.”
He nodded, his face somewhat slack. “I know. I stole him a really nice chef’s knife and a good axe from the tavern, so he’s armed.”
I let the smile touch my eyes, if only briefly. “Perfect. His favorite weapons.”
“I’ll make sure our family is okay,” Hannon told me. “I’ll go to them first.”
I released Hadriel and looked at my brother, my heart swelling. I nodded. “Hide them. Don’t let Father fight or Dash get any crazy ideas and sneak out. Hide them until this is all over.”
Micah landed not far away, having stayed to the air to watch the progress of the others while the faeries worked. He stalked up to me, large slabs of lethal muscle shining in the new night. His dark brown eyes took me in, chasing away some of my fears and doubts and alighting my fierce determination. The alpha commander had stepped onto the battlefield, and regardless of his unwanted and very confusing effects on me, I had to admit that he owned his mantle. He was a good guy to have on our side.
“The last of them are minutes away—a few of the…more seasoned dragons and the smaller wolves.”
More seasoned dragons—he probably meant Gunduin, Ami, and Claudile. I hadn’t seen even a glimpse of the latter two, who’d apparently stayed belowdecks and out of everyone’s way, but Gunduin had checked on me a few times. I felt more comfortable having some experience in the ranks.
I gave him a curt nod, glanced back their way, thought I saw the moonlight sparkle off azure scales, and turned to Calia. She was watching me steadily, waiting for the signal.
“Go,” I said before turning around to face everyone else. I addressed the alphas, who had the best working knowledge of their people. “Tamara, Micah, Weston…organize your people. We’ll get a doorway for a brief time. We need to get through it quickly and efficiently and then get out of the way for those coming in behind us. Organize now, and then keep your people organized on the other side. As soon as enough of us are through, we’ll move. Kill any and all demons you see. Govam and his demons will stay on this side for the time being, so you don’t have to worry about killing the wrong creatures. The enemy demons will stand out—they’ll all be wearing pleated black pants with bad hair, probably.” I felt my heart thumping in my chest as I lifted my voice to address everyone else. “They’ve stolen our people. They’ve clapped us in chains. They’ve whipped us, tortured us, subjected us to unspeakable acts, and now we will claim revenge. First we will free this kingdom from their clutches, and then we’ll free the magical world. Dolion’s reign is at an end, starting now! Rise up and fight. This night will be our victory!”
Weston shifted into wolf form before throwing back his head and sending up a loud, clear wolf song. The feeling of it tore right through me, promising the thrill of the hunt. The triumph of a fresh kill. The joy of working together to bring down a common enemy.
Hadriel shook and doubled down, clutching his clothes in a fist, clearly fighting his animal’s desire to heed the call.
I couldn’t wonder at it for long, because Tamara and Micah both stepped away to get more space, shifted, and sent up roars that nearly froze my blood. Their dragons’ roars rang with vicious energy, rage, and the thrill of meeting the challenge and crushing it.
I grabbed Hannon’s forearm and gave him a long look. He was calm, even now. Unruffled but ready for anything, always dependable.
“Keep yourself safe, Hannon. Please. Don’t leave this world tonight. I can’t win back one and lose another.”
“I was never the risk taker, Finley. You keep yourself…well, alive if not safe. Leave me enough of you to patch back together.”
My eyes glossed over again, and I nodded before cutting off all sentimentally, not letting the fear of what was to come claw at me. Nyfain would be okay. He had to be okay. I couldn’t consider anything else. Not now. Now, I could only think about getting to him and saving the motherfucking day.
“Dragons,” I called as the faeries continued their work. The demons stepped up closer, Govam watching Calia intensely, obviously feeling her use his magic. “The rest of you will run through before you shift. Here we go!” I made a small gesture and turned, my intent clear. It was time to add my battle roar to the mix.