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Don’t be, he answered while continuing to stroke my back. I love you so much.
I clung to him as if my life depended on it while plastering his face with kisses. Oh, Marius, I love you.
We both froze at a blood-curdling scream.
I pulled back, gaping at my mate.
He swore, pulling me off him. “Stay here,” he whispered before flinging open the door.
Like hell was I staying there. I chased after him, and we ran into a gathering throng of fire mages and priestesses in the hall.
“Make way!” Marius bellowed, pushing through the crowd.
What we found took me off guard. Lady Veronica was sprawled out on the stone floor, her skirts tossed over her legs, her feather necklace askew, while she stared at the ceiling.
Daminica knelt beside her, holding her hand.
“What happened?” Marius demanded.
Daminica pressed a palm to Veronica’s forehead. “I don’t know. One moment she was flirting with a fire mage, and the next, she’d screamed something about spiders and had fallen down.”
Veronica let out a moan as Marius knelt beside her, helping her to sit.
I faced two priestesses in purple robes. “Don’t just stand there. Fetch her some water.”
They blanched and quickly disappeared, returning with a mug of water.
Marius got Veronica to take a few sips before she pushed the mug away.
“What did you see?” he asked her.
She paled, then swallowed before jutting a finger toward the ceiling. “Demon spiders! Millions of them!”
“Where?” he pressed.
“They’re coming from Peloponese and heading to the temple now!”
I clutched my throat. “Great goddess!” Marius and I shared a look.
They’ll listen to you, he projected to me.
I let out a shrill whistle, facing the crowd. “Fire mages, grab the injured and the witches and fall back to Thebes!” I clapped my hands. “Now!”
Marius raced to Derrick’s room and lifted his brother into his arms.
“Stay behind me!” he called as he pushed past me.
We ran up the stairs, and I was vaguely aware of one of Malvolia’s lovers carrying her. Though I didn’t care what happened to my sister, I didn’t want these demon spiders getting access to her magic.
Once we reached the top turret, mages and witches were in a frenzy, the midmorning sun bathing the sky in pale yellow ribbons.
“Over there!” a mage called, jutting his finger toward the wall that separated Windhaven from Caldaria.
We ran to the edge of the turret, looking over the wall. What I saw made bile race up my throat. It looked like a sea of ink and blood spilling over the Caldarian wall. But no, those were spiders as big as my hand with glowing red eyes!
I spun around while waving to the crowd. “To Thebes!”
I shifted into a fire mage, flying beside Marius as he jumped into the sky, Derrick in his arms.
