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With another perverse laugh, he blocked my attack with a shield of silver, scattering the flames in all directions. Hatred flared like a wildfire, and I drank every drop of magic the extreme emotion allowed me and channeled it into my next attack.
This was exactly what I had practiced for.
With a snarl, I launched myself at his mind, trying to force him to still so that Zuriel and I could kill him.
Kazimir’s mind was like a black hole, filled with nothing but twisted ideas and unprocessed rage. Those black ropes he’dbound me with before caged his mind in a tight weave, forcing me to focus more intently to slip past them. I was only half-conscious of his proximity as I worked my way inside his mind, absently circling with Zuriel by my side.
With a sharp flick of his wrist, Kazimir tossed his binding magic in our direction. Zuriel anticipated his move – whether by reading Kazimir’s mind or drawing on two millennia of training – and threw up a shield of magic around us. The dark ropes fizzled out on impact.
“When I’m through killing your mate, I’m going to chain you to my bed and fuck you until you bear me a child, Izidora,” Kazimir grunted, drawing his sword and dropping into his fighting stance.
I scoffed, my hatred rising again and fueling my attack on his mind. A tendril of my magic slipped through, and smothered any sort of celebration I would have otherwise taken at the accomplishment. He couldn’t know my next move, not until it was too late. “You won’t walk away from this encounter alive,” I hissed, fingers curling into my palms.
He cocked his head, the total blackout of his eyes unnerving. “The Fates favor me, Izidora. They want me to win.”
Zuriel took a half step forward, drawing Kazimir’s attention away from me long enough to slip another tendril past the barrier of his mind. The crystal flared to life inside me, filling with black smoke as every last bit of hatred and rage from years and years of abuse melded together.
With a furious scream, I flung my arms wide, fueling my magic as Zuriel leaped forward to engage him in combat. A flurry of white tendrils assaulted Kazimir’s mind as I forced his movements to slow, but the binding magic rebelled against me, yanking on bits of my own and sucking them into its endless void.
The clash of blades rang in my ears, and I tried to keep Zuriel between me and Kazimir so I could focus on the delicate balance of preventing my magic from tangling with his.
But Kazimir battled us on two fronts, seemingly empowered by his dark gift and able to handle a mental and physical attack simultaneously. Gritting my teeth, I pushed harder.
With his free hand, Kazimir tossed another sinister rope in my direction, and once again, Zuriel blocked it.
“C’mon, Angel, is that the best you can do?” Kazimir taunted, flinging another round at both of us. “You’ve lived for millennia. You should be able to fight circles around me.”
Zuriel remained cool, his icy blue eyes hard and focused on the challenge before him.
Kazimir tsked. “Not even going to dignify a king with a response? How classless you are.”
Still, Zuriel said nothing. In a flurry of movement, he drove forward, pummeling Kazimir backward and toward the precarious edge of the cliff. The ravine beyond was thousands of feet deep and raged with an angry river, still flowing despite the freezing temperatures around us. Kazimir dug his heel in and fought back, sweat pouring from his temples as he did so. My white magic thrashed with his, and no matter how much force I put into it, I was still falling short of my goal.
I was so focused on my task that I didn’t realize Kazimir had fallen backward until his arms began pinwheeling, and our connection was broken when he fell out of sight. I rushed toward Zuriel, my breath catching in my throat.
But Kazimir burst from beneath the ledge a moment later. His black wings unfurled and flapped furiously as he towered over us.
I tried to slide to a stop, but it was too late.
A black rope that spelled my death flew toward me, aimed straight for my neck. Time slowed to a crawl, the scream tearingfrom my throat sounding disjointed as I watched with horror as the binding magic drew closer. White magic rose from my fingers like the breaking dawn, too slow to defend me.
Somehow, in the space of a heartbeat, I managed to say three last words to Ruslan.
“I love you.”
“I’m coming, don’t you fucking give up on me,”Ruslan snarled back.
My eyes screwed shut, and I sucked in a breath, prepared to die. It was, after all, what I deserved, wasn’t it? Why else would my life have been filled with so much pain?
The choked sound that hit my ears didn’t come from me. Wrenching my eyes open, a flash of white hair flooded my vision before I was knocked backward, and a heavy male body landed on top of me.
“Zuriel!” I screamed, trying to wiggle out from beneath him. His hands scrambled at his neck, his gasps weakening and growing fainter.
“No!” I screeched, finally free, and my nails clawed along with Zuriel’s at his neck.
Kazimir laughed, a crazed sound that I knew would haunt me for what remained of my life. “Come with me willingly, and he can live.”
“Zuriel,” I sobbed, looking between my cousin and the male I’d loved first. But there was nothing left of the Kazimir who’d rescued me in this sinister shell.
