Page 29 of The Edge of Darkness

“Fucking hell,” she said, before we raised our weapons and took on the onslaught.

Side by side, she and I cut down enemies left and right.

After several more bodies lay at our feet, I wrenched my sword free from where it was lodged in a ribcage, and yelled over the commotion of clanging metal and pulses of power. “Do you remember what I said in Drastia?”

“What?” Morah spun and jabbed another guard in the side. As he went down, I brought my sword to his back and ran him through with it. Blood spluttered from his mouth as I pressed my foot against his back to leverage him off my blade.

“When I said, if the time was right, I would offer you a place as my personal guard?” I swung my sword, severing an Immortal’s arm. “I’m asking you now!”

We panted as we separated again to take on two more threats. My fury was a cry on my lips as my final victim fell to his knees, his head thudding to the ground beside him. Morah let out a heavy grunt as she flung her last dagger at a male who was poised to strike me from behind.

Across the room, Niall had stacked up a pile of dead bodies, and he looked like he hadn’t even moved a few feet from where he’d started in order to do so. Roirdan kicked away a corpse from where it lay at the base of the altar near Maeson and Fallon. Remic was now standing atop the altar, a poised statue of wrath. His eyes and facial markings were still glowing red, and his wings were spread wide as he held his stance, knees bent, daggers out, waiting for more threats.

When the chamber fell quiet, and all our enemies lay slain on the blood-slickened floor, Morah turned toward me. “You’ve given me a home, and trusted me when you had no reason to. You don’t even need to ask; I will gladly give my life to defend yours,” she vowed. “Plus, I like being on the winning side.” She winked and wiped a stray strand of hair from her brow with the backside of her wrist.

We clasped forearms in good faith before she went to retrieve her daggers.

I sheathed my sword just as Niall came to my side.

He took my hands in his and pulled me into him. “Are you all right?”

“She’s fucking deadly,” Roirdan answered for me as he clapped me on my shoulder.

“Ow,” I said jokingly. But in all reality, Roirdan must have truly not known his own strength, because there was actually some significant force behind just that small movement.

“Sorry, little one,” the commander said. I could tell by the gentle creases at the corners of his eyes that he was grinning behind his mask.

I chuckled lightly and looked back up at Niall to answer him. “Just a bruised shoulder from friendly fire.”

We scanned the room. There had to be at least fifty bodies on the floor. The ones that lay face up stared blankly at the intricately-tiled night sky.

Ramil was no longer standing in the doorway, but I sensed the threat wasn’t over.

I looked over at Maeson, who was still working tirelessly on Fallon. Unfortunately, the heir of Benmoor’s posture hadn’t changed, and there was now a sheen of sweat coating Maeson’s brow.

“How much longer do you think she needs?” I asked Roirdan.

Before he could answer, a deep snarl echoed from the entryway.

We all spun.

Not one, not two, but six creatures slunk across the threshold into the chamber. Their sleek, black bodies looked feline but were every bit as large as the wolves I’d seen in Drastia. Their maws hung open, revealing several sets of long, pointed teeth that were dripping with a faint yellow liquid.

Poison.

Behind them, more Immortals entered, packing in around the edges of the room and caging us like prey.

Suddenly, a shrill gasp sounded to our right, and when I looked, Ramil had Morah clutched to his chest with a dagger to her jugular. The blade she had gone to retrieve clattered to the ground at her feet.

“Let’s try this again, shall we?” her father taunted.

Morah bucked against him, trying to get free. He angled the blade closer to her throat, drawing a sliver of blood as he murmured into her ear, “My traitorous daughter. You would die for this band of rejects?”

Rage and worry shone in Morah’s eyes as she found mine.

Go, she seemed to silently scream.

I shook my head. I wouldn’t leave her.