Page 117 of A Bond So Deadly

“I’m fine,” I tell the archangel. “It’s good to see you. Does this mean that the angels came?”

Blake tosses a blade that sinks into a Xalgrith warrior’s head. “Yep. Plus a good portion of the army from Norso.” I cock my head listening, suddenly realizing why I thought I could also hear sweet voices on the wind.

We work together, pushing the Xalgrith warriors back to the opening where the academy gate used to be.

Before he can escape, my mates restrain Professor Yevar with their shadows, and he struggles against their hold like a fly caught in a web.

“Want to do the honors, sunshine?” Raith asks me.

I shake my head. “I think there are a few others who deserve this more than I do.” I turn as Kenzie, Leira, and Jensen stalk toward the professor, followed by a few other students.

Raith grins. “Looks like some of your students are ready to teach you a lesson instead, hey Yevar?”

Professor Yevar’s eyes widen with fear, and he continues to struggle. “You think you’re on the right side of this war, but if Krosia has the oracle’s power, the end is still near. She will see all the realms burn.”

“Maybe,” Raith replies. “Either way, you won’t be here to see what happens.”

Professor Yevar glares at him, and he lifts his chin stubbornly as the students approach.

Knox and my other mates glare at the professor, and I know they want nothing more than to take care of Professor Yevar themselves, but Kenzie, Leira, and the others need this.

I look away as Professor Yevar screams, and when I turn back, he’s nothing more than a bloody mess on the ground, his head severed from his body. Professor Yevar’s cobra animali soars above our heads and lets out an anguished hiss as it spots the slain professor, then it keeps flying, disappearing from view. I hope it finds some sort of peace wherever it ends up.

We pass through the opening where the academy gate used to be, and I stop. The air rushes from my lungs as I take in the scene before me. Xalgrith and xalfrets litter the ground, along with casualties from our allies. The demon army advances from the right, while the angels and water monsters from Norso advance from the left. We bring up the rear.

A large portion of the Xalgrith army has already retreated back through the fold, but the rest are still fighting. King Malgur is in the middle of the horde.

Blake cracks her neck, and Kenzie, Leira, and Satine move close to me.

Blake lifts her hand, sniffing at the blood on her arm before wrinkling her nose. “You could have warned me about the smell, you know. It’s like we’ve been in a monster orgy. Oh Lady Fate, this is why you’ve been calling them cum monsters, isn’t it?”

I laugh and she lets out a disgusted noise, though her lips quirk up.

“All right, bitches,” my bestie says with a dark smile from beside me. “This war isn’t going to end itself. Who’s with me?”

I grin at her. “We’re about to do a hero walk, aren’t we?”

She smiles, and going by the glint in her eyes, I’m guessing she remembers the last time I talked about her mates doing a hero walk.

“Hell yeah,” Jensen says, stepping up beside Kenzie. He flexes his muscles as he winks at me. “Good to see you, new girl.” He’s once again sporting a bright green mohawk and looking like himself again.

Reaching into my pocket, I pull out his academy ring and toss it to him. He catches it, sliding it onto one of his remaining fingers. He doesn’t need the ring anymore. Not now that he’s immortal, but it feels right giving it back to him.

I smile. “Good to see you, too, Jensen.”

We stride forward, and our mates have enough restraint to let us have a piece of the battle. I change between forms, using my shifting abilities to alternate between fighting as one of the zenali, and fighting in my more human form. Truthfully, battle isn’t for me, and every time I take the life of another warrior, I wince, but the Xalgrith are always trying to kill me when I get close, so that helps. At one point, I pass Professor Lankin’s headless body and her slain animali. I look away quickly. The professor might have betrayed us in the end, but it’s still hard seeing her like that.

The zenali fight with us, the creatures taking down the last xalfrets, and before long, we’re closer to the fold, and only a couple thousand Xalgrith warriors are still standing with King Malgur.

Another battle horn sounds, and the shadow army appears to the right of the fold, stepping from shadows like they’d been standing there the whole time. They move alongside the warriors from the other realms, carving through the remaining Xalgrith with the originals leading the way.

“Fuckin’ predictable,” Raith mutters in my mind as the shadow army takes control of the battle, not letting any more of the Xalgrith retreat back into the portal. Queen Krosia doesn’t even use her power. She simply watches from afar.

And then only King Malgur is left.

He swipes his sword from side to side, jabbing out frantically, and we move closer, walking through the ranks of soldiers. Theo and the other archangel commanders join us, along with the commanders from Norso, and the demon commanders. Sebastian looks Satine over, relief filling his eyes when he sees she’s unharmed. Oh, I am definitely hooking those two up when this is over.

My mates surround me, and Raith curls his hand possessively around my waist.