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—Let me out, sweet one. Now—
Aye, Sorcha. Get us away, straight to the others.
Thad braced for the shift and the pain it wrought, his Nachthellian blood resisting the change every time, but he didn’t make it.
Shite, he never stood a chance.
His father misted, already holding Thad’s jaw in a punishing grip when he reappeared. “Ah-ah,” he breathed and pulled Thad into the ether.
They landed a few yards away, near what used to be a huge hole in the cave wall. Living shadows licked at the poorly sealed edges, yet more of the filth from the chasms seeping inside to poison his beloved home. Two slabs of oozing stone jutted out from either side, a creature chained to each one and facing the…other…
Thad couldn’t move. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, couldn’t hear. Even Sorcha went still, both shocked straight down to their shared soul because neither one of them could make sense of what he was seeing.
It was time.
The twin moons were still hovering in the east as Solyrian shattered across the western sky in its rising—the perfect conditions for both Lunara and Brand to make the most of their power.
And it was going to take all of their power.
Lunara was practically shaking with it now, skin too tight across her throbbing bones. She and Brand gorged themselves on one another, over and over, in a passionate cycle of feeding and healing. Without needing to hear it, she knew his heart beat to the same cadence as her own. That his mind was clear and ready. Not needing to consult the bond because they were joined on a level she hadn’t known was possible.
Their camp was bustling with activity, Demons, Sorcerit, and Wolflords alike scurrying to and fro, completing whatever tasks as they made ready to leave.
Brand kissed her brow and backed away, his whorls already shining. The creatures nearest him cleared a wide swath for his change, the din quieting to nothing but the crackle of dwindling fires and an acrid breeze. Golden magic bubbled up from the ravaged ground before condensing and racing towards him, the force of it tearing a gasp from her lips. His transformation was near-instant, but it was…
Shitting stars.
He was colossal. Taller than his previous rages by several feet, the crown of his blackened horns wilder. Violent, almost, in the way they curved and tangled. Even his sword was changed, readjusting to his new size, silver and gold glinting as he swung it around to its usual place on his spine. His hazel gaze met hers across the distance, her beautiful, gentle Demon shining through.
I love you, she mouthed.
Lids sliding close, he nodded as his nostrils flared—a final moment of peace before they made their move. Before he rent the land in two.
Let’s just hope it lures that shadowy bitch like we’re hoping.
“My group, join together!” Araxis shouted, the hundred or so Sorcerit healers and their Wolflord guard obeying immediately. “I’ll see you there.”
All of them disappeared, the tent with them, headed through the ether to their new position on the battlefront.
“Alright, we all know our places,” Magnus said, waving them closer.
Hedda and Faldir flanked Brand, axes at the ready and both laying a hand on his back. Even in their rage, they were small compared to him now.
“Not like it’s hard,” Faldir teased, a cheeky glint in his eye. “We’ve all only got the one.”
“Which is?” Amun asked, tucking in.
Amal’s spear snapped out to its full length, a picture of lethal focus as she wrapped an arm around Brand’s leg. “Protect Their Highnesses, Brandir and Lunara, at all cost.”
Weeping moons.
She would never be used to Highness.
“Yes, yes.” Fern winked at Lunara before flitting her way up onto Hedda’s shoulder. “Form a wall around the biggest, baddest creatures among us and pretend they need the help. Can we please go and get it over with?”
Vann limped over, even worse than yesterday. “You say that like it isn’t almost certainly going to go to shit.”
Thunderclouds gathered around Fern when his power sprang free and she grinned. “Oh, I’m counting on it. May as well have a bit of fun, eh?”
