I nodded once. “Yeah.”
Sebastian took my hand and pulled me back into the hallway. We took off running into the center of the castle. He seemed to know exactly where he wanted to go, so I let him.
“Where do you think he is?”
We turned the corner and started making our way down the hall, careful to listen out for any of Terletov’s men. The hallways were dark. The torches had been put out and not even the emergency lights that lined the floor were turned on. The windows had been covered a long time ago and none of the daylight managed to sneak by. The blackness gave our mission an extra ominous feeling.
The hallways were also eerily quiet. Beyond the constant sounds of battle from the other side of the castle walls, not a footstep echoed. I didn’t like that.
There should be more resistance. We should have to fight our way to Terletov.
It was way too easy.
“My gut is telling me the throne room. He’s too arrogant to hide. And he believes he belongs there.”
“Where is everyone?” I’d dropped my voice to a whisper, paranoid that someone could hear us. If there was anyone near, I couldn’t see him.
My Magic made it possible to see through the darkness, but I wasn’t omnipotent. I had limitations, even with my super skills.
We reached the main floor and still not a sound came from anywhere. We walked carefully down the corridor towards the throne room.
I clutched Sebastian’s hand and vaguely wondered if we were stupid to attempt to kill Terletov on our own.
“Maybe we should wait for Avalon,” I whispered.
His Magic reached out and pulsed through mine. It was the first time I’d realized our Magic had been connected since we were here last. I didn’t know if he’d kept it purposefully subtle, or if he had forgotten to separate too. But we were definitely still connected.
It had to be the habit of it.
For so long this was my normal… that had to be why I didn’t notice.
I cleared my throat and tried to figure out a polite way to pull it out now. Was that rude? Was there protocol for this? And we were just about to walk into a major conflict.
I decided to wait. We were stronger together anyway. We probably needed the extra strength during this battle. Once Terletov was dead, I would remove my Magic from Sebastian’s permanently.
Something cold slithered through me at that thought.
I didn’t like the idea of never being connected to Sebastian again. My Magic was warm and fuzzy right now, extra insulated and perfectly at peace. It hated being alone. And I was threatening to not only rip it away from the only connection it had ever known, but potentially leave it that way for the rest of my life.
“Are you alright?” Sebastian asked as we neared the throne room. “You seem… distracted.”
I forced my mind to remember all of those humans on the floor of that room, packed together like discarded trash. It worked. I stopped thinking about all of the possibilities with Sebastian right then.
We had a battle to fight.
“I’m good,” I told him. I put my hand on the door handle of the throne room. “Let’s do this.”
He nodded once and I pulled open the door.
“Finally,” Terletov greeted us. He sat in the middle throne, Lucan’s old seat. Alexi sat to his right. “I wondered what took you so long.”
“We’re here now,” Sebastian growled.
“Then we can begin.” Terletov nodded and that single, small gesture turned the room into a battlefield.
We were attacked from every side.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Sebastian
They came at us from all sides. The throne room… a rather sacred room for this Kingdom, even when Lucan ruled, became a war zone.
I used my gun until I ran out of bullets. Bang. Bang. Bang. The shots echoed deafeningly throughout the room. I deflected anything that came at me and at Sera.
I would probably catch hell for that later, but I couldn’t watch her get hurt again. And so sure, I was the alpha jerk, but as long as she stayed alive and conscious, I didn’t care.
Besides, our combined Magic seemed super-charged lately. Together we were so much stronger than ever before. We were faster, more agile and infinitely more prepared than these weak-Magicked minions.
They couldn’t block bullets like we could, so they fell easily, whenever we hit our target. And unlike true Immortals that could only be made unconscious with a bullet wound, these imposters died instantly. Their sickly green energy would expel from their bodies immediately. Whatever Terletov did to them made them stronger, but their Magic so much weaker.
I would have felt sorry for them if they hadn’t sold their soul to a monster and tried to take over a Kingdom I risked life and limb to build.
So, as it was, I felt no remorse when they fell dead at my feet.
Sera and I stood back to back in the center of the room, moving seamlessly and in sync. We had bonded our Magic in this same castle in an effort to stay alive and then on the run, I’d kept us connected just in case Sera needed my Magic. When Avalon pulled the bad Magic out of her, I had considered removing my Magic. I thought it might be the chivalrous thing to do.
But then I’d decided I didn’t really care. I wanted us to be united forever, so why not start now? Besides, I was curious to see how long it would take her to notice.
I wasn’t entirely sure if she had noticed yet. Surely she had to realize we were super-charged together. So now, I didn’t know if she kept us connected because of the sheer power we could wield or for other reasons.
I preferred other reasons. But I couldn’t exactly ask her.
My plan had entirely backfired.
We ran out of bullets at almost the exact same time. We both pulled swords from our belts and waved them at Terletov’s men. They still had guns though, so it wasn’t a very fair fight.
I would have to trust our Magic to continue deflecting.
“Are you here to get your revenge?” Terletov taunted from a casual position on a throne that did not belong to him. I could hear his smug grin and I wanted nothing more than to take my sword and plunge it into his guts and slice him open from navel to neck.
“Among other reasons,” I growled.
“How precious. And you brought your girlfriend with you. That shows some foresight if I’ve ever seen it. Bravo for thinking ahead.”
I thought about the army outside this door. I thought about all of the people that wanted this tyrant dead.
He had no idea what he was going to face today. So be it. He didn’t deserve to know.
“And your plan is to hole up in here? A room without an exit? That is an equally golden idea.” I risked a glance at him; he appeared unmoved by my words.
“I heard the people have started to riot.”
Seraphina and I walked a slow circle, keeping our backs against each other’s. The men paused their attack to let Terletov have his say, but I knew it was only a tactic to lure us into unpreparedness. I would not be taken off guard. He might as well give up now.
“They’re afraid of you. As they should be. You would trade their life in a second to further your… study.”
“That’s very true, my prince. I’m pleased with how quickly you learn. But I don’t agree with their fear. They simply have not learned to accept what is for the greater good. They need to embrace this new regime. They need to understand that I hold the keys to a better future. Their future.”
My stomach turned at his disillusion. “I’m sure they would prefer their freedom and Magic left very much alone.”
He snorted. “What Magic? The Magic has been stolen from us! I’m simply trying to reclaim our rightful inheritance.”
I had never understood this argument of his. The Magic was stronger than ever. Seraphina alone proved this theory. Her amped up visions and increased powers were proof enough that the Magic beat stronger with every day that passed.
“You mean your Magic was stolen,
” I threw back at him. “Your Magic was stolen when our Queen was but a seventeen-year-old child. And now you’ve punished the entire Kingdom and half of humanity and are still no closer to reclaiming your Magic than you were all those years ago. It’s pathetic really. It’s contrived and desperate.”
“And sick,” Seraphina added. “It’s so very sick. These men that you’ve changed are already dead and you don’t even care. The blood on your hands has to be heavier than cement. And when you finally die, it will drop you straight to the pits of hell.”
“I better not die then.” He stood from his seat and bounded down the dais stairs. Alexi followed after him, his face grim and stoic. Dmitri stood a foot away from me and smiled. “Any idea where our lovely Queen is held up? I’d love to chat with her.”
I glared at him. “You’ll never find her. She’s out of your reach.”
“Do you know that when she took my Magic, I vowed to kill everyone that she loves before I sent her to the grave?” His cold eyes glittered with malice and I felt a chill of foreboding. “Every single creature that she holds dear. Or, I should say, every single creature that she holds most dear.”
“You will not touch her.” My body and Magic vibrated with fury. I would not let this psychopath leave here alive today. I would not let him anywhere near Eden or her family.
He smirked in a way I found unforgivably patronizing. “I don’t want to touch her, at least not yet. I’d much prefer to meet the heirs to the throne first. I hear they are quite the cuties.”
That word sounded wrong coming out of his mouth. Talking about the children did nothing to quell the building storm of revenge and rage building inside of me. I was finished with small talk. I wanted to move along to the main event.
I moved before he could spit out another twisted word. I swung the sword around and aimed for his chest. Before I could reach him, Alexi stepped between us, and our weapons clashed. I hadn’t even realized he held a sword until we were in the middle of hand-to-hand combat.
I was not as proficient in hand-to-hand combat as I would have liked to have been, but my Magic would help. I had been practicing with the sword and the gun since this Terletov nightmare began, though. I hoped I could take out Alexi quickly and then move on to his older brother.
So that’s what I set out to do. I glanced quickly over my shoulder to check on Sera. She seemed to be holding her own just fine.
Bullets continued to fire now that we were back to fighting, but I managed to deflect with my Magic each time. I also used my Magic against my opponent. I swung my sword out and hit his with jarring impact. I threw my Magic at him and knocked him back several steps.
I followed quickly after him and tried to angle myself toward Terletov. He had this talent of staying completely out of the conflict while hovering just around the edges. I decided that was because one forceful shove was likely to kill the man. He looked dreadfully frail these days. His skin had turned pallid and all around his eyes little black veins had started to snake out down his cheeks and up his forehead and temples.
He was a very sick man.
If we didn’t kill him soon, he was likely to die of natural causes.
And his brother was not in any better shape.
But I needed to keep my eye on both of the Terletov men. If Dmitri planned to step in to save anybody, I believed the only person it would be was Alexi.
I feinted right at the same time I used my Magic to pull Alexi closer. His eyes had been just over my shoulder when I made my move. I took advantage of his fatal distraction and slid my sword through his kidneys before he even registered what had happened.
My blade was sharp and true. I felt the crush of flesh and bone beneath as I plunged the sword deep inside of him and then the explosion of green energy as it erupted from his wound.
I stepped back and took my weapon with me. I spun on one foot and swung out again. The room converged on me at once. I didn’t even have time to gloat. Apparently nobody appreciated the fact that I’d taken out one of this Kingdom’s two major problems.
This was going to be a long day.
An ungodly scream wrenched from Terletov and out of the corner of my eye, I watched him drop to his knees by his dead brother.
Men surrounded me from every direction. If I could just get through them, I could take out Terletov while he knelt on the floor, vulnerable.
I wondered what was taking Avalon so long. He should definitely have found us by now. But I worried he’d been held up outside. I could hear the battle still raging all around us.
I didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
Hopefully, it meant we were decimating Terletov’s forces and there would be no one left to take up his torch once we’d ended him for good.
I kept Terletov in my sights at all times, even while taking on three and four men at a time. I expected my Magic to drain and for me to feel the effects of heavy fighting, but with Seraphina’s linked to mine, my energy stayed at full-strength.
My body moved fluidly and expertly. My sword struck precisely. And my death toll had started to become epic.
If only I could get to Terletov.
Just as I laid waste to a particularly burly fellow, Sera’s scream echoed through the room and caused panic to scrape through me. I whirled around and put my back to the far wall. I was readied to do whatever it took to help her. I didn’t care who I had to kill or the lengths I had to go to make sure she survived; I would do whatever it took.
Without hesitation.
Terletov himself had managed to grab hold of her. I could hardly believe it. I had been watching him the entire time! How the hell had he done that?
He held her by the hair, tipping her head back so he could press a sword blade against her perfect throat.
“No,” I breathed.
He flashed a sadistic grin. “You could save her if I just nicked her skin. You’d have your Queen use whatever bullshit she uses to patch her up. But not if I cut all the way through. How would you save her if I detached her head? How could your precious Queen save her then?”
I couldn’t even think of a response. My throat and mouth had filled with such blind hate that no words could force their way through.
He yanked roughly on Sera’s hair, causing her to jerk her head back at an unnatural angle, but she didn’t make another sound. And now that I replayed her scream in my head with better clarity, I could recognize her sound as pure frustration rather than fear or pain.
This girl was so much stronger than I gave her credit for.
I was so very proud of her in this moment that I wanted nothing more than to rescue her so I could whisk her away to somewhere private where I could convince her to fall madly in love with me again.
And then we would stay there for days, weeks, maybe even months. Potentially years. However, long it took to make up for the last year of being apart.
I wasn’t in any kind of hurry.
But first I had to save her.
“You killed my brother,” Terletov snarled at me. “You’re going to have to pay for that.”
Crashing sounds worked their way from down the hallway. I could hear the pounding of footsteps running toward us, and voices shouting.
The cavalry. Just in time.
Terletov’s brow furrowed as if he really didn’t think there was a possibility that he’d lost. I wanted to smile, but it was too soon. I had to get Seraphina free first.
I met her wide eyes and tried to convey hope and trust. But it didn’t seem to take. She looked part frightened and mostly pissed.
Of course, she wouldn’t be so easy as to let us share a moment before her potential death. She would never let me have something so meaningful without working for it.
Just another reason why I loved her.
“Stop them,” Terletov ordered his men. They left immediately and the sounds of battle began again just on the other side of the door.
Terletov backed toward the door with Seraphina still in his grasp.
I met him stride for stride, trying to get as close to them as I could.
“Not so fast,” he warned. “You have to pay for what you did. It is my right to kill her.”
“Let her go,” I growled. “It’s time to accept that you lost.”
“Never.” He stood just at the door now. His men had closed it behind them. I wondered what he had planned. Titans filled the hallway and Avalon would surely be with them.
I had my answer in the next moment. He raised the sword as if to strike her, but the door behind him crashed open instead. Both Seraphina and he were knocked to the side.
In order to distract me, he shoved her in my direction and I instinctively caught her. But at the same time, Terletov spun around and plunged his sword into the first person through the door.
Avalon.
Avalon gripped the hilt of the blade embedded in his midsection and fell to his knees. Terletov looked down at him with a satisfied grin and then ran from the room. I yelled some incoherent instructions at the Titans fighting in the hallway, but I had no idea if they heard me or understood anything.
Seraphina pushed me. “Go!” she yelled.
I made sure she could stand on her own and then I ran to Avalon. He had fallen over and lay awkwardly on his side.
I glanced at the hallway and then back at my friend. Shit! What should I do?
“Go after him!” Avalon wheezed. He coughed and blood sputtered from his mouth.
Shite! I couldn’t leave him.
“I’m not leaving you.” I fell to my knees and grabbed the heavy hilt. “This is going to hurt.”
“Just leave it in,” Avalon begged. “I’d rather you left it in.”
I looked up to find Mimi on her knees behind him. I hadn’t even noticed her with Avalon bleeding out on the floor.
“Get it out of him,” she pleaded. Tears slipped from her eyes and wet her flushed cheeks.
I couldn’t let my sister see this any longer. I had to do something.
“I’m serious, Bastian,” Avalon whimpered. “It’s going to hurt. Leave it in.”