Dawn was coming. Lila could see the streaks of red across the sky.
“As soon as Luke gets free,” Cordelia muttered nervously, “the guy will be on a rampage. We have to be gone by then.”
Cordelia needed to be gone, yes, but Lila didn’t plan to leave. She intended to fight for what mattered to her.
“How did you even find me?” Lila asked.
Cordelia frowned at her. “How do you think? The muse was watching out for you. She’s got spies everywhere. All of those humans are always at her beck and call. Some bartender at a place in Colorado told her that a werewolf was sniffing after you. By the time Sabrina got there, you were gone. Now, come on. Sabrina’s waiting at the dock!”
They were running from the house. Heading toward the dock in the distance. Lila wasn’t going to get on the boat at that dock, but she was going to make sure that Cordelia got away safely.
The last thing I want is for Cordelia or Sabrina to get in Kale’s sights.
Cordelia and Sabrina—they were Lila’s friends. Didn’t matter that they were all different. Didn’t matter that angels and muses and witches weren’t supposed to be friends.
They were. They’d formed a friendship in hell, and it had stuck.
“Sabrina took care of the boat like a boss.” Cordelia huffed and puffed as they ran. “You know her, that muse can charm any human to do her bidding. The boat captain took one look and was inspired to be putty in her hands.” She scrambled down the steps that led to the wooden dock. “When the captain showed up to bring me here, Sabrina got the captain to let her onboard. I swear, all she did was bat her lashes at the guy, and I think he would have given her his soul.”
Sabrina appeared then, bouncing and waving on the boat. Her hair was blowing around her face.
Lila staggered to a stop.
Cordelia stopped, too, and stared at Lila as if she were crazed. “Are you under a spell, angel? What is happening? Why aren’t you moving?”
“Get on the boat,” Lila told her, taking a step back. “You and Sabrina, you get out of here!”
Cordelia shook her head. “Not without you! We all escaped prison once before, and you’re not being left now.”
“You don’t understand.” The wind whipped up around her. She could hear the thunder of the waves against the beach. “It’s not safe for you here. You have to go. I’ll be all right.” Because if she left, Lila knew Kale would be waiting.
Sabrina was still jumping up and down on the boat. And it looked as if she were shouting something.
“Haul ass!” Was that what she was saying?
Wait…no…
“He’s behind you!”
Lila tensed. “Run, Cordelia! Get out of here!” Then she looked back. She thought Luke might be behind her. Or maybe even Rayce. But…
Kale.
He was standing about five feet behind her, as if he’d just appeared out of nowhere. He waved his hand, and a bolt of ice flew at Cordelia. She screamed and then she fell and she didn’t move.
“Were you running to me, Lila?” Kale asked, sounding pleased. “And here I’d come all this way because I thought I was going to have to take you.”
No, she hadn’t been running to him. She’d never do that. The wind whipped against her once more, bringing the scent of the salt water.
“Get away from him!” That was Sabrina’s scream.
Kale’s eyes narrowed as they drifted past Lila to the boat. His hand lifted once more.
“Don’t even think about it!” Lila yelled as she moved to stand in his way.
His head cocked. “Come to me, and I’ll leave them all alone.” His hand turned and opened toward her. “You’re the one I want. The one I’ve waited for so very long.”
“No, no, no!” Sabrina shouted.
Cordelia let out a low groan.
Lila stared at Kale’s hand.
“Come with me, and they’ll live. I’ll let them all live…even the werewolf who is currently ripping that house apart as he tries to find you.”
Her gaze jerked back toward the house. “H-how do you know that?”
He shrugged. His eyes gleamed. “I’ve got enhanced hearing. Actually, I’ve got enhanced everything. You know how the paranormal world works. With age, comes power. And I am the oldest paranormal to walk this earth.” He moved toward her, seeming to glide like a snake. “That should tell you how long I’ve been waiting. And I am not waiting any longer.”
Lila shook her head. “I’m not your mate. I don’t want to be with you.”
“Why?” His lips twisted. “Because you think your heart belongs to someone else?” His laughter was mocking.
Before she could answer, he vanished. Then he reappeared, right in front of her. His hand rose and touched her chest.
Lila gasped because he felt so very cold. And I thought I’d gotten used to the cold.
“I’ve got news for you.” His eyes were the darkest she’d ever seen. “You don’t have a heart. There’s only ice in here. That’s the way it is for me. That’s the way it is for you.”
Over his shoulder, she caught a glimpse of Rayce. He was transforming as he ran toward Kale’s back. Luke was with him. Or was that Leo? She couldn’t tell for sure, not then.
“You’re wrong,” Lila managed. His touch hurt. “I’m not like you.”
He leaned in closer. His lips pressed to hers.
Ice. All the way through.
“Yes, you are.”
She jerked her head back. “I don’t choose you.”
His hand was still over her heart. Absolutely chilling her to the core. “Who said you got a choice?”
“I did.” Then she shoved her hands against him. She pushed as much of her new, cold power at him as she could. Ice met ice. It blasted into him, and he stumbled back.
Right into the jaws of a waiting wolf.
Rayce attacked Kale, slashing with his claws and biting with his fangs. Kale screamed as he turned on the wolf.
Lila scrambled for Cordelia. She hauled her friend up and pushed Cordelia toward the boat. Sabrina was racing toward them. “Get out of here!” Lila yelled. “Forget about me! Just go!”
Rayce had told her that Luke and Julian were his pack. Well, those two women were her pack. She needed them safe.
Sabrina grabbed Cordelia.
Snarls and howls ripped through the air. Kale’s blood was everywhere, but he didn’t seem to be weakening. He—
His hand wrapped around the wolf’s neck. Kale rose, holding the snarling wolf. “Did you really think someone like you could stop me?” Then ice spread out, curling all around the wolf, going right for his mouth.
“No!” Lila yelled. She ran at Kale and slammed into his back. They hit the ground, rolling, and the wolf flew free. Kale grabbed her. He put his hands around Lila’s neck, and he pinned her there, holding her prisoner.
“You don’t get a choice.” His face was twisted with fury. “The deal was that you’d always be mine.”
“No!” The shout came from nearby and…Leo. That’s Leo, not Luke.
She’d always been able to spot the minute differences between them, because she knew Leo so well. His chin was a bit rounder, his eyes wider, and when he was scared, his voice cracked so hard. Leo. He was running toward Kale, and she could see the shadow of his wings stretching behind him.
“The deal is off!” Leo roared.
Kale rose. He kept his hands locked around her throat. Such a cold touch…
“No deal,” Leo yelled. “Never a deal for her!”
Kale laughed. “Fine…then how about we start infecting humans? One after the other…my poison doesn’t work on paranormals. They take my blood and nothing happens.”
Rayce was crouched low, and she knew he was about to attack again.
“But humans…” Kale continued. “Oh, but they do get interesting when I give them a drink. What will this world look like, I wonder, when the humans can’t die? When they just live to serve me…and chaos reigns?”
&n
bsp; Leo’s eyes burned.
Rayce growled.
“Even if you have her…you’ll still destroy this world,” Leo blasted at him. “You think I don’t know that?”
Kale pressed a kiss to her cheek. “And you think…I don’t know that you’ve spent all these centuries trying to find a way to stop me? I will have what I want.”
“What do you want?” Lila gasped out over the tightening of his hands.
“I want heaven. I want hell. I want everything in between.” Kale turned her to face him. “We can have that. Give me your power—the power that has turned your heart to ice.”
It’s not ice! I’m not ice!
“I need it. Two rule the world here, don’t you see that?”
Luke and Leo.
“Two have to destroy them. That’s the way it works.” His breath was icy. “I will make you a queen. I will give you everything.”
No, he was only offering pain. Death. For so many…
Her gaze slid beyond him. Leo’s face was taut with desperation. Sabrina and Cordelia hadn’t run. They were still there, and she could hear the witch chanting. She could see their linked hands. Her friends were trying to work a spell that might help her.
But Lila feared no spell could help.
Then there was Rayce. Still in wolf form. Watching her with eyes that were wild with his desperation. He was going to lunge again. Going to attack Kale, but then what?
Kale will kill them all.
Luke was coming out of the house. Racing with Julian at his side. So many were there. So many…
“They’re all going to die,” Kale murmured, his voice seeming to reach only her. “I bided my time these centuries. Leo thought I was following our truce. His mistake. I spent that time getting stronger. I’m good at waiting, you see. Very good. But the waiting is over for me now. I can kill them all while you watch, and I can make their death agony…”
His forehead leaned forward and pressed to hers. For a moment, Lila saw a flash, a glimpse, and it reminded her of a nightmare she’d had not too long ago…
The beach is frozen. Snow is everywhere. The bodies are on the ground, covered in snow and ice.
The bodies…
Cordelia. Sabrina. Their hands were still linked.
Julian…trapped mid-shift.
Luke and Leo. Staring at nothing.
And Rayce…
His eyes weren’t burning with fury any longer. They were sightless. He was so cold…
Kale pulled his head away from hers. The vision vanished and she breathed out a puff of icy air.
“That can happen. Or maybe I’ll be kind…I can spare the witch and the muse. I can do that…but the others…” He laughed. “I’ve decided…they’re fucking dead.”
No, she wasn’t going to let that happen.
Her gaze slid to Rayce. The wolf had launched into the air. He was coming at Kale.
“The beast is dead,” Kale promised her. “You can watch.”
“No.” Lila wrenched her hand up between them. Her nails had turned icy—long, curving claws—and she shoved them into his chest, right above the heart he’d said was frozen. “You can.” She drove her icy claws into him as hard as she could.
Shock flashed on his face. Pain.
Then Rayce hit him.
When Rayce collided with Kale, Lila finally broke free of his grip. She stumbled back but could still swear she felt his hands on her throat.
Rayce had Kale on the ground. He was clawing and attacking with all of his strength.
“Go for his heart!” Lila yelled. Because he’d been in pain when she hit him there. You want to pretend our hearts are ice, but they’re not.
She’d found his vulnerable spot…because it was her same vulnerability. Her heart still beat. It still needed—it longed…
And my heart belongs to Rayce.
Leo was blasting his magic at Kale. Rayce was attacking fiercely, determined to destroy his prey. She sent a bolt of her ice right at Kale, too. Everyone fought at the same time, even Sabrina and Cordelia pushed a surge of magical energy toward him.
The panther leapt into the fray.
And Luke sent a wave of fire and dark power at Kale, enough to make the whole beach tremble.
Then…
There was silence.
A sudden, stark silence swept over the scene. Kale was on the ground. His eyes were staring straight up, seeming to see nothing and…snowflakes were falling.
Snow in the Florida Keys. That’s wrong. So wrong.
“He’s done.” Leo’s voice was ragged. “The sonofabitch is actually done!”
Done…or dead?
The others formed a circle around Kale’s body. Lila stared down at him. On the surface, it seemed that he was dead. His body was blue, frozen, and a gaping hole remained where his heart had been.
“Lila…”
Her head jerked to the right. Rayce was there. He’d transformed, shifting back into the form of a man. He smiled at her, and Lila warmed. They’d done it. They’d actually done it. And she’d kept control of her power. She hadn’t gone mad and attacked everyone. She hadn’t joined Kale. She’d never even thought of siding with him. Because I’m not his. I’ll never be.
Maybe she and Rayce could make this work. Maybe being an ice demon wasn’t going to be so bad. Not if she had Rayce. Not if she—
“Mine!”
Her head whipped back. Kale had surged up, no, he’d broken through the icy shell of his body. Because what she was looking at right then…it wasn’t the same Kale. Yes, his face was the same, and most of his body looked the same only…
Wings. He has giant, icy wings curving from his back.
“I will not end!” Kale roared.
He flew at her.
But…
Rayce stepped in front of Lila. He shielded her when Kale attacked with his fury and, instead of Kale hitting her, his dark magic slammed into Rayce.
“No!” Lila screamed.
Rayce grabbed Kale. Held him tight. “Not…her…” Rayce rasped. “Never…her…”
Kale’s laughter turned the air arctic. Rayce’s claws were shoved into his chest, even as Kale’s skin became a cold blue. She knew that Kale was trying to kill Rayce, even as her werewolf fought to destroy him. She also knew that Kale wanted her to watch Rayce’s death.
So that my heart will freeze, too? Because that would happen, she knew it. Rayce had gotten into her heart. He’d made her strong. He’d taught her about pleasure and life…and it can’t end like this.
Leo and Luke were attacking once more.
So many people fighting.
And the one that mattered the most to her? He was dying.
“I choose you!” Lila shouted.
Rayce’s head turned toward her. Horror flashed on his face.
“I choose you!” Lila screamed even louder.
Kale loosened his grip on Rayce. He laughed.
Lila ran to them. “I choose you, Rayce, and I always will.” She reached for Kale, knowing that this was what she had to do. All of her power poured forth, every last drop. She slammed into Kale.
Ice surrounded her.
She heard her werewolf roaring—
And then nothing more.
Chapter Seventeen
“Is it…over?” Cordelia asked quietly.
Rayce released a ragged breath. His eyes were on the fucking horror show that was before him.
Lila…and Kale. Frozen together. Both absolute ice. Kale had his hands around her throat. She had her icy claws in his chest. Locked in battle.
“What in the hell did she do?” Julian demanded. He’d come to Rayce’s side. “Are they both about to break out of that? The same way that bastard broke out before? He looked like some kind of freaking ice statue coming to life then. And if he’s about to break out…”
Luke and Leo shared a long look. Then Luke spoke, “No…we have time. A little, anyway.”
Leo touched the ice that was Lila’s shoulder. “She’s hol
ding him for us. She made her choice.”
What the actual fuck was happening? “Get her out of there!” Rayce bounded for the ice—for Lila, but Luke blocked his path.
“This is our chance to end him,” Luke said curtly. “Don’t you see? He’s helpless this way.”
“So is she. Get her out of there!”
“If she gets free, he will, too.” Luke’s gaze was somber. “You heard her…Lila chose.”
“She chose me,” he whispered. And I will always choose her.
“She chose for you to live, Rayce. For us all to survive. She sacrificed herself—sealed herself in with him so that we’d have the chance to finish the bastard.”
The ice began to crack near Kale’s face.
“Uh, yeah…” Julian snapped. “I think we need to do something soon.”
“We have to act fast,” Leo said. “Before he gets strong enough to break free…”
Luke nodded.
Rayce didn’t understand what the hell was—
Luke and Leo stood in front of the icy figures. Power blazed above their hands. Power that they were aiming at Kale. And Lila.
And he understood.
“No!” Rayce bellowed.
Luke glanced at him. “I’m…sorry…”
“Lila doesn’t die!” He ran to stand between Lila and Luke. Between her and Leo. “You find another way, you understand? You take him out, not her!”
Leo shook his head. “That’s not…there is no other way. Lila is holding him for us, don’t you see that? She’s keeping him frozen so that we can have a chance.”
“What about her chance? What about her?” They weren’t going to do this. He wouldn’t let them. Rayce shook his head. “No, no. I choose her. Do you hear me? You won’t kill her. You won’t. Because I choose her. I choose her over everyone else.”
“Think of the humans who will die if Kale escapes…” Leo threw at him.
“I think of her! I’m not some damn do-gooder who wants to save the world—she is everything to me. I won’t let her die.”
Leo’s eyes widened. “You’d trade all of those lives for—”
“I would trade everything for her. She is mine, and I am hers and she will not die!” How did the guy not get that shit?