Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 112089 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 560(@200wpm)___ 448(@250wpm)___ 374(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112089 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 560(@200wpm)___ 448(@250wpm)___ 374(@300wpm)
Nathanial raced toward her, cutting through the sky, but it was as if the enemy knew he was her crutch for flight. They blasted their guns at him, forcing him to swerve madly. Body shots landed, however, and Sebastian was absolutely amazed to see how little damage they did. They’d sap his power, though. That was what those magical guns were designed for. They might not have a large physical effect on that creature, but they’d still sap his power.
“C’mon, Jessie, where are the spells we practiced?” he murmured to himself, firing off spells as fast as he could. They weren’t pretty, but they were powerful and deadly. More importantly, he could rapidly fire them.
It wasn’t enough, though. She was on the other side of the battlefield, sinking. He was too far away for the kind of accuracy he needed. Someone else needed to save her.
“You expect nothing,” he whispered, feeling the fire she’d planted within him fan higher.
He scanned the field quickly, looking for options.
“I expect nothing.”
He couldn’t let the enemy have her. He couldn’t let them take her. Even just a few hours in their care would be enough to crush her spirit. It would be enough to scrape out all that gooey goodness within her, to hollow her out and turn her into a shell of a person. A shell like Sebastian had been when he first found her. He couldn’t let that happen. Not to her.
“We expect everything.”
Austin and his shifters fought through the melee to get to her. Nothing was standing in the way of that big alpha. He took magical gunshots like he didn’t even feel them. But he was still a world away. He needed more time. Someone had to give him more time. Someone closer.
“Think it through, Sebastian. Think it through.”
A flare of light on metal caught his eye. And then, just beyond, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
Edgar!
The vampire slunk through little pockets and last-second openings in the rolling crowd of enemy fighters, ripping out necks or stomachs as he passed. He was somehow ignored by almost everyone until their neck was in his mouth. He was ten feet away from Jessie and closing the distance rapidly; he’d clearly seen her in peril and was aiming to get to her.
And then Sebastian thought he must be dreaming.
The moisture in his eyes overflowed, and fresh tears followed.
Nessa followed right behind Edgar! Bent low as though hiding or using him as a shield, she remained right on his heels. If he missed an enemy, she fired off a spell to keep them put or give them a little shock before she finished the job with her knives. The captain was staying in the shadows even in broad daylight and in the middle of a battle. The perfect savior.
“Yes, Nessa,” Sebastian said with renewed hope, more tears streaming down his cheeks. “We expect everything. We are family. I know how to work with family.”
He sent a different sort of spell her way, withering the people around Edgar and Nessa but not killing them. Nessa noticed immediately; it was a signal they had. A call for help.
She tilted her face up, finding him immediately, then held up a knife, her version of a nod. And then he was slinging spells her way. Hard spells. Powerful, blistering spells.
She continued to follow Edgar toward Jessie. As she did so, she darted left and right, catching his spells and expertly deflecting them. It was a special spell he’d devised for her. He used their friendship and mage connection to prop her up as a mirror of sorts. Through her efforts, he could obtain the accuracy of aim that was lost to him at this distance. Through her, he could actually help Jessie.
And then Jessie dropped just far enough for one of the enemy to jump up and grab her.
TWENTY-EIGHT
A hand closed over my ankle. A strong arm dragged me down until I was flung onto the ground. The breath left me for a moment, and then a heavy body smothered me to keep me put.
“Now I’ve gotcha,” a harsh voice said in my ear. It increased in volume. “Block ’em off so a team can get her out of here. Let the mages know we’ll need to mask our trail from the animals.”
“They seem to be trapped,” came the reply.
“They’re never trapped for long. Give us cover!”
I struggled in his hold, fear and panic gripping me. Rage and terror bled through the bonds from Austin, and his roar seemed like it was everywhere at once, shaking the ground, rattling my heart, infusing me. I’m coming, it said. Hold on, I’m coming!
The voice was back in my ear. “Thought you could use your filthy animals to keep you safe, huh?” He spat on my face. “You’re nothing but a filthy animal yourself. A pretty little beastie, but a beastie all the same.”