Immortal Consequences(78)

Emilio shuddered. “Now what?”

“Now”—Olivier let out a nervous chuckle, swaying slightly—“we run.”

They darted to the left, beckoning the creature toward them in an effort to give Irene and Masika enough time to counter with another attack. Emilio glanced over his shoulder, catching a glimpse of the shadowy creature as it bent its neck backward and let out a furious shriek. He prepared himself, allowing the familiar essence of magic to flow through him, the particles drifting through his veins and toward his fingertips.

But the creature was faster than they anticipated.

“Emilio! Behind you!”

An overwhelming pressure dug into his temples and filled his skull with a disorienting wave of darkness that caused him to stagger forward, dropping to his knees.

Olivier was shouting something, his name maybe, though Emilio could barely hear over the ringing in his ears. He squinted, trying to make out the words on Olivier’s lips, but his vision began to fade, the world around him growing more blurred by the second.

He could hear a voice calling out to him, but it wasn’t Olivier. It was his mother. The tender, soft-spoken murmur of her words washed over him like a weighted blanket, pulling him under, beckoning him closer. But it couldn’t really be her, could it? Emilio tried to fight it, to shut himself off, but her voice only grew louder, more inviting.

Emilio…come home.

His hands slammed against the ground beneath him. Fingers digging into the cold dirt.

In front of him, Olivier gritted his teeth, extending his hands toward the ground. The earth rumbled. Shards of green light ran through his veins, shooting out of his fingers. And then in one sudden swoop, the ground beneath Emilio shifted and he shot forward, straight toward Olivier, and the suffocating pressure vanished in an instant. His mother’s voice gone.

Olivier locked his arm tightly around Emilio’s waist, dragging him backward.

“Are—are you hurt?” he breathed out, voice shaking. Olivier’s skin was dotted with sweat, his body clearly exhausted from using so much magic.

Emilio steadied himself on his feet. “I don’t think so.”

The creature crouched in front of them, circling, letting out a horrible high-pitched shriek. And then the most peculiar thing happened—the shadow began to spread, multiplying, until the singular shadow had transformed into at least a dozen of the same creature.

They were surrounded.

Olivier pressed his back against Emilio, silver light sprouting from his fingertips. Emilio created a tornado of air in his own hands. They moved in slow circles, back to back, waiting for the right moment to strike.

“Seems like we’re in a bit of a bind, my love.” Olivier chuckled. “Though I suppose I’ve been in far worse predicaments. At least you’re here with me this time.”

He reached down with one hand, pressing his palm against Emilio’s forearm, and gave it an affirming squeeze. Something twisted in Emilio’s throat, an immovable knot, and he stretched his own hand down, motivated by a swell of bravery. Olivier’s palm pressed against his and they threaded their fingers together. Warmth spread through Emilio, traveling up his chest and coiling around his throat.

Olivier had a point.

There were far, far worse ways to go.

Emilio shut his eyes, bracing himself for the inevitable shock of pain…but it never came.

When he opened his eyes, he realized why.

Masika and Irene had come sprinting from the shed, throwing themselves right into the middle of the fight, the two of them a blur of vicious magic. Masika stretched her hand out, releasing a gust of wind that sent a cluster of the creatures soaring in the air. Next to her, Irene summoned a surge of fire, scorching the creature closest to her with a whip made entirely of flames. Not half a second later, she shifted her stance and faced another creature, flicking her wrist and ripping it in half.

“You came back,” Emilio gasped, still a bit stunned to find that he was, in fact, conscious and breathing.

Masika looked up at him and winked, a coy smile on her lips.

“Well”—she shrugged, slightly out of breath—“someone had to get the two of you out of this mess.”

Olivier sighed. “I could absolutely kiss you right now.”

“Hey!” Irene shouted, motioning toward Olivier and Emilio. “If you really want to thank us, how about you make yourselves useful!”

“Right.” Olivier cleared his throat, facing the creature in front of him with a nervous chuckle. Despite his palpable exhaustion, he lowered his hand to the ground, his attention focusing on a nearby tree root until it lifted itself from the dirt. It twisted left and right under Olivier’s control before he sent it flying toward one of the creatures, attempting to wrap the root around its torso.

Olivier gritted his teeth as the creature dodged his attack at the last second. “Dammit. These ugly bastards are faster than they look.”

“Where the hell is August?” Masika shouted, hands crafting a defensive barrier around them.

“Maybe he got caught,” Emilio suggested. “He did say he was going to take Wren back to Pettyworth.”

“Or he could have run out of his spacial reserve,” added Olivier, who was still struggling to latch onto one of the creatures. “If he had to walk all the way from Pettyworth, it could take him a while to get here.”