“Your heart is mine,” Paxton growled, his voice carrying easily on the frigid air.
Adare and Ivar pivoted around Ulric and secured his arms, kicking him in the back of the knees and knocking him to the ground. He struggled, but they could hold him in place on his knees. They just couldn’t hurt him.
Ivar shook his head. “That’s not the solution. We’re going to put everything we have down his throat. There’s enough blood to commingle in there and do something.”
“No,” she said softly. “There isn’t. I’m sorry. I’ve read the dragon-skin tome. I know what to do. My heart is the only thing that will work.” She tried to avoid looking at Paxton, but finally she couldn’t help it. Then she was sorry she did. His eyes had gone cold, flat, hard. They were silvery-blue metal, and they could freeze her in place.
“Don’t,” he said. One word fiercely spoken, his voice soft as always with that thread of danger.
She shivered. “Pax.”
“Are you absolutely sure?” he asked.
She bit her lip until she tasted blood. “There is no question. I read the ancient book, and I feel it in my soul. My heart is the sacrifice, Paxton. I already drank their blood. It’s inside me. There’s no other way.” She willed him to believe her and let her go.
“No.” Blurring with speed, he was on her, moving faster than she would’ve ever thought possible, grabbing the knife and throwing it across the field.
“Damn it, Pax,” she snapped. “That was our only option.”
“Wrong.” He lifted her with one arm around her waist, tangled his other hand in her hair, and yanked her head back—not gentle, not even close. His fangs sliced into her neck. She cried out as he drank, taking what he wanted.
Finally, he stopped, licked the wound clean. Then he kissed her in front of everybody. Her family, the soldiers, the enemy. He kissed her hard, making a claim that nobody could miss. She kissed him back, knowing he was everything she could ever want. He was hard and he was demanding, and yet he was still Paxton. Still sweet. Maybe not at the moment, but she could taste it on his tongue.
Then he released her and placed her back on her feet. She staggered for a minute and then settled, her eyes wide, her mind fuzzy. His nostrils flared, and crimson slid across his cheekbones for a moment. He swallowed and took several deep breaths, still silent and predatory. “Who is your heart, Hope?”
She blinked. “What?”
“I told you, your heart belongs to me. Is that true?”
She couldn’t see a way to answer that would get her out of doing what she needed to do. But then again, she could never lie to Paxton. “Yes, you have my heart.”
“You are mine,” he said. “And you know what? I think I’m yours.”
He reached for a Kurjan blade from his boot and drew it out.
“No,” she cried out. “No, that’s not what I wanted.”
“Too bad. This is how we’re going to end this,” he said.
He jammed the blade into his chest and hit the mechanism. It split into three, slicing open his breastbone above his heart, right where she’d marked him. “Jesus,” he muttered.
Blood flowed, spraying in every direction.
“Holy fuck,” Dage snarled.
“Vero.” Paxton looked at his brother. “I need another knife.”
Vero stepped up. “I’m not letting you do this.”
“Only take half,” Paxton said.
Vero’s eyebrows rose. “It’s an idea.” He drew out a knife and yanked Paxton’s chest toward him.
Paxton gasped and dropped to one knee. “Make it quick,” he ordered.
“Stop,” Hope said, grabbing Vero’s left arm.
“No, he is right,” Vero said. He shoved the knife into Pax’s chest and sliced, bringing out a quarter of Paxton’s heart. The entire area was deadly silent. He lifted it up.
Paxton groaned and clutched his hand to his breastbone, shoving it back in place. “Help me up.”
Vero ducked his shoulder beneath Paxton’s arm while Hunter ran forward and took the other one, both of them helping Paxton to his feet. Paxton was stark white, and blood still flowed from his chest.
“Here.” Hunter sliced his wrist open and pressed it to Paxton’s mouth.
Pax drank quickly, his gaze hard on Ulric, taking the piece from Vero.
Ulric watched the proceedings, his mouth slightly open as if he couldn’t believe it.
Paxton pushed Hunter’s wrist away. “I’m okay. Get me to him.”
They strode across the battlefield to where Ulric struggled on his knees. “This isn’t going to…” the Cyst leader started.
Paxton shoved his heart in Ulric’s throat, his fist going all the way in.
Ulric bellowed and snapped his fangs into Paxton’s arm.
Paxton growled and yet didn’t move.
Ulric ground down as if he was going to bite through Paxton’s entire arm, and then his terrifying red eyes opened wide, his jaw going slack.
Paxton pulled out his bloody and scraped arm before taking a step back. The members of the Seven did the same, everybody watching Ulric.
Hope caught her breath, holding it. This was insane. Everybody watched mutely. Ulric shoved himself to his feet and staggered, then coughed several times. He held his stomach.
Thunder rolled in the distance, and lightning zapped across the mountains. A dark shadow crossed the sky and molested the sun, as if an eclipse had come out of nowhere.
Ulric lifted his head and bellowed. Sparks flashed through the air. Electricity arced, and the ground rumbled as an earthquake hit. Buildings began to topple.
The Seven moved as one up to the fiery ring of the circle. Benjamin, Adare, and Ivar put their heads back and yelled to the heavens, seeming to push some of the shadows away from the sun.
Brothers Quaid and Ronan lowered their chins and focused, sending visible demon energy toward Ulric in the center of the circle. Logan and Garrett stood shoulder to shoulder, hands out, seeming to harness the wind.
The fight was brutal. The wind keened, the earth cracked again, and more darkness flooded the sky. The air was electric, and it burned Hope’s skin. She gasped. She couldn’t think, she couldn’t breathe. Her body trembled and her soul shook.
It wasn’t enough. The Seven were destined to do this, but Ulric had more power than any of them had realized.
Ulric seemed to be harnessing the power of the universe. Had he gotten some sort of extra strength being in that prison world so far away?
The entire world started to shudder and struggle.
Hope cried out, running forward to grab Paxton’s hand and drag him to the circle. Blood flowed down his chest, but he stood tall with Vero on his other side. Her team followed suit, flanking her, and then three of the most powerful immortals ever born, Dage, Talen, and Zane, ran up to finish closing the circle.
Together, they surrounded Ulric.
Hope’s body trembled, and her lips shook. “Now,” she yelled, flinging every ounce of psychic energy she could pull from the universe toward Ulric.
As one, everyone’s heads lowered, and they focused on the undulating killer in the middle of the circle. All had demon blood in them, and they harnessed the power of a demon mind attack and laser-focused it on Ulric.