Blood streaked his face as he spun out his blades, catching two soldiers in the chest. Yanking the swords free, he stretched his neck, and my heart stuttered. There was a wound on his neck and shoulder, ragged and seeping blood. Surrounded, he roared, fangs bared as he caught a soldier by the throat, ripping into flesh as Delano took a knight down from his horse, his claws tearing through the metal armor like it was nothing more than loose soil. Another wolven shot across the field—an impossibly large, silver one. Jasper? He grabbed the knight’s arm as he swung the sword toward Delano and…good gods, he tore it straight off, sword and all.
I would have to vomit about that later.
Another knight leapt from his horse, landing like a mountain behind Casteel. He tossed a soldier aside to get to Casteel, flinging the mortal into the side of a catapult. The crunch of bones told me that the soldier wouldn’t be getting back up.
I picked up my pace, jumping over a body and closing the distance just as the knight went for Casteel. Grabbing a fistful of the knight’s hair, I yanked his head back as I thrust the wolven dagger into the weak space at the base of his skull, angling it upward. The knight shuddered as I let go, his body breaking apart.
Casteel spun then, fangs bared and mouth streaked with crimson. The sword he swung at me halted a mere inch from my neck. His breath came out in short, ragged bursts.
“You’re welcome,” I panted. “For saving your life.”
Breathing raggedly, he jerked the sword back. A wide, bloody smile broke out across his face. “Would this be an inappropriate time to let you know I’m incredibly turned on by you right now?”
“Yes.” My gaze shifted to the guard staggering to his feet behind him. “Highly inappropriate.”
“Well, too bad.” Casteel pivoted, and the guard’s head went in a different direction of his body. “I find you highly arousing.”
My lips curved up as I turned, seeing the carriage. “Is she in the carriage? The Duchess?”
“I believe so.” He looked over his shoulder at me. “You want to kill her?”
I nodded.
“You’re going to have to beat me to it.”
Jamming the dagger into a soldier’s throat, I said, “Doable.”
Casteel’s laugh was wild as he caught the arm of a knight, spinning him as he drew one of his swords around, cutting through the soldier’s neck. I started forward when fire sparked to life in the waiting darkness of the western road. I drew up short, breathing heavily as the spark repeated itself, over and over and over. The sparks flew into the air—
Arrows.
Casteel crashed into me, grabbing me around the waist as he shoved us under the catapult. His body flattened over mine, pressing me into the hard, blood-and-dirt-packed earth.
The arrows fell, striking Solis soldiers and those who fought on Atlantia’s side alike. I jerked back against Casteel at the sound of arrows piercing flesh, at the sudden intense flares of light all around us as the fire swept over bodies, igniting the catapult beside us. The world descended into chaos and death.
Chapter 40
Chills of dread were like icy fingers on the back of my neck and down the line of my spine as Casteel lifted his head, and his chest rose against my back with each heavy breath. Swallowing hard, I followed his gaze. The larger division had arrived, and we…we were engulfed.
An army of Solis soldiers ran forward, overcoming the carriage as they drew unmarred swords. They swarmed the road and fields outside the Rise, and then the Rise itself.
The chill of dread seeped into my skin and bones as I closed my eyes. There hadn’t been enough time for Kieran and Alastir.
Casteel shifted so he was beside me. His fingers touched my cheek, and I opened my eyes. Even with the blood covering him, he was still the most beautiful man I’d ever seen, and I suddenly wished we’d accepted our pasts and opened up to one another sooner than we had. There would’ve been time then to really get to know each other. Maybe just a few days or weeks, but I could’ve discovered if I’d read his favorite book and he could’ve learned that strawberries were just as much a weakness for me as cheese was. He could’ve told me about the conversations that drove him and Malik to the caverns, and I could’ve shared the dreams I’d had when I was a child, before I was veiled as the Maiden. We could’ve explored each other, and he could’ve proven just how sensitive all those other areas he’d mentioned were.
Because now, there was a good chance we were out of time before we even had it.