“No,” Blaze whispered. “No, no, no, no.” His voice cracked, and he backed away.
The elements stilled, the fire freezing when the figure emerged, and the last of Levaroth’s composure dissolved.
Emma’s new eyes—brighter, animalistic—were rolling back in her head. She stumbled forward. Her lips moved, but no sound escaped.
Behind her, new wings shimmered, starting bloodred at the top of her wing bones and fading to a black—like ink spreading up her new appendages. At the very bottom of the tips, gold feathers reflected the crackling orange flames.
“Emma?”
It was Blaze that spoke. He was too transfixed, too unsure of what to do or say.
She didn’t answer. But with every step she took, black shadows leapt from the ground, clinging to her slender legs, wrapping around her body, swallowing her from his sight.
Blaze rushed forward. “Emma, come back to me, you can do it. Fight this.”
With a scream, she threw her palms out to his chest. It was her new power that sent him shooting back.
Tlahaz landed solidly to his right, and the Spellcaster scrambled out of his arms.
“Emma, oh god, Emma, let me help you,” Adrianna choked out.
Emma fell to her knees, covering her ears, and another scream rocked the ground. The fire extinguished, yet the ground quaked threateningly.
“NOW!” Tlahaz bellowed.“Bind her now!”
“Stop!” Levaroth shouted. “I will take her to Sheol, where she can get used to her new powers. She’ll be safe there.”
“She’s not going with you!” Blaze snarled in his face.
“Do you want her to kill you and all of your annoying little race? Because that’s what’s going to happen if she loses control!”
“We’ll both go, and I’ll make sure she stays in Sheol until she’s ready.”Adrianna’s words were directed to no one in particular but she raised her palms, looking to Tlahaz.“Catch me when I fall.”
Levaroth lunged for Emma, tugging one of her hands from her head, and wound his fingers through hers. Whether she knew it was him or not, he wanted her to feel someone near when she got to Sheol.
Blaze was starting forward to protest when Adrianna’s hands glowed with blinding light. Her body tilted sideways, and Tlahaz caught her before the snowy, brutalized mountain vanished.
When Levaroth opened his eyes, he was in Nakosh’s castle. The shadows that slinked over Emma’s pale skin wound their way over her head until they formed a jagged, haunting crown.
Her head lifted, eyes glowing with green light.
Levaroth bowed as the Queen of Sheol rose to her feet in front of her throne.
Acknowledgements
Wow! I have so many people to thank, I could literally fill a book. So I’ll try to keep it brief. Thank you to my husband, Matthew for cheering me on, supporting me, brainstorming with me, and for letting me ramble all hours of the night about Emma and the crew. Thank you to my Noah, I know you’re far to young to understand this, but I appreciate you so much for being patient with me and for learning to occupy yourself most days. I will totally pay for your college, kid.
To my betas, I love you, I love you, I love you! To my critique partner, Kayla, you’re the freaking bomb girl, I adore you. Mariz, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for your incredible work on all of my books, you’re a Rockstar! To Dean, I hope you read this and know that I am truly thankful for your grace and compassion. You’re an immensely talented human and this series would be nothing without you.
Dear readers, you are everything. Your kind messages and support for these books has been overwhelming, I cannot possibly thank you enough. It makes my heart fill to bursting each and every time you sit down to read the words that I put down.
Thank you, a million times and then a million more. You’re all incredible.
Much love,
Brittany
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