by Linsey Hall
Cass’s magic swelled behind me, but I didn’t turn to look. I raced up the stairs.
It took only a second for the stairs to fall away once I stepped on them, sometimes less. I had to be fast if my deirfiúr were going to be able to run up to safety behind me. I shifted back to human form, hoping to give Nix something solid to grab onto if she fell. We sprinted up the stairs, barely keeping ahead of the disappearing stairs.
Beside me, an enormous spider scuttled along the wall. An involuntary shriek escaped me as it brushed past. I cringed away, then glanced frantically behind to make sure Cass and Nix were okay.
Cass was gone.
“The spider is Cass!” Nix said, eyes wide.
Cass had shifted into an animal form
Go, Cass.
Nix and I raced upwards. We were almost to the top when the step beneath me fell away too soon. I fell, scrabbling to catch the stair in front of me. I gripped it with my fingertips as Nix grabbed onto me from behind. There was nothing but air beneath my feet. My muscles burned.
I held us aloft, just barely. If I could just scramble up…
The stair that I clung to dropped away entirely. We plummeted. My heart leapt into my throat. Something caught us hard. A sticky net of some kind. We yanked to a stop, dangling in the stairwell, and bumping against the wall.
Panic beat in my chest. Had the Shadows caught us?
The stones whirled around us as we spun in our trap, caught up in a net that began to hoist us up the now-hollow stairwell. I looked up to see what had trapped us and saw the back of an enormous spider on the ceiling.
I nearly shrieked, unable to help myself. I did not like spiders, even if they were family. This one was even bigger than Cass’s first attempt at shifting into an arachnid.
But it was still her. I drew in a ragged breath. It had to be. There couldn’t be that many altruistic giant spiders in a murderer’s castle. She must have shifted again, knowing she’d need to be bigger to save us.
Slowly, she hauled us up to the landing, performing a feat of spider strength that wowed me. Truthfully, I had no idea how strong spiders were, but Cass’s magic was seriously impressive.
Nix and I tumbled onto the stone floor, trapped in her webbing.
“Ew, ew, ew.” Now that we were safe, I was desperate to escape the sticky web. I drew my sword from the ether, slicing free from my side of the net, while Nix conjured a dagger and cut herself out.
We rolled away from the web, batting it away from our bodies. My skin crawled as I tore the sticky stuff off.
“If I didn’t have such high self-esteem, I’d think you didn’t like me in my spider form,” Cass said.
Gasping, I spun to see her leaning against the wall, grinning.
Normally, she had to be near Aidan to use her Mirror Mage powers to copy his ability to shift into any animal, but she could also store up a bit of his gift to use later if she wanted. She’d probably blown it all in that one show, but it’d been…
“That was amazing.” I held up my hand for a high five. “Gross, but amazing.”
“Seconded.” Nix tore some web from her hair. “But we need to get a move on. We’ve been loud as hell, and there’s no way that there aren’t guards on the way.”
“Right.” I called upon the Whispa demon’s power again, muffling sound and hoping that if we were quiet as we climbed, they’d think we’d fallen and died in their stair trap.
I hurried toward the stairs, pulling to a stop as soon as I reached them. What fresh hell would this flight bring? I prayed we were near the top.
Fortunately, it was a challenge that I was up for. We’d only traveled five stairs when a noise sounded from above. I jumped back just as a heavy iron gate slammed down. It was quiet, but still shocking.
“Wow, this guy is ready for intruders,” I muttered.
“That’s a serious gate,” Nix said. “Del, you could drift through in Phantom form, Cass could crawl through as a mouse, but I’m stuck.”
“Not for long.” No way was I leaving Nix behind. Splitting up was a terrible idea. “Step down a few stairs.”
They obeyed, retreating. I reached out and called on my iron magic, touching the metal with my palm and envisioning it melting in a puddle. It worked quickly, the metal turning bright red, then orange, before dripping down to the floor.
I stood toward the side, making sure it didn’t melt through my boots. Once I’d created a hole big enough to pass through, I pulled away. I gave the metal a moment to stop actively dripping, then I jumped over the pile of molten metal and hurried up the stairs.
Nix and Cass followed. Two more iron gates stopped us, but I melted them both.
By the time we reached the top, the sound of pounding footsteps sounded from below.
“Looks like they’ve figured out we’re here,” I said.
Fortunately, we’d reached a heavy wooden and iron door. This had to be the Shadow’s lair. My dragon sense confirmed it, pulling hard toward the door.
“You get the Shadow. We’ll get your back,” Nix said.
“Good luck,” Cass said.
“Thanks.” As the footsteps pounded ever upward, I shifted into my Phantom form and tried to drift through the door.
The metal straps on the wooden door stopped me, however. They were enchanted with whatever had made the iron spikes so dangerous. Damn it.
We didn’t have time for delays.
We also didn’t have a choice.
I reached out, using my iron magic to melt the metal. Once it was gone, I waved goodbye to my deirfiúr. They were no longer looking at me. Instead, they’d taken up battle positions, Nix with a sword and Cass with her magical flame hovering around her hand.
I turned back and drifted through the door, dodging a hard left as soon as I’d made it through. Something heavy thudded into the door, piercing it like a fork into steak.
An iron spike—just like the ones from down below.
The Shadow who’d hurled it was on the other side of the room, waiting for me to enter. His dark cloak floated around him, like he was the Grim Reaper underwater. Malevolence drifted off him, a feeling that was impossible to ignore.
The Shadow threw another enchanted spear. It hurtled through the air, and I barely dodged in time, throwing myself farther left, behind a heavy wooden chair.
My heart raced as I took stock of my situation.
Throwing enchanted metal bolts was this Shadow’s magical gift. Which explained how they’d gotten the rare magic to enchant the spikes that could hurt a Phantom. He’d made them. I scrambled along the floor as he threw his iron bolts, one after the other.
So far, this wasn’t going well for me. I was scuttling about like a frightened rat. I needed to get it together and use some of the magical arsenal I’d collected over the last couple weeks. There was no other way I’d get close enough to kill this bastard before he skewered me like a kebab.
Frantic, I called upon my telekinesis, envisioning hurling a table at him. The heavy wooden table against the far window shot across the room, flying through the Shadow. It didn’t hurt him—only I could do that—but it startled him. He couldn’t see through a table, after all.
“Weren’t expecting that, were you?” I said.
He just hissed, throwing spear after spear toward me.
One after the other, I threw every piece of furniture in the room at him. Once it’d all splintered against the stone walls, I moved on to the tapestries. They obscured his vision even better. All the while, I crept closer, drawing my sword from the ether as I got within striking distance.
Finally, I was near enough that I could attack. I swept out with my blade, slicing his legs. As he toppled, I leapt to my feet and lunged for him, sinking my blade into his stomach.
With the last of his strength, he hurled an iron spear at me. I dodged, but not well enough. It didn’t skewer me, but it took a chunk out of my upper arm as it flew past.
Pain flared through me, burning and hot. I ignored it in favor of
sinking my blade through his throat, finishing the job.
His shadowy form collapsed.
Dead.
The door behind me exploded in a ball of flame. The heat seared my back and I whirled, blade raised. Nix and Cass hurtled in, panting and wild-eyed.
“You done?” Nix demanded.
“Yep!”
“Let’s go, then!” Cass raced for me, Nix at her heels. We collided together, clutching each other close. Cass called on her teleportation magic and zapped us out of there, taking us back to Ancient Magic.
Pond Flower sat on the stoop, grinning at us with her tongue lolling out.
Later that night, after saying goodbye to Nix and Cass and letting Aidan heal my wounded arm, I sat in my apartment with Pond Flower, waiting for Roarke to arrive. Pond Flower was curled up on the couch, way too big for it.
Roarke knocked on my apartment door. I knew it was him without even opening it. I could just barely smell the sandalwood scent of his magic. Pond Flower stayed on the couch, entirely uninterested in Roarke.
I’d insisted we spend the night here. I didn’t want to be too far from my deirfiúr the night before the battle that could signal my ultimate defeat.
I pulled open the door, grinning at the sight of Roarke. He wore dark jeans and a black sweater. The whole effect somehow made him even more attractive, with his black hair and eyes and killer body.
“Hey.” I gestured him inside.
He stepped in, pulling me forward for a kiss. When his lips pressed to mine, my heartbeat thundered. I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck, taking the kiss deeper.
Instead of kissing me more, though, he groaned and pulled away.
“Hang on,” he said. “I want to make sure this place is safe for the night.”
“You mean, in case the Shadows send their demons after me again?”
“Exactly. I know you said that your apartments were well warded against breakins, but you should have an escape route in case they do manage to make it in.”
I gestured to the living room windows, which looked out on the main street, right over Ancient Magic and into the park. “There’s those.”
“That could work. I’ve stationed guard demons on the street, just in case. And in the alley near your bedroom.”
“Really?” My heart warmed as I walked over to the windows and looked down. A line of demons loitered on the sidewalk, trying to look non-threatening in case the cops showed up. Demons shouldn’t really be hanging around like that—especially since most people were like I had been and didn’t realize that there were actually quite a few good demons out there. Fortunately, these guys didn’t look super intimidating.
“Is there a back entrance?” Roarke asked. “To the alley out back?”
There was, through the windows in my trove.
I glanced at him, suddenly wondering if he knew about my trove. I’d never told him, though he might know that FireSouls had troves. We were dragons after all. Sort of, at least.
I suddenly felt compelled to share it all with him. It was important to me, after all. And so was he.
“There is.” I started toward the bedroom and gestured for him to follow. “Come on, there’s something I want to show you.”
I led him back and stood in front of the empty wall to my trove. Normally I’d just walk through in Phantom form, but he wouldn’t be able to follow if I did that. So I pressed my hand to the wall and fed it my magic. A door appeared, and I opened it, then stepped inside.
I flicked on the lights as he entered. His eyes widened.
“This is…” He searched for words. “Impressive.”
“Thanks.”
“It’s your trove?”
I nodded. “So you knew about them? That FireSouls have them?”
He slowly wandered into the space, careful not to knock over any piles of books. “I do. Once you told me what you were, I did more research. There isn’t much about your kind, but I did learn about this.”
“Yet you never asked to see it?”
He turned to me, the understanding and love in his gaze so clear. I stepped back, startled.
“You’re always wary, Del. Understandably. You don’t need me pushing you for more. I was content to wait.” He smiled. “You needed me to wait. I knew it wouldn’t be forever, so I did. But damn, I wanted you to tell me.”
And that was why I loved him. Among the many other reasons why—his kindness, intelligence, and strength—he cared about me more than himself.
It was obvious now—I loved Roarke.
That was crazy. But it was true. I’d barely known him two months, but it was now so obvious to me that we’d spend the rest of our lives together.
How had I not realized it sooner? It felt like I should have known it the moment he’d walked into Ancient Magic, intent on dragging me back to the Underworld.
I walked to him and wrapped my arms around his neck, leaning up to kiss him. I pressed my lips to his, just briefly, then pulled away. “You’re the best man I’ve ever met.”
The corner of his mouth cocked up in a smile so charming that it made my heart race. “I don’t know if I’d say that.”
I laughed softly. “Well, I would. And I love you.”
Joy spread across his face, warming his eyes. “About time.”
I laughed.
“I’ve loved you forever, I think,” Roarke said. “Since well before this moment.”
“Really? And you didn’t say anything?”
He shrugged, looping his arms around my waist and pulling me closer. “Didn’t want to scare you off.”
I smiled. “Impossible.”
“I know that now.” He picked me up, sweeping me into his arms, and carried me to the couch in the middle of the trove.
“There are windows in the back of the trove that lead to the alley?” he asked as he walked.
“Yes.”
“Good. I’ve already stationed demons out there anyway. We should be safe.”
“Thank you.”
He sat on the couch, and I curled up next to him. My heart felt so full all of a sudden. I had my deirfiúr, my other friends, and now Roarke. I had everything. I just had to make sure I kept it.
It was vital that we win tomorrow, for so many reasons. Now that I’d found Roarke—found love—I didn’t want to lose it.
“So this means you’ll move in with me?” Roarke asked.
I lay my head on his shoulder. “You don’t mind being pushy about that, do you?”
“No.” He wrapped an arm around me. “Not now that you’ve confessed to loving me.”
“I guess I did, didn’t I?” I leaned up and kissed his neck.
“Oh, you did.”
“Then okay, I’ll move in with you. Half-time. The other time, we’re here.” It was the perfect solution.
He smiled. “I can live with that. Compromise.”
“Oh, and I have a dog.”
“I’m okay with that.” He glanced down at me, his dark gaze wry. “Though I’m not sure I’d call Pond Flower a dog.”
“She’s certainly not a regular dog. But she’s mine.” I looked around at the trove, at the piles of books and lucky charms. “You really don’t think this place is too weird? I’m basically a hoarder.”
“Oh, it’s weird.”
I punched him in the shoulder.
He grinned down at me. “Good weird, though.”
With that, he leaned down and kissed me. I wrapped my arms around him and sank into the kiss, welcoming his touch. If this was the way I was going to spend what might be my last night on Earth, I was totally okay with it.
Chapter Eleven
The next day, I stood on a massive platform overlooking the battle preparations. We’d chosen a valley between the mountains in Kamchatka, not too far from where the Ice Fae made their home.
We were far enough that their village wouldn’t take another hit, but being so close to the source of their power gave them an advantage. And hopefully the cold would sl
ow the unprepared demons. Many of the Underworlds were hot and they wouldn’t fare well in this biting cold.
The area we’d selected was shaped like a bowl between the mountains. The battlefield would take place on the tundra, but most of our allies were waiting in the mountains, ready to attack from behind.
I’d arrived at dawn, along with Cass, Nix, Roarke, and Aidan. We’d used magic to build a tall platform smack in the middle of the valley. It would be the center of attention for the demons.
The platform was forty feet tall and the size of a basketball court. The sides were vertical and slicked down with ice provided by the Ice Fae, making it almost impossible for demons to climb.
“The League of FireSouls look like they’re coming along well.” Nix pointed to the four impenetrable forts that they’d built out in the battlefield. The bunkers were positioned roughly at north, south, east, and west, and were only about thirty yards from the base of our platform.
“They do.”
The little buildings were built of stone that would repel magic. From inside, our fighters would launch potion bombs meant to take out as many demons as possible early on in the fight. The material it took to build the bunkers was ridiculously rare, so they were small and couldn’t fit many people, but they’d be useful in defending the platform.
“It’s almost time,” Roarke said from beside me.
I glanced at the sun, which was now high overhead. Everyone was supposed to be in position by noon. We’d start shortly thereafter.
“Hey, look who came through.” Cass pointed down into the mostly empty battlefield.
Aerdeca and Mordaca sauntered across the snowy tundra, straight toward us. Each wore closely fitting military snow gear in their usual colors of white and black. Tactical and practical.
Mordaca’s bow was strapped to her back, and Aerdeca had a sword sheathed at her side. When they reached the base, they waved imperiously, no doubt expecting a pickup.
Cade obliged, shifting into his demon form and flying down to pick them up. He wrapped an arm around each woman’s waist and brought them up to stand right in front of me.
“So this is the big fight?” Aerdeca looked around.
