Page 16 of Fate of the Fallen

Ivan’s body slumped to the ground and it was second nature for his brothers and me to shield him with our own. He’d been hit with an arrow.

There was no sign of the attacker, so with a second to assess Ivan’s condition, where he’d been hit, I glanced back. The puncture wound had just begun to ooze, but what stood out even more was how it sizzled around the metal shaft. I could only guess the agony it caused as Ivan grunted, gritted his teeth so loudly it rivaled the volume of his roar. This was no ordinary arrow.

Something wasn’t right.

“It’s just his shoulder,” Declan observed, only turning toward Ivan a second before scanning for the perpetrator again. I noted the angle from which the arrow had been released.

Second level balcony. Right over the railing

“Keep an eye on him,” I called out, sprinting toward the steps, leaping over two and three at a time.

Whoever had done this, whoever thought it wise to injure one of my brothers … they’d pay.

It was hard to hear over the sound of Ivan’s voice when he yelled out. It bounced off the hard, metallic surfaces and back again, seeming to come from everywhere. Unable to rely on sound, I leaned heavier on my other senses.

Dragons weren’t known for their sense of smell, but unfortunately forthisguy, mine had become keener in the last twenty-four-hours. The scent of sweat and fear filled my nostrils when I breathed deep, pinpointing exactly where to find him. I bounded across the metal grates that linked together to form the floor. When I sent a steel barrel flying over the rail, down to the lower level, I had the bastard’s full attention.

He’d chosen the wrong day to be brave. This could’ve all been avoided if he’d just let us leave and stayed hidden.

But now, his pride was about to cost him his life.

He wasn’t ready to give up. I knew as much when his biceps swelled and burst through the sleeves of his shirt. I had him off the ground and hoisted in the air before he realized shifting was now too little too late. Doing so would only make killing him more interesting, but it wouldn’t stop me.

He’d nearly finished transforming into his wolf when I brought his weight down from where I held him above my head, aligning the center of his mass with my knee.

The crunch of his vertebrae brought an end to the struggle. I tossed him aside, but stopped before rushing down to check in on Ivan who seemed to be in even more pain now than when he was first hit.

I needed an arrow, one to take back to Hilda to analyze and fix whatever had just been done to Ivan. If it was as I suspected, if we were going to assess whether itwasin fact laced with magic, having one in our possession was imperative.

Pulling one of the two from the dead lycan’s quiver, I rushed down to Ivan’s side. Declan peered up as he held his brother’s hand through the agony.

“I removed the shaft, but he’s not healing,” he uttered with a shaken voice.

“We have to get him back. Fast,” I called out.

“Found the keys,” Kyle piped, pulling them from the pocket of a dead lycan.

Declan, Caleb, Ethan, and I carried Ivan to the truck while the others made quick work of loading the supplies we agreed should be taken off Sebastian’s hands.

Tonight was mostly a success, but as I watched my brother writhing in pain, uncertain what lie ahead for him, I was left to wonder …had it been worth the cost?

Chapter Five

Evie

It was him.

I’d know that face, hispresence, anywhere.

Frozen in time, Liam stood in the doorway of a room I didn’t recognize. One I felt I knew despite never having been in this place. Stone walls with evenly spaced torches mounted, casting odd shadows.

The familiarity of it all was both unsettling and a comfort.

I was aware it was night even before turning to face the terrace—an open space framed with pillars and ivory-colored sheers that billowed in the breeze. Beyond it, an inky abyss dotted with twinkling stars held my undivided attention.

Until he said my name.

“…Evangeline.”