Page 63 of Fate of the Fallen
Roz, Lucas, and Chris caught up, and from the looks of them, they’d taken on just as many as we had. Wounds and gashes on their arms, legs, and torsos told of a few close calls, but they were still on their feet, fighting.
“Behind you!” Roz called out, but I was already on it. The mutt that attempted to use the element of surprise was met with an elbow to the throat. Stunned, he didn’t even put up a fight when I palmed his face, smashing the back of his head to mush against a tree.
We were making a bit of progress, but we didn’t intend to take this army out one by one. We had a bigger plan, one that would sweep the entire area clean, but that couldn’t begin until I had Evangeline and Beth in my possession.
In between being attacked by mutts and soldiers, I scanned the area, looking for where she might have been and … that’s when I heard it, a guttural howl that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
I’d heard the sound before—the morning Nick showed up at our door doing all he could to claw his way to Evangeline. I’d heard it centuries ago as I chased his predecessor into the night.
“He’s loose,” I yelled, signaling the rest of the team.
They made quick work of finishing their current fight and then moved in closer to form a tight unit. Weallhad reason to track Nick down. His brothers and Roz hoped to wrangle him in before midnight, still clinging to a hope that he could be saved, but my one and only goal was to retrieve Evangeline and Beth. As far as Nick was concerned, I saw this ending one way and one way only for him.
We moved out quickly to outrun what would come next.
“North,” Caleb called out, raising his voice over the noise.
Above, Dallas and Elise dropped in altitude, following as we pressed forward.
“I … I think I see something.”
I glanced at Chris after he spoke, following his gaze to where they focused up ahead. And, sure enough, I spotted a dark shadow. My initial thought was that this was just another lycan, but … then I realized I was wrong.
What I stared at was massive, a killing machine in the flesh, and he was tearing his way up a steep hill, trying to get to something.
Or someone.
At the top of that hill sat a small, white church—it’s stained-glass windows and silhouetted steeple standing out in the moonlight. He was getting close, but there was still time to stop him. At least … that’s what I kept telling myself.
With how he barreled toward the mark, I was positive Evangeline had to be inside.
Now, I only needed to get to her before he did.
I couldn’t afford to fail or let anything stand in my way, but as if the universe heard and responded to my thoughts …
Two foreboding figures emerged from the thick fog that had fallen. Both walked with the slow gait of self-important royalty, carrying with them an air that implied they were invincible. Only, if I had anything to do with it, they would soon be convinced otherwise.
“This is quite the show you’ve put on,” Sebastian remarked, gesturing further down the hillside where his army and the Seaton Falls clan collided in battle. “After more than a week, I actually thought we might have been rid of you for good this time, but you’ve always been a resilient one, Reaper. Which is more than I think we can say for your mate.”
My fists clenched at my sides and adrenaline pumped through my veins. At his words, I gazed uphill to where the church sat off in the distance. I no longer heard or saw Nick, but was certain he was still stalking about.
“Speaking of your mate,” Sebastian spoke up again, “we were pleased to see her dragon present, whichwouldhave made for a speedy gestation. However, as I’m sure you’re already aware, our friend the Liberator seems to be on the loose, so we all know how that will end.”
“Again,” Blaise added, keeping his eyes trained on me as he waited for a reaction.
He and Sebastian shared a dark laugh. At the sound of it, I felt the heightened energy of our team all around me, each one waiting for my signal to launch an attack. Sebastian had given them more than enough reasons to. However, we had to be smart. Sebastian’s army could not be seen, but I sensed them lurking. Glancing up into the trees, dark silhouettes shifted, confirming my suspicion.
“I’ve waited entirely too long to send you back to hell where you belong, but I plan on fixing that today.” I felt my chest and shoulders heave as the unquenchable longing to make good on this promise overpowered me.
A slow, sinister smile turned the corners of Sebastian’s mouth upward. “You sound like a man prepared to kill or be killed,” he laughed. “I suppose that’s fitting … seeing as how the Liberator is likely already sucking remnants of your beloved from his teeth.”
Rage swelled inside me and the edges of my vision darkened like a tunnel, staying intently focused on Sebastian. Bright red flames ignited, bursting from my hands and quickly spreading until my entire body was ablaze. The added strength and ferocity that came along with being turned surged like a flood.
Sebastian shifted partially, but still mostly had the appearance of the man he pretended to be. He never looked away as he came straight for me, unsheathing a long blade from the holster at his hip. The flawless metal glinted in the moonlight as our longstanding feud was about to come to an end.
This was not a battle he’d be content to stand by and watch his soldiers fight, because our feud was personal. He’d taken so much from me over the centuries, and I’d evaded death by his hand more times than I could count. For me, this was about avenging Evangeline. For him, it was about settling a score.
The tip of his blade narrowly missed my throat when he swung it. He was wise not to get too close, knowing if I had the chance to set him on fire, it would end him. He wielded it through the air for a second time, passing it through the smoke billowing from the right side of my body.