bChapter /bb163 /b

I might not be able to crush them with my fists, but I can open the earth and let it swallow them one by one.

“Where are you?“.

“Hiding in a stable.”

Hearing her voice is immediate relief. I want tough at how vulnerable she’s made me.

“Is anyone with you?”

“No.”

I make sure we’re far enough from the party that what I’m about to do won’t put her at risk.

I skid to a stop, turn, and see the shapeshifters approaching, keeping a cautious distance.

I set Abraxas down. He doesn’t drop the illusion and stays hidden behind my back, just like a damsel in distress.

If only he knew how dangerous ra truly is–how much chaos she could unleash if she lost her mind even slightly…

One of them–the leader–changes form, recing animal limbs with human ones.

I immediately recognize the man with the scar on his face, and soon his blindpanion joins him–Rhory. He lowers his chin in a mocking nod, and his smirk boils my blood as I remember what he did to mest time with his damned gift.

b“/bHand over the girl before it’s toote, Cassian Draven.”

Laughter bursts from my chest–there’s ino /ineed to fake it.

They’re fools if they think I’ll give in so easily.

“Toote for what?” I tilt my head, watching them with challenge. “Seems to me it’s already toote for you.”

“Your gift doesn’t work on us,” he assures.

“Are you sure?”

“Would you risk hurting her?”

“She can save herself,” I reply with an arrogant grin.

I don’t give them much time to rethink.

My hand closes into a fist and I stomp the ground hard.

The earth splits–and then the real fun begins

My hands mold the matter like a child’s toy. I create and destroy at will, feeding off their screams and gasps of panic.

They can’t hold their animal forms for long–not when they’re too busy trying not to fall into despair.

Rhory looks at me with those milk–colored, lightless eyes, trying to pull me into one of his nightmares.

My lips stretch into another unstoppable grin.

“You thought you were the only ones immune to gifts?” I raise a brow.

“What?” Abraxas asks in surprise, breaking his act for a second.

He has no idea how powerful–and valuable–ra’s blood is.

And neither he nor our enemies know about our nighttime encounters, and theck of bite marks on ra’s neck thanks to her newfound ability to heal has kept this our best–kept secret.

The blind one, realizing his efforts are pointless, lunges at the fake ra.

I run toward her, afraid the illusion will break and we’ll lose our advantage.

I don’t want them to know about his ability to take on others‘ appearances.

It’s painful to see him writhing in agony from whatever Rhory is forcing him to see–because all I see is a small, terrified ra.

“She’s no good to you dead,” I growl.

“If Ragna can’t have her, neither can you.”

Rage blinds me and makes me even more brutal.

I rip the earth open here and there, no longer thinking about consequences.

The scarred one watches in fury as the ground continues responding to my power, swallowing every one of his men.

When they resist, the roots take over–grabbing them and dragging them into the depths where sunlight will never touch them again.

There’s a moment when our gazes meet, and the challenge between us bes explicit.

“We’lle back–and when we do, we won’t leave a drop of blood in your pretty little toy.”

I growl, ready to hunt him down, tear his throat with my teeth, and savor the flow of his blood on my tongue.

But ra’s hand–false ra–grabs my elbow and stops me from doing what my most primal instincts demand.

Hunting. Tearing. Devouring.

Their leader makes a beast–like sound, and the few survivors of my fury flee, kicking up dust with their hind legs.

Rhory is thest to leave–but not before parting words.

“iYou /iwon’t save her. It’s not in your nature to be a hero. You couldn’t do it for your parents—much less for her.”

The blownds hard.

“Who said I need to be a hero to save her?”

They have a moral code–I don’t.

That makes me much more dangerous, Rhory.

I’d be careful how you threaten me.

He says nothing–just lets his nk gaze fall on me, then shifts and flees as fast as his legs allow.

Maybe he’s not the leader, but he’s certainly respected more than the scarred one.

I can smell Ragna on him. Their connection is close.

I don’t take my eyes off them untill feel it in my bones that they’re gone.

“Still in the stables?”

“Um… about that… I think you need toe right away, Cassian,” ra replies.

“Who do I need to kill? Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine, but I stepped out of the stables when I heard a noise, thinking they’d found me–and I think I made things worse.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m surrounded.”

“By shapeshifters?” I ask, a flicker of panic rising.

I thought I’d drawn them all away.

“Purebloods.”

Ca

The trace of fear and the hesitation in his voice don’t go unnoticed. I look at Abraxas, who has already returned to his usual appearance–that

is, the face of a stranger.

“I’ll only say this once, and only because I value your loyalty to the disaster you call your brother,” I throw. “ra will not be going back with you. She won’t return to any ce she doesn’t want to be. Any attempt on your part to retrieve her will be answered with blood.”

“Believe it or not, I won’t do anything ra doesn’t want. If she feels her ce is by your side, so be it. If it’s far from you, then I’ll make sure

that happens.”

Once again,ughter bursts from me on its own.

“Who do you think you are now? Her savior?”

“And you? Do you think you are?” he counters.

“ra doesn’t need saviors. She needs to be left alone to be.”

“To be what?” he retorts.

“I’ve said it before–what she is doesn’t have a name. But I’ll make sure she can be it freely, without fear of anyone–least of alli, /iyou all.”

“You all?”

“There’s no time for this now.”