“Sit,” Killian says, dropping me onto the couch.
Pax runs his fingers over my forehead, snagging into my hair and tilting my head backwards to look up at him.
“It’s okay, Beautiful,” he says, then lets me go.
Okay? By whose standard? What if I think it’s not? I actually didn’t want to get my clothes off just then, I said no, and Roarke’s power still took complete advantage of me? Why don’t I get a say in this?
I stand, straightening my clothes, and march toward the door.
“Where are you going?” they all demand.
“For some space – I can do that now. No bubble, remember,” I say, gripping the handle.
“She can’t get out,” Roarke says, right as I yank it open – and walk out.
“Get her,” Pax snaps.
“Shadow, stop,” Killian booms.
Four men chase after me, catching up as I get to the bottom of the stairs and stop among the tethered horses.
I turn on them, teeth unclenching. “Go on, I dare you. Just one more of you come near me with your power, and I will tear your chuckin’ balls clean off.”
They all stop, Killian smirking, and Seth with his hands up and out in surrender, a bow in one and three arrows in the other.
“Can’t I be happy to be alive – just for a few hours?”
“You can be happy inside,” Pax orders.
“Not when you’re throwing your powers at me!”
I could keep walking right now, and the idea feels so alien. I don’t need their permission, and they can’t stop me. I could turn and just walk off, or get on one of these horses and ride hard and fast in any direction I want. Just go.
Not forever. Nope – just for a few minutes. A few hours. The time it takes to breathe and teach them a lesson.
“Kitten, get inside. I won’t go near you again,” I plead.
If we’re going to stay here and keep the upper hand, we need to be inside. Whoever is watching needs to think we’re resting and dropping our guard. The ward I chose should muffle even our heartbeats. The idea is we take vantage points, get these Sabers to walk right up to the building, then we pick them off. One by one. Every last prisoner on our tails. The cottage would seem like an easy target, and that’s because it is. And every second we’re out here we’re easy targets.
Killian gives up on diplomacy, and, with a frustrated grunt, he descends the stairs toward her. Which is a relief, since he’ll throw her over his shoulder and get her inside, and I won’t have to be the bad guy – again.
The air shifts, and adrenaline pulses through my body. The slip of a powerful Concealer Potion moves like hot water spilling across the land. A warning, one beat before the first arrow is fired.
“Duck,” I shout, grabbing Seth’s arm and dragging him down with me. “Concealer Potion.”
Aeons, they could have been in the trees under that potion for days – weeks even. Just waiting. If they stayed in the same spot and didn’t try to move outside the potion’s parameters, we wouldn’t have noticed. But Concealing Potions can’t move. The person in them can’t get in or out, or fire a weapon, without breaking it. If anyone else is hiding – they need to reveal themselves before they can attack.
But where are they? Up a tree, not on the ground. We searched the ground a million times.
We didn’t search up the trees.
The arrow embeds itself into the hindquarters of Kitten’s horse, the gelding crying out.
“Cover her,” Pax growls, but we’ve already moved into positions.
He launches himself over the railing, letting Thane have control, and as soon as they’re on all fours, he turns and vanishes underneath the cottage.
Killian pushes Kitten into his shadow as I slow time, allowing my brothers to destroy the arrows midair. I even get enough of a gap to turn and yank the arrow from the poor gelding’s flesh.
The arrows stop, and I let go of time, followed by an enemy’s scream of agony. I can’t see Thane in the trees, but I know it’s him who’s snuck around and begun to eliminate our attackers.
“There’s more,” Killian growls. He grabs Kitten up by one arm and storms towards the stairs.
I meet her gaze, just long enough to gauge that she’s uninjured, walking fine, no blood, no sign of pain. Killian’s fine. Seth’s fine.
That sorted, I turn back to our surroundings. Focusing enough to slow and start time every few beats.
“Fight or retreat?” Seth asks, adding, “I’ll put up a shield.”
He waves his hand towards the stream, and two trees on the edge of the forest beyond it burst into flames that swirl and coil like a tornado.
“Oh, that’s pretty,” he comments.
“Can you control that?” I demand.
“They weren’t supposed to set on fire!”
“Then what was your plan?”
“A wall of water,” he calls, the flames beginning to roar, but the smoke is being sucked high into the sky.
I’ve seen him draw water up in a sheet before. It doesn’t stop the arrows, but it sure stops them from aiming at us.
“Put them out then,” I shout.
“There’s two of them! I mean, I’m good, but that’s pushing it. Let them burn, it could be helpful.”
“Or it could surround us and burn us to death,” Kitten says, eyes wide and glued on the growing devastation.
There may just be two flaming tornadoes, but the trees around them are catching and combusting too.
We both look at Kitten. Her attention flickers to other trees, searching, stopping, searching again. Like she’s locking onto something – or someone.
“You can see them?” I demand.
She nods.
“Like threads?” Killian asks.
“They’re red – or violet, just colors in the trees.”
“Bloodlust and desire,” Killian says, turning sharply.
“She’s still using our powers?” Seth asks, clearly only partly concentrating on the issue with the fire. “I thought that was the bubble.”
“Can you use Chaos? Can you help put that to
