Rune charged past at the head of a pack of at least a dozen forest wolves. Quick as a thought, they launched themselves at D’Chel in a blur of gray and black—and were tossed through the air like a gaggle of rag dolls. Rune screamed his disapproval. She heard him encouraging the others with a mix of snaps and snarls. Regrouping, they charged again. “Lend your magic,” sounded in her mind.
Using her Mage skill, Aislinn cast a protective net over the pack, begging the Old Ones for strength.
D’Chel dropped Bella and twisted to give the wolves his full attention. Still laughing, he matched their form, making himself into a wolf, but one three times as large as any of them, with glittering copper eyes. Aislinn moved closer so she had a clear view of the impromptu battlefield and upped the ante on her spell. She still didn’t understand why she hadn’t been able to sense Rune until he flashed past her. I’ll have to ask Fionn about that later.
The bird lay as if dead. Fionn scooped her up, held her close for one heartbreaking moment, and then cried to Aislinn to come take her. Grief was etched in the hard line of his jaw. His blue gaze flashed fury.
She couldn’t protect the injured animal and help fight. Rune needed her. So did Fionn and Bella. Aislinn edged forward, holding out her hands for the bird while trying to maintain the spell helping Rune and the wolves. Blood ran warm down her fingers.
The raven croaked weakly, “Put me somewhere safe. Help my bond mate.”
She truly is dying. Hoping it would stem what felt like the inevitable, Aislinn sent as much energy into Bella as she thought she could without shorting out something important. She cursed her lack of Healing knowledge. When she’d worked on Rune, it had been guesswork. She’d had an opportunity to experiment then, but time was in short supply just now.
Fionn charged into the fray. Magic collided with D’Chel’s, creating a series of sparks so bright that spots swam before her eyes. She laid Bella in the shadows between two large fir trees. The bird folded her wings around herself. “Don’t you dare give up,” Aislinn hissed.
Back in the clearing, a quick assessment told her that things were deteriorating. One of Fionn’s arms seemed broken. When had that happened? Somehow, he was still calling magic, lobbing jolts one-handed at the dark god. Two wolves lay dead. Rune danced just beyond D’Chel’s reach, but she sensed his energy fading. The other wolves were nowhere to be seen. She didn’t blame them. No point in getting killed in someone else’s war. She made a mental note to tell Metae they had to involve all the animals, not just Hunter bond mates, in this fight. After all, it really was everyone’s battle. If they lost Earth, no one would have a place to live.
I need to make this work. Gritting her teeth, she strode forward and placed herself dead center in front of D’Chel. He’d shucked the wolf form and looked like a man again. He turned slowly to face her. The same lambent sexuality she’d felt from Perrikus oozed from him. Strange she hadn’t felt it before. Maybe when he was working illusion, it muted his charismatic qualities. Long hair so black that it had a bluish cast was braided close against a finely-boned head. Clear coppery eyes shone out of a perfect face with chiseled features. He wore hunting leathers that encased his muscled shoulders and slim hips like a glove, leaving little to the imagination. She let her gaze roam appreciatively over him, hoping to draw his attention away from Fionn and Rune.
“Hey, pretty man,” she cooed, hoping against hope that he was as susceptible to lust as Perrikus. He sure had the same effect on her. She planted her feet shoulder width apart so her thighs wouldn’t rub together and ignored the heat in her loins.
His gaze shifted. He looked at her appraisingly just before his eyes turned a delectable shade of pale blue. “Do you know who I am?”
Should I tell him? She inhaled sharply to buy herself a moment to think. Because she couldn’t come up with a better strategy, Aislinn turned a brilliant smile his way and purred, “Of course I do.”
Eyes hooded, he said, “Tell me.”
“D’Chel, god of illusion.”
“You do not have to do this,” Rune’s voice sounded in her head. “We can find a way that does not involve you sacrificing yourself.”
Fionn limped to her side. He tried to take her arm, but Aislinn shook him off. “Let me do this my way.”
“No,” Fionn muttered. “It will be his way or no way. He’ll fuck you and turn you to their side. Christ, didn’t they teach you anything?”
“Believe in me,” she sent, focusing her mind voice only for Fionn. “Please don’t make this harder.”