Midnight's Captive(117)

“Neither do we,” Cassie said softly, and turned to look at her. “All we can do is pray. But you have something to do.”

Jane nodded eagerly. “There’s a space set up for you to continue your work. Aiden made a list of everything you might need and then some.”

Britt wiped her eyes and squared her shoulders. Aiden was right. There was one way she could help. That was to find a way to not only combat the drough blood, but for the Warriors to have something to use against Wallace.

“Show me,” she said.





CHAPTER FORTY-THREE



Charon’s gaze was locked on a group of five selmyr through the rain as they were kept at bay by a black dragon. He wished he knew who the Black was, but as forthcoming as the Kings had been about who they were, they were careful not to shift in front of him.

Except for Banan.

Charon would think about that later. For now, he had to stay focused on the selmyr. And Wallace.

By the way the selmyr occasionally glanced behind them, Charon knew Quinn, Galen, and Aiden were closing in. Which meant so were Wallace and his group.

Ranmond’s roar filled Charon’s head as his god lusted for death and battle. Charon wasn’t sure where Ranmond’s need ended and his began.

Deirdre had turned Charon into a monster, imprisoned and tortured him. Declan had dared to harm his friends. But it was Jason who had done the unthinkable by trying to get to Charon through Laura.

Charon peeled back his lips to show his fangs and growled as one of the selmyr lunged at him. It got no farther because the Black dived right at the ash-colored beast.

A smile pulled at Charon’s lips when he saw the dragon’s wings crash into one of the selmyr that didn’t get out of the way fast enough. The force sent the creature tumbling to the ground.

An instant later, the selmyr was on its feet. It glanced down at its chest where the long gnash was healing quicker than anything Charon had ever seen.

“Ballocks,” he whispered.

Every creature had a way to be defeated. The selmyr were no different. Finding a way to kill—or trap—them might be more difficult than Charon had first thought.

Suddenly, the five selmyr near Charon turned, and as one, began to run toward a large grove of trees. Charon glanced up at the Black to see the dragon had its eyes trained on the ash-skinned bastards.

Something had gotten their attention. But what? Quinn, Galen, and Aiden were due to drive on one of the back roads near there shortly. But it couldn’t be them, because Charon didn’t see the yellow dragon Con had said would herald their arrival.

The roar of a Warrior got Charon’s attention. He ran after the selmyr into the trees and glimpsed the gold skin he recognized instantly. Charon launched himself at one of the creatures who had sunk his long, sharp teeth into Phelan’s arm.

Charon severed the selmyr’s head from its body with one swipe of his claws. Before he could turn to the next, the other four had latched on to Phelan, blood running past their lips as they drank.

Phelan’s gold Warrior eyes caught his. Charon threw back his head and roared before he attacked again. This time he wasn’t alone. The black dragon crashed into the trees and clamped its huge hand around two of the selmyr. A second later, the Black was once more in the air, its great wings beating against the wind and rain.

Charon knew the only way to stay alive was to make sure the selmyr didn’t bite him. Somehow when they took a Warrior’s blood, they took his power as well, leaving him too weak to combat them.

If they did that to a Warrior, what could they do to a Druid?

Charon ducked and rolled as a selmyr rushed him. He came up behind the seven-foot creature and put his hand through it, hoping its heart would be where a human’s was.

He was wrong.

The selmyr jerked back his elbow, banging it into the side of Charon’s head and his horn. Charon stumbled back, but regained his footing. He bent forward slightly before he jerked upward, spearing the selmyr in the back with the tip of his horn.

The beast screamed its fury. Charon used his other hand and sank his claws into the selmyr’s back near its spinal column. And then wrapped his fingers around the bones.

With one yank, Charon jerked out the beast’s spinal column. The selmyr fell lifeless to the ground.

Charon turned to attack the last one when something sharp and piercing sank into the top of his shoulder. Almost instantly, his blood began to burn as if acid had been injected into him. The pain was ten times what drough blood felt like.

And with the burn came the weakness. It became a chore just for Charon to stay upright. He could still feel the rain pelting him, but it was a distant sensation. Just as he couldn’t focus on the world around him.

Laura.