Page 136 of Madness of Her Mages

She nodded.

“But the prophecy,” my mother cried out, looking toward a high dune where many of the soldiers had gathered as flood waters streamed around them.

“With all due respect, Mother,” Tari snapped, “to hell with the prophecy.”

“Then let’s go.” Drae tugged on my arm while nodding toward Malvolia. Even from so far away, I could see the vehemence in my aunt’s eyes. She looked like she wanted to turn us all to dust. “Hurry.”

“What about Helian?” Tari turned a pleading gaze from her mates to me. “He was in trouble. I felt him cry out in my mind.”

I swallowed. “Was he a Sidhe Fae with silver hair?”

“Yes,” Tari cried. “You’ve seen him!”

I nodded toward the ocean as a sickening feeling twisted my gut. “He caused that blast.”

Tari’s mates swore.

The color drained from Tari’s face. “Wh-what?”

I couldn’t help but feel pity for my sister, for I realized that Fae was also one of her mates if she’d heard him cry out in her mind. “He brought an explosive stone into camp.”

“An explosive stone? The thunderstone.” She clutched her throat, turning toward her mates. “Selig tricked me.”

Their eyes lit with rage.

I wasn’t surprised that Thorin’s demon-touched brother was behind this.

“I’ll kill that fucking bastard,” the alpha growled.

“The Sidhe Fae flew off on a black wyvern,” I said to my sister.

She spun back around, letting out a wail while clutching her heart. “Beau!”

I jerked back when her other wyvern let out an agonized squawk.

“I doubt they survived,” my father murmured.

I cringed at his heartless words.

Tari’s mates threw back their heads, letting out agonized howls.

I ducked when a small burst of fire arched over our heads. A fire mage glared down at us, his wings still flapping, though he couldn’t move his arms and legs, almost as if he was a fly caught in a web.

“My spell is fading,” I said, my voice breaking, for I feared I didn’t have enough strength to use my siren again. “My magic can’t hold them back forever.”

“Let’s go!” my father boomed.

Tari’s mates pulled her back toward their wyvern.

Our father leapt into the sky, our mother in his arms. Drae swept me into his arms and jumped into the sky, Blaze and Nikkos following with the girls.

We flew toward the seawall, but then my sister’s wyvern suddenly went into a nosedive, spraying sand everywhere when it landed hard on a dune.

My mates and I circled around them.

“What are they doing?” Nikkos called out.

My father flew up to us, his face twisted while my mother buried her face against his chest. He motioned toward Ember and Aurora. “Shield their eyes.”

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