Page 41 of Taken By the Blood God

Her strength was unexpected when she tore herself from my grip and faced the stone dais that laid over my brother’s body. Ice encased her arms from her shoulders to the tips of her fingers. It cracked and sparkled as she lifted her hands into the air, an eerie blue light flowing from the glittering shards.

“AWAKEN!” she screamed.

The walls around us shuddered, and the cavern was filled with brilliant white light. Power poured from her hands, and the rock before us split in two with a thunderous crack.

“YOU ARE FREE!”

The magic of her voice hurt even my ears. I sensed the warlocks gathered on the edges of the ward running away from the immense pressure of her power.

Just as Cassia before her, Minerva held more magic in her small body than my brother and I combined. Magic fueled by love and compassion rather than arrogance and greed.

That was the true secret of her power—that the depth of her love, the strength of her emotions, made her the strongest between us.

Violet and indigo light burst from the crack in the rock, warring with the incandescent light of Minerva’s power. The dais cracked and crumbled as the underground room shuddered from the force of her magic. Dark purple smoke swirled from the crevasse that split the center of the room. Shadows shot from the hole as a dark form rose from within its depths. Wind howled and swirled around us. I shielded my eyes from the dust, ash, and small rocks that ricocheted wildly around the room.

None of it touched Minerva. The only sign that she was even in the same dimension was her long, crimson hair blowing loose from her braid.

My brother’s form coalesced from the twisting violence of light and dark. His head hung forward, his face hidden by long, tangled black hair.

Minerva spread her arms wide, a lacy web of ice curving from her wrists to the sides of her waist like wings. Davian’s body hovered before it floated forward. As he drifted toward the solid floor, his head snapped back, and his eyes opened. Glowing violet eyes met mine.

“Brother,” I greeted him.

“Brother,” he rasped.

Minerva’s magic began to wane, the nearly blinding light of her power fading. The chill in the room vanished, and the ice attached to her arms crashed to the floor. Davian’s feet touched the floor, leaving him standing naked before us. He staggered a few steps forward before catching his balance, waving me away when I reached out to steady him.

“I’m fine,” he insisted, his voice hoarse.

I turned to Minerva, planning to introduce her to my brother, but all thoughts left my mind when I saw her face.

Her skin was ashen, and dark circles ringed her eyes. But what captured my attention most was the charred mark that extended from the base of her neck to her waist. What I thought was just dirt or soot earlier was much, much worse. The fabric of her shirt hung loose now, split from neck to where it was tucked into her pants. Without her clothing hiding it any longer, I saw that the skin was equal parts black and red, blood oozing from the edges of the burn. She’d been badly injured.

She swayed on her feet, nearly crumpling to the stone floor as I lunged toward her.

“Minerva!”

I caught her with an arm around her shoulders and another around her waist to keep her upright. She cried out in pain when her charred skin met mine.

Cursing, I turned her, lifting her so that her injury didn’t rub against anything. Even that seem to cause her pain because she whimpered.

I pressed my forehead against hers, whispering an incantation to make her sleep. As her eyes closed, I turned toward my brother, shifting her higher against my chest.

“Can you walk?” I asked him.

If not, I would have to carry her through the portal first and then come back for him.

“I can,” he answered. His voice was rough from more than a millennium of disuse. “But you should leave the witch.”

That destructive rage swelled within me again. “Never! And do not speak of it again!”

He sighed, shoving his hair away from his face with one hand. “I see your long slumber has not changed you.”

“It seems yours hasn’t changed you either,” I shot back.

Without another word, I opened a portal to Minerva’s home in Devil Springs. I would take her there and return for her things at the hotel once I was sure she would be okay.

“Follow me, or stay here and face the warlocks heading this way,” I said to Davian.

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