Page 164 of Her Blood Revenge

She smiles victoriously.

‘You bow to me. Good. As youshould.’

‘I bow to her,’ he says. ‘To her and her alone. To Ashe Nectan. To my Pixie. And never to you.’ He lifts his head. ‘You hear me?’

‘I hear you,’ she snarls in reply. ‘I-’

‘I was not speaking to you. I’m speaking to her. To Ashe. And you know better than to ignore us, Pixie! Or have you learnt nothing from your time with us? Now you listen to me, and you fight this fucking blood whore with everything you have!’

He looks at her. But nothing happens.

Archie and I stand at his side.

We do it all at once, like an unspoken understanding ripples through us, telling us what to do.

We tap into our claiming marks. They still scar her skin, so I know we’re still connected.

We order her back. We order her to reclaim control of her body.

Hel flinches as we try to take control. But she’s strong and keeps her grip.

‘A good try. But unexceptional. As expected. I should kill you. But I think making you like the rest of them…’ She nods to the writhing army she has stolen in the blood below. ‘I thinkthatwill be more satisfying to watch.’

The ground shakes around us. It trembles and groans.

Hel looks down and all around as the earth splinters and cracks. The scent of earth magic fills the air before the walls of the valley explode into a thousand endless pieces. An avalanche of dirt rains down on the valley of blood, swallowing it whole in a turbulent and cataclysmic rush. It buries it. All of it. The blood. The lost witches and unseelie taken by Hel. It’s entombed.

We all look to see her outstretched hand. And we all know the magic came from her.

‘What…’ Hel hisses, staring at her arms. ‘Earth magic?’ She looks around, seeking out the threat. ‘Athir is dead. I killed him. There is no more earth magic.’

Shaw smiles. Then he outright laughs. ‘I would know that magic anywhere. You forget, blood bitch. That girl you are possessing is Athir’s daughter. His blood. His magic. His crown. It runs through her veins. And what happens when a king dies? The crown goes to the eldest child.’ Shaw nods at her. ‘You are not possessing a witch. You are possessing a goddess. And even more than that, you’re possessing Ashe Nectan. And she never backs away from a fight.’ His focus narrows. ‘Do you, Pixie?’

Hel throws her head back and screams as red mist is forced from her body. It’s a scream of power and pain. Of sheer force and agony. We have to step back and throw our arms up to protect ourselves. The force of it burns our skin.

When she finally stops screaming, she lowers her arms and looks at us.

Tears stream down her face as she pants and sobs.

‘Kill me,’ she pleads. ‘I beg you.’

Chapter thirty-one

The Necromancer

She’s burning me alive from the inside out. An unyielding heat born of nothing but hatred, lust and a need to destroy. All that remains good in me is being vapourised, and it’s a fate worse than death. I thought I knew pain. But being hung, cut and crushed is nothing compared to this. What Cole did to me isn’t even close.

She’s not destroying me. She’s corrupting me. Soon, we will be one. We will be the goddess Hel. And I will relish in her blood lust.

The guys all face me, bloody and shocked, looking at me with a mixture of fear and relief. I don’t know if they want to kill me or hold me.

And I remember everything. Athir taking possession. Neve killing him with the god-killing blade. My destruction of the coven. Of so many witches and humans as I was under Athir’s control.

I killed Dorian…

Shaw strides quickly towards me and takes my face in his hands, making me look at him. His eyes search mine, seeking me out beneath the haze of darkness.

I cling to him, desperate to feel him. To anchor myself in something more than her darkness and lust for death.

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