Page 67 of Fated for Dawn

Another bolt struck.

Then another.

And another.

Each one filled me with raw energy. The pain was excruciating, like I was being…electrocuted. I guess I was, but there was exhilaration in it, too. I could hear people shouting my name, begging me to stop. But their voices fainted and drowned out by the storm I had unleashed.

Finally, when I was at my limit, I opened my eyes. The world came into sharp focus, every detail vivid.

“Take cover,” I ordered.

Then I brought my hands down, unleashing hell.

26

Rafe

Chaos erupted below us.

I hovered above the Academy, heart pounding as Zade and I unsheathed our swords and dove into the fray.

Something was wrong.

For every undead that fell, more surged forward, multiplying like a grotesque tide. My stomach twisted as the realization sank—this battle was a trap designed to wear us down. Eris had somehow conjured a multiplication spell.

As I fought to protect everyone long enough for the students to escape, I kept my eyes on Evelyn. She was doing her best; I could tell she had realized the only way to stop this was to attack Eris directly.

But Eris’s power was overwhelming. The horde would have swallowed Eve whole if not for Adrien’s quick reaction. Chad arrived next, and I forced myself to stay in position, resisting the urge to break formation and fly to her side.

I should be next to her. But we were the air support—I couldn’t stray from the plan.

Whatever Chad and Evelyn talked about made her shout for us to join her. We landed near the others, and Adrien increased his protective shield around us.

Concentrating, my mate called upon her storm weaver powers while Adrien kept his shield up to protect us. The undead bounced at Adrien’s shield, punching and kicking, but they could not break it.

I watched as the sky darkened further, and the air became thick with static electricity. The hair on my arms stood on end.

Evelyn kept her arms raised to the churning sky. A bolt of lightning struck her square in the chest. Then another. And another. My pulse quickened, fear gnawing at me.

“Zade,” I forced out, “how much more can she handle?”

Zade’s face betrayed a flicker of worry—the sight was unnerving; my brother was never worried.

The lightning strikes intensified, forming an unbroken stream of raw power that poured into her at blinding speed. The others shouted, voices pleading with her to stop, but Evelyn remained unmoving, eyes shut, absorbing the storm’s fury.

I took a step forward, ready to intervene. This was too much. This would kill her—

The lightning halted, and silence fell, heavy and expectant. The charged air buzzed against my skin as Evelyn’s eyes snapped open—an electric glow flickering in their depths.

“Take cover,” she warned in an eerily calm voice.

Then she brought her hands down, unleashing a torrent of lightning that lit up the battlefield.

“Holy shit,” Zade muttered.

The undead army convulsed as hundreds of bolts struck, bodies disintegrating in light flashes. But more kept rising from the ground, multiplying faster than the bolts could cut down.

Eris stood at the far end of the lawn, watching with a triumphant smile. This was her plan all along—to exhaust us, to show that we couldn’t win.

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