Page 131 of Blood So Brutal

The only sounds in the confines of the half-crumbling underground sanctuary were breathing and rapid heartbeats. Nobody spoke. Nobody dared.

But we all felt it—the rumbling under our feet, the promise of violence coming from above.

A loud boom rattled the stone walls. Rummy and I shared a glance but said nothing. She gripped her dagger with steady hands, as did I.

A few other warriors stood with us at the front of the chamber. We shouldn’t have to use these swords, I reminded myself, but if we did?

Nobody was getting through to these innocents.Nobody.

My heart swelled as I looked at Rummy. She turned to reassure a female vampyre to her left. Hells, Rummy had not a single ounce of vampyre blood in her body. She was fully fae, fully supposed to stand against us, and these vampyres, according to everything we were raised to believe, should have been scrambling over each other to sink their fangs into her fae veins.

Yet there were no whispers of such atrocities in this sanctuary, only promises of teamwork. Of family. Of union.

We would kill any enemy for these strangers.

I squeezed my eyes shut as the ground shook again. Hundreds—if not thousands—had to be fighting out there to shake the damn ground. Not just with swords, either, but with magic.

I knew firsthand how powerful some angels could be, but these vampyres were skilled too. They didn’t need magic to win a fight. The plan would work.

It had to work.

I didn’t let my mind wander to Wolf. I couldn't. Even picturing him out there on the front lines would force me to run after him, to protect him. We were supposed to fight together, I knew that.

But I also knew these people needed me.

We were fighting together, just not in the same place.

“It’ll be alright,” Voiler said to my right. “This kingdom has something to fight for now, something stronger than the lust for power.” Her voice was softer than a whisper, but the words rattled inside my skull.

“I hate not knowing what’s going on out there,” I replied.

She nodded and turned to face the thick, closed door. “Goddess help us,” she whispered. “Destroy our enemies. Rebuild what is good.” The small group huddled around us turned their attention to Voiler as she repeated, “Goddess help us. Destroy our enemies. Rebuild what is good.”

A male warrior—no older than twelve—lifted his chin. “Goddess help us,” he repeated with her. “Destroy our enemies. Rebuild what is good.”

Goddess help us.

Goddess help us.

Goddess help us.

Chills erupted down my arms until I realized that I, too, repeated those words, recited that prayer as the rest of the bunker joined in.

The ground shook. The sound of screams in the distance infiltrated the bunker.

Still, we chanted.

The words grew as our spirits soared.

Destroy our enemies.

The sound of footsteps rattled the stone over our heads. They were here. This was happening.

I tightened my grip on my dagger.

Rebuild what is good.

When the first sound of fists echoed through that stone door, I turned to the young male warrior beside me. “Use this,” I said, curling his fingers around his own dagger. If that door opens, you fight anyone who enters. Understand?”

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