Page 6 of Into the Dawn
“Glad you could join me,”Ronan said through their bond.“These bastards are like bloody insects. Every time I put one down, two more seem to pop up.”
Relief swept through Dominic when he heard his brother’s voice.“There was another group lying in wait, waiting to ambush me. Our fathers are sending help. They should be here soon.”
“Good, since I do not know how much longer I can last.”
The brutal honesty in his tone worried Dominic more than anything. As the fighting continued, he had to face the reality that both he and his brother were approaching their limits, but they would never willingly give up, so they had no choice but to continue to fight until help arrived.
A powerful kick to the belly sent Dominic flying backward against a thick tree trunk, and he grunted with pain at the hard impact. It was a fledgling mistake, but fatigue, blood loss, andsheer exhaustion were making it nearly impossible to function properly. He tried to shake off the blow, but his efforts were abruptly halted by the cold, unyielding point of a sword pressed against his neck.
Another male came up behind him, stepping on Dominic’s sword to prevent him from lifting it. The second rogue grabbed hold of his long hair, wrapping it around his fist and using it to jerk his head up, exposing his throat.
He had fucked up, and now there was no escape.
Faced with the real likelihood of death, he couldn’t help but reflect on his mistakes. However, the aches and pain in his body were nothing compared to the anguish he felt knowing that he had let everyone down. His family and his kingdom had been counting on him, but he had failed his mission to protect them.
“Stop it,”Ronan snapped through their bond.“Do not think like that. The fight is not over until we are no longer breathing.”
That reminder was enough to harden Dominic’s resolve. His brother was right. He wasn’t dead yet. As the sword’s edge bit into his skin, he pushed aside the fear and doubt, letting his instincts take over.
“Death to the Karos Kingdom. It is time for a new reign,” the rogue hissed.
Before the sword could cut any deeper, Dominic surprised his attackers by jerking his head to the side and throwing himself forward. Rather than his neck, the sword sliced through his long hair, leaving it falling around his shoulders in thick, wavy strands. Most warriors kept their hair long as a sign of status and prestige, but he wouldn’t miss it.
Not if it meant surviving.
He collided with the male’s legs in front of him, catching him off guard, so he tumbled to the ground. In a fluid motion, he rolled across the ground and pulled another knife out of thesheath on his vest. Rising onto his feet, he rounded on the other rogue, prepared to take him out.
Before he could stab his opponent, the rogue’s body disintegrated into a cloud of bloody dust that was carried off on the breeze. The sudden transformation left him momentarily stunned, his knife still poised in mid-air. The dust swirled around him in a macabre flurry of crimson particles before disappearing altogether.
What in hellfire just happened?
He was a warrior with years of experience, but in all his days, Dominic had never witnessed such an unsettling sight. He couldn’t let himself get distracted, though. He might have won this fight, but the battle was far from over.
Chapter Three
Shaking off hisshock, Dominic prepared himself to jump back into the fray.
But as he spun around, his eyes went wide as more of the rogues started disappearing one by one, each of them exploding into a red mist that floated away until there was nothing left.
“What the—?”
“Ugh, I think I just swallowed some evildoer,” Ronan growled in disgust from a few feet away. He coughed, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand as he limped closer.
Dominic didn’t bother rolling his eyes at his brother. Besides, his own stomach felt a little queasy at the thought of swallowing the tiny particles of rogues still floating in the air. He was damn glad to be alive but had no clue what in hellfire had just happened to all of the rogues. Even the dead ones had disappeared, leaving Dominic and Ronan alone in the forest.
“What just happened?”
“I would say you just got your asses royally kicked,” a deep voice answered dryly.
Dominic spun around to face the new threat, then blinked in surprise when he saw a huge male standing several feet away. The male must have been at least ten feet tall with an imposing form that rivaled the wide tree trunk he was leaning against. His thick, corded muscles rippled beneath his shimmering bronze skin that seemed to pulse with inner light. The only garment he wore was an iridescent piece of white fabric artfully wrapped around his lean waist, making it easy to see that he had no flaws.
His long hair was a shade so pale it almost looked white, and it cascaded down his back like a waterfall of liquid light. His face was a study of contrasts, with sharp, chiseled features that conveyed both strength and beauty. Glowing gold eyes burnedbright like twin suns and swirled in a mesmerizing pattern that made it impossible to glance away. It was as if those eyes held the secrets of the universe within their depths.
The male exuded an aura of power the likes of which Dominic had never experienced before. That alone was enough to tell him exactly who was standing before them.
Dominic gave a slight bow of his head. “God of the Sun.”
The god smiled as if he were pleased. “You recognize me?”
