Page 33 of Detonation
How long will it be until he comes for me?
I'm not ready. I don't have a plan.
I suck in a strangled gasp, forcing myself to breathe again.
Sera’s eyes narrow on me. "You know him. Don’t you? What did he do to you?"
I fight away the overwhelming fear that threatens to drown me, reminding myself that I’ve been training for this exact moment—to get Ash back.
I've been hurt too.
My breathing begins to level out as I fall into the memory of Ash lying next to me in bed, holding me to him, the beat of his heart racing wildly in his chest as he admits his feelings for me.
My soulmate by choice, not by previous ties.
I love all of my men equally. If it was any of the others, I would do the same. Ash wasn’t with us in our first lives but he’s been here from the start in this one. He came into my life as a blessing that I needed desperately and I refuse to let him go.
We won't give him up.
Taking a deep breath, I glance at her, ice in my voice as I reply, "Yes. He took something very precious from me and I won't stop until his twisted black hole of a soul is gone from this plane."
She tilts her head to the side, inspecting me. "What's your name?"
"Oslana."
Heads snap to me as she stares at me, wide-eyed. She flounders. "Well … that's a name I haven't heard in a while."
"I died forty years ago; now I’m back," I say bluntly.
She narrows her eyes. "Well, I never thought I'd say this but it's nice to meet you. My name is Serafina. Tell me how the hell you're going to get us out of here, Your Highness."
The address is laced in sarcasm but I let it go. I haven’t earned the title or the respect and I don’t want it until I have.
"That's the million-dollar question, isn’t it?"
Chapter Ten
Hale
We follow the lead of Serenity’s mates, watching as their unit handles the dark witch and her shadows. The last thing we want is to get in their way and add to the chaos.
Jumping lightly on the balls of my feet from the nerves, I watch Derrick spray fire at the shadows every time they form, keeping them from materializing completely, but there are too many for him to keep track of. Serenity and her other mates haven’t found another way to handle them yet either.
Serenity is locked in close combat with her dagger in her left hand but the pain that’s evident on her face from her shoulder wound, holds her back as she parries with the witch.
Seth creates bushes beneath all his brothers, lifting them away from the ground where the shadow men appear from, putting the distance between them, protecting them until they figure out a way to dispose of the shadow men.
I turn to Leo, who seems to be foaming at the mouth to get in on the action, his jaw straining, his fist clenched. I realize that he’s waiting for direction when he looks to me so I nod at him. "Go. See what Derrick is doing? Copy that if you can. They need more time to figure out a plan."
He sprints into the battle, dust kicking up behind his feet as a thorn bush appears in front of him. He jumps onto it as it continues to rise up and throws balls of fire at the shadows that Derrick can’t catch. The relief of having backup is clear in Serenity’s fire mage.
Serenity grunts and I whip my gaze to her in time to see her fall to her knees as the dark witch glares viciously at her. All of her mates are locked in battle with the shadow men, who seem more solid than before with more distinct facial features. Leo remains on his platform, flames in his hands at the ready, watching for an opening.
"Luke!” His head snaps to me. “Go."
A wall of ice rises between Serenity and the dark witch, growing into an encompassing dome, giving Serenity a moment to gather herself.
My brothers need my help and so does my new family. "Zedd, let's go! If Serenity can't take this bitch down, it's going to take all of us to hold her off."
