Page 156 of Halfblood Deceived

“That’s our cue,” Zeydan said, giving Mari, Lex, and Evan a worried look. “You can go back—”

The twins shifted in a flash of golden magic and raced toward the fray in their wolf forms.

“We should have seen that coming,” Andreas grumbled, wrapping an arm around Mari’s waist and taking flight before she could protest.

“We should have,” Zeydan agreed, beating his wings and launching himself into the air, straight toward Aylana and Sebastian, the more hounded ones. Diana was right behind him.

Kerian and Kamilla took flight to meet the first line of gargoyles head-on. They used their magic to shield themselves and repel the blasts of gargoyle sorcery. Their movements were almost invisible as they wielded their swords and fought several roaring gargoyles simultaneously.

Sebastian remained on the ground, no doubt to protect Aylana from being taken into the air by one of the vicious gargoyles that had surrounded them. The couple had each other’s backs, but the gargoyles had clearly marked them as the weaker ones, and were coming for them with extra viciousness.

Zeydan landed on the shoulders of the beast closest to Aylana, sinking his sword into the back of the male’s neck. Aylana flashed him a grateful smile, casting a verdant, runic shield to repel a blast of red sorcery.

Diana blasted the largest gargoyle—several inches taller and bulkier than her—with her magic. She roared and wielded her golden sword with a skill that could rival Kamilla’s.

Zeydan and Sebastian guarded Aylana’s flanks and the powerful fey-werewolf kept them safe in turn, blasting her fire to blind the gargoyles when she could and casting mighty runic shields that encompassed them all. Sebastian used his fire to distract and wound his opponents and his telekinesis to parry blows along with his sword.

Zeydan blocked blows and created barriers with his telekinesis as well, not daring to use his mist even as he fought against two gargoyles at once. He could see through his mist, but the others couldn’t and he’d put them in more danger if they couldn’t see.

Evan and Lex fought as one, jumping on one gargoyle. Lex went for the neck, Evan for the sword-wielding arm.

The gargoyle gurgled, choking on its own blood, but still sank his claws into Lex’s nape.

“Hands off him, motherfucker!” Mari growled, summoning a sword and impaling the gargoyle.

Another stony beast all but materialized in front of the fey princess. But Andreas was right beside her, slicing at the bastard with a bloodlust that bordered on savagism.

Something fell to the ground next to Zeydan’s foot.

He shoved Aylana half behind him, protecting her with his body as the device exploded.

Aylana growled a spell under her breath, casting a flare of green magic that blasted back against the wave of orange light and cursed silver.

Zeydan’s back hit the ground, his ears ringing and his sight blurring. He held his breath, but the taste of polluted silver was sour on his tongue. He gritted his teeth, turning his head to find Aylana next to him, holding her breath and the thinning shield, the veins in her neck throbbing.

Another explosion detonated to their right, sending both Davashkov twins off the air. They landed hard on the ground, their magical shields broken.

Aylana’s verdant eyes flared with panic.

The gargoyles surrounded them.

A bestial roar cut through Zeydan’s momentary deafness just as a blast of telekinesis took all three gargoyles off their feet.

Sebastian.

Still roaring, Aylana’s mate took flight and landed on one of the gargoyles, ripping the bastard’s throat out with his claws, and slicing at another’s stomach.

Zeydan got to his feet and cut the wounded gargoyle’s sword-wielding arm. From the corner of his eye, he saw Mari blasting a flare of fire at the gargoyle closest to Kamilla. Andreas threw a blade at another gargoyle, just in time to prevent the beast from slicing the wings of a dizzy, coughing Kerian. Evan and Lex jumped on another gargoyle, protecting both Kamilla and Mari.

The mist of cursed silver finally vanished and Zeydan breathed in, realizing his lungs didn’t burn even half as bad as last time. They stung, but it was manageable. And his magic wasn’t nullified.

Aylana coughed and got to her feet, helping Zeydan fend off a gargoyle wielding a halberd. Swords crossed, they blocked, and then, as one, they delivered blows that took the gargoyle down to one knee.

The gargoyle roared, his magic rising, and aimed both hands at Zeydan and Aylana—

And then lost both hands under Sebastian’s blade.

Zeydan and Aylana hurried to decapitate the screeching gargoyle, but their relief was short-lived.

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