Page 127 of A Trial of War
“Daxton—”
“Swear to me, Skylar Cathal. Swear you will not hesitate. Swear you will end her.”
A surge of unconditional love and trust coursed through our bond, causing our tether to smolder with a rush of power that sang to my warrior’s soul. And I knew, without a doubt, that her spark would turn into a brilliant flame.
“I swear, Daxton Aegaeon,”she said.
I allowed myself a moment to relish in the trust I saw reflected in her eyes and used it as my armor. I sent every ounce of love and devotion I had for my mate, my wife, through our bond, allowing it to surround her until I could no longer sense that kernel of doubt or fear in her soul. Until only our love remained, smoldering like an ember of everlasting strength.
“Everyone,”I called out using my mate’s ability to reach through the pack bond, sensing the might and power of her people flowing through my veins.“Bring the fight here. We need to buy Skylar time.”
I twisted Valencia in my hand, charging at Minaeve with every ounce of strength I had left. The shadows around her surged to meet me, snapping and clawing as I used my ice magic to shield her attack, but I didn’t falter.
Every strike, every roar of defiance bought Skylar seconds she needed, and I wouldneverfail my wife.
Chapter Fifty-Two
Skylar Cathal
“Shit, shit, shit!” I cursed under my breath. “Get a grip, Skylar. Focus!”
Screams, roars, and the clash of steel and claws assaulted my senses, but none of that mattered. Nothing mattered except this one thing I was tasked to do by my mate: summon the eternal flame and burn the false bitch queen from existence.
My power surged inside me, flickering like a candle in a storm with an unpredictable flare of its own.
I know you can, Spitfire,he’d said, believing in me with every fiber of his being.
I swallowed hard, trying to channel every ounce of training with Adohan, every scrap of magic I had into this task.
The flame flared to life in my chest, tiny at first, like a spark against a gale-force wind. It glistered, then roared, hot and wild, along my arms and formed a bright sphere between my palms, threatening to consume me from the inside out. I clenched my fists, gritting my teeth so tight I thought they cracked, trying to contain the raging flames.
If I faltered now, we were done.
But I was too fucking stubborn to fail now.
I stole a glance toward Daxton in the thick of Minaeve’s shadows, with Valencia’s steel flashing in the sparks of my flames. Magnus was tearing through the wispy shadows like a living whirlwind, with Rhea, Shaw, and Zola joining the onslaught. Castor and Gunnar charged forward with blades swinging in brilliant arcs of destruction. Even Idris and Adohan came swooping in from above, trying to battle her shadows. And then rising from the fray was Neera, firing a bow, with Seamus somehow still alive, fighting to stay conscious and remain on this side of the crossing.
Each of them bought me precious seconds I needed to master my flames.
And still, Minaeve’s magic towered over them all. The stolen power of the Labyrinth crackled around her. Her laughter cut like jagged pieces of glass along my senses. And then, her eyes, the coldest, most terrifying I’d ever known, flicked toward me. My stomach bottomed out as bile rose in my throat. It was like staring death in the face, a challenge to see who would be crowned the victor of this final standoff.
Instead of fading against the force of her stare, I rose to meet her challenge.
The flames inside me flared brighter, sensing the darkness looming across the way.
“Focus,” I muttered to myself. “You can do this. Youmustdo this.”
The heat of the eternal flame surged along my arms as I stretched them into an arch, white flames flickering with blue sparks woven between the flares.
I could sense the shadows recoiling, but Minaeve’s power did not falter. And her sight was not set solely on me.
“Hold on, Spitfire.”Daxton’s voice echoed in my mind, a lifeline in the madness.
I drew in a deep breath, releasing control of the wild flames burning in my veins, trusting in my power. Releasing all my doubts, my fears. Trusting my magic to take shape.
A brilliant white light flashed before the arching flames burned brighter, transitioning to a brilliant blue hue.
But then, Minaeve raised her hands, and the shadows around her surged. The ground beneath my feet buckled as if she were trying to collapse the world in on itself. My flames trembled, struggling against the pull of her power. Sweat and tears mingled on my face as I fought against the force of her circling shadows.
