Total pages in book: 177
Estimated words: 171450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 857(@200wpm)___ 686(@250wpm)___ 572(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 171450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 857(@200wpm)___ 686(@250wpm)___ 572(@300wpm)
Graves’s blood splattered across the balcony. He wasn’t healing as fast as he normally would. His magic was so low.
She couldn’t watch any more of this. The only way to fix this was to get Graves out of here. And the only way to get him out was to get his magic back.
Kierse zeroed in on Amberdash. He sat cross-legged on the bullshit throne. His attendants fluttered at his feet, reminiscent of the women lying before King Louis in Third Floor. The Amulet of Hermeria glowed around his neck, feeding off the fight.
She couldn’t touch it. Lorcan had made that much clear. It would suck her own vitality, and she was too close to death for that. She needed another way to stop it.
The droop of Graves’s shoulders as his legs buckled out from under him made her knuckles clench in fury. Nova hit him again, and the guards let him fall, broken, to the ground. The crack of the knuckles hitting him over and over and over again made up her mind for her.
“I’m going to put an end to this. Don’t try to stop me.”
“Kierse!”
Kierse took a deep breath and pushed through the crowd. “Enough,” she gasped.
Nova pulled back the brass knuckles at her approach. “Watch out or I’ll use these on you.”
Graves jostled uneasily to his feet. “Kierse, don’t…”
But Kierse pushed past Nova, shoving the wolf out of the way and put her hands on Graves’s face. “You look terrible.”
“Thanks,” he said weakly. She leaned in lower, barely audible with everyone with such advanced hearing. Her magic came to the tip of her fingers, and wildflowers blossomed in the air as she told Graves, “Hold out for another minute for me, okay?”
“Wren…” he gasped.
“One more minute.”
Nova grasped her by the back of her hair and tossed her down onto the ground. Strands ripped loose from the back of her head, her knees and elbows scraped against the hard ground, and she dramatically threw her head back onto the hard balcony cement.
“Get out of my way, bitch!”
Kierse put the water works on. Her head throbbed, and her knee was bloody. It wasn’t that difficult, after all.
Amberdash came to his feet.
Check.
“Enough, Nova,” he intoned. “Focus on your directive.”
“The bitch interfered.”
Kierse pushed to her elbow, swiping at tears from her eyes. “You think you’re so tough. You never would have taken me on if I had my magic. I’d destroy you. We all know that you’re an embarrassment trying to suck up to Daddy.”
“What did you say?” she snarled.
“Kierse,” Graves warned.
Nova took a step toward her, and Amberdash stepped off of his throne.
And mate.
“Leave Kierse out of this.” Amberdash came to her side, offering her a cold, pale hand.
She sniffled dramatically for her rapt audience and then took his hand in hers. She let him pull her to her feet. Away from his attendants. Away from his guards. Away from the stone.
“Thank you,” she said, barely suppressing her thieving smile.
Then she grasped the chain of the amulet, snapping it in half and tossing it hard to the ground.
“Kierse, no!” Graves said at the same time Amberdash reached for her wrist.
If he got it, he could feed on her soul. A risk she always took in his presence. But that wasn’t her only play.
The amulet landed at her feet, still glowing faintly. She dodged Amberdash’s grip, backhanding him across the face as the rest of his guards rushed forward.
But they were all too late.
She dug her heel into the amulet, and the whole crowd heard the pop as it cracked in half. And then a shock wave blasted through the party. Kierse fell to the ground as the rest of the attendees were blown over. She gasped, as whatever was in that amulet seemed to pass through her.
Her magic should have returned in force, but instead it felt like the price for breaking the amulet had been the rest of her magic. She was back at zero, and she fell over as the whole thing seemed to collapse all around her.
The rest of the crowd of monsters all got their transformations back, but that meant Graves got his magic back, too. The partygoers rushed for the exit in a burst.
Amberdash yelled at the attendees, but his guards immediately rushed to him and the throne—subsequently the stone—for safety. Their eyes met for a moment, and Amberdash nodded at her. Was he…proud?
A second later, steady arms helped her to her feet. “I’ve got you,” Lorcan said. “That was reckless and brilliant. Let’s get out of here.”
“Magic is gone.”
“We’ll figure it out when we’re free.”
“Graves,” Kierse said, reaching for him.
He’d struggled back to his feet. “Here.”
“Do we…go after the stone?” she asked as she pushed away from Lorcan’s helpful arms.
It was the question. But none of them were in top form. Graves could barely stand. Kierse’s magic was completely shot. Lorcan had his magic back, but even he looked worse for wear as if that shock wave had injured everyone.