Emberine waved Lothaire on, leaving sparks in the air. "By all means."
As Regin flailed, the vampire snaked an arm around her head, palming her chin with one hand. He reached the other across her neck to seize her shoulder.
"No! Nooo!"
Regin met eyes with him, as if she were trying to tell him something-
The vampire snatched both of his arms in opposite directions. Declan watched in horror as Regin's head twisted. Face lax, body limp, she col apsed to the ground.
He roared with fury. She's not dead. Not dead. She would live through this. If he could get free. Save her.
These f**ks cheered. He stifled another yel as rage flooded his body, the strength of a berserker growing rampant inside him. One hand free.
"Come, Emberine," Lothaire said. "The honor is yours."
The sorceress created a fire sword in her palm. Playing to the crowd, she raised it above her head teasingly. all attention was on her.
Another arm free.
The crowd began to chant Ember's name. Punish them. A red haze covered his vision. Thoughts came at random.
With one final violent thrash, Declan escaped his bonds. As he stalked toward Regin's body, he seized the vampires closest to him, yanking them into each other, bashing their skulls.
Never taking his eyes from her, he ripped anyone between them limb from limb. Closer. Blood sprayed over him.
Nothing keeps me from her.
Chapter FIFTY-TWO
Three... two...one.
Regin's legs surged forward, kicking the sorceress's ankles and sending her crashing to the ground.
With another kick, she slammed her boot heel down onto Ember's throat. At that moment, Thad, Natalya, and Brandr burst into the temple with weapons raised. Lothaire drew his sword, slaying two nearby demons with one swipe of his blade.
The leech's plan was working. Might let him live.
When Regin popped up unharmed, free from the fake knot at her wrists, she met Chase's wild gaze.
She couldn't imagine his bewilderment; his mind should be a chaotic frenzy by now. She'd never seen him so big, so ful y berserk. Across the melee, he ravaged through demons and vamps to get to her.
Lothaire tossed her another sword. "I told you this would work." His tone was casual, even as he laid waste to his former all ies.
"Maybe if you hadn't screwed over Chase in the first place, huh?"
Ember gaped from the ground, her lips working silently before she hissed, "Die, Valkyrie." She shot to her feet, raising her fire sword.
But Regin had already swung. "Gotta dis arm you. Bitch," Regin said as Ember's arms fel to the ground in a cloud of wafting ash.
Ember screamed, her butchered limbs spurting streams of fire like blood. But Portia was ever watchful of Ember; a massive boulder hurtled toward Regin, leveling anyone in its path.
At the last minute, Regin ducked. The stone crushed Ember's head.
Portia shrieked, speeding toward them. A swarm of something that looked like locusts fol owed her. Not locusts.
Sand.
"Lothaire!" Regin yel ed. "Take out Portia!"
At that, other demons and vampires turned to him. "Lothaire betrayed us! Again." A dozen or so demons and vampires traced away at once, dragging their wounded.
Turning to Portia, Lothaire eerily chided, "If you're not with me ..."
Deciding to fight another day, the sorceress snatched Ember's hair around her fist, then latched on to a vampire about to trace. The three disappeared.
Regin's gaze found Chase once more. His eyes were focused on her, unwavering, even as he reached to his side and snagged another foe, wrenching its head from its neck.
Behind him lay a trail of carnage, one headless, twitching body after another. His speed was mind-boggling. all those years ago, he'd told her that he'd done incomprehensible feats in order to get back to her. Now she was seeing them. A lean bear in winter ...
Not far from him, Thad, Natalya, and Brandr fought back to back, dispatching the rest of the fallen Cerunnos and other creatures that had no means of tracing away. Soon the temple was fil ed with gore, but cleared of live adversaries.
Only the original six of them remained.
And Chase was storming toward her. Regin sheathed her sword and ran for him as well. "Chase!"
When he caught her up against his chest, she clutched him with all the strength in her body. I ran into his arms.
Her eternal mate. I couldn't hold my heart back. "I was so worried!"
Voice ragged, he said, "Nothing keeps me from you." His gaze was fixed on her lips. "Nothing."
"No, Chase!" His words fil ed her with fear. Words from the past. Is it too late? She beat against his chest, clawing to get free. Declan could never remember.
Because I want him.
But he slanted his mouth over hers, plunging his tongue between her lips before she could yank her head away.
"Nooo!" She kicked him until he finally drew back.
"Sweet as honey," he rasped. "The others had it wrong. You're no' like a drug." Setting back in for more, he groaned, "Better than ..."
She head-butted his throat with a vicious snap. "Chase, stop this!" To the others, she said, "He's remembering. Help me!"
When Brandr, Natalya, and Thad stepped forward, Chase set Regin on her feet, still gripping her arm with one viselike fist. Pure menace emanated from him as he leveled his gaze on the three. Blood had spattered his torso, lines of crimson crisscrossing his scars. "Nothing keeps me from her."
He was a berserker in ful rage, with his chest heaving beneath those chil ing scars-a terrifying sight for most, yet Regin's heart clenched for him. He's magnificent.
Brandr advanced on him. "I can't let you have her, friend-"
Chase launched a punch; his fist connected with Brandr's face like a cannonbal . Brandr's head whipped around, his body lifted off the ground before it dropped. Limp.
When Chase narrowed his gaze at the others, Natalya and Thad both held up their hands.
"We'l let you two work this out between yourselves," Natalya muttered. "See you back at the boat."
They each grabbed one of Brandr's arms and started dragging the man away.
Lothaire said, "No hard feelings, then, Blademan? Everyone makes a bad day trade now and again. ..." He trailed off at Chase's look. "Very well , I'll be at the boat. We'l talk then."
It's left to me. Have to escape Chase. "Ah, gods, I don't want to do this." When he turned to her, she brought her sword hilt crashing into his temple.
Chapter FIFTY-THREE
"Regin!" Declan roared, his mind mired in confusion as he pursued her through a rain-swept forest.