Dread settled in the pit of my stomach as I looked around. The dark fae all had guns, the smell of the iron bullets permeating the air. I didn’t want to think of all my people who could die trying to save me.
It was now or never.
Even though the bastards were stealing my energy, I had enough to do what I needed. I took one last look into Kai’s eyes, at the nothingness that stared back at me. It was over.
The pain of his loss fueled every single emotion inside of me. I was angry, determined, but most of all, I was overwhelmingly sad. I loved him, but he was gone. He was never coming back to me.
However, one thing was for sure . . . I wasn’t going to give up.
Everything moved in slow motion as I summoned every ounce of magic I had in my body. I smiled as the realization dawned on Ridge’s face.
The wind howled outside the warehouse, screeching against the windows. The next instant, the glass exploded all around us, slicing through all of them except for Kai. I didn’t want to hurt him, not yet.
The two men holding me dropped to their knees, crying in pain.
Ridge growled, his face littered with gashes. “Stupid cunt!”
That amount of energy took a lot out of me, but there was a choice to make. Either use what was left of my energy and destroy the guns or take out the stones.
Kai thundered toward me, and I blasted him with my fire, slamming him against the wall. I had only a split second to react. If I had my way, I’d burn the whole damn warehouse to the ground, but I couldn’t do it, not with so many people siphoning off me.
Instead, I directed my flames to the guns and all the iron blades the men were carrying, melting them in one quick blast. More screams radiated through the warehouse as the metal burned into their skin.
Ridge roared at me, his eyes glowing with rage. But before he could attack me, one warehouse wall ripped away and my brother appeared with over a dozen Winter warriors behind him, including Iston. They charged in, and the room became electrified with magic.
My legs grew weak and I almost fell, but Iston caught me, lifting me in his arms. “I’m getting you out of here.”
“No!” I shouted, clenching his shirt. “They have siphoning stones. They’re going to suck all the energy from our people. We have to end this and quickly.”
Before he could respond, I watched his eyes widen and then we dropped to the floor just as Kai launched a fireball that slammed into the wall behind us. Iston was back on his feet instantly, his sword at the ready.
Kai still had my dagger, and I was determined to get it back.
I was about to intervene when a hand clutched my hair, jerking me to my feet. The pain shot down my neck. “You’re gonna pay for this,” Ridge snarled.
Everywhere I looked, a Winter warrior was battling it out with a dark fae. The siphoning stones were so bright they cast the warehouse in an evil glow. Ridge’s grip on my hair tightened, and I clenched my teeth.
“So are you,” I growled back.
I headbutted him in the face for the second time and pried his fingers out of my hair. Beck tried to race over to me but was stopped by one of the dark fae.
“Destroy the stones!” I shouted to all the warriors.
Ridge tackled me to the ground, and the breath was knocked out of my lungs. I tried to rip the stone from his neck, but he snatched my wrists, slamming them above my head. “How does it feel to know you’re going to die for real this time?”
I’d never despised someone as much as I did him. “I told you,” I said, kneeing him in the groin. Grunting in pain, he fell to the side but got right back to his feet. “I’m going to enjoy watching you die.”
He started to come after me, but then my brother appeared behind him, his sword shining against the red glow in the room. It sliced through Ridge’s neck, delivering the killing blow. His body fell to the ground with a sickening thud and Beck jumped over him, pulling me into his arms. Ridge’s body turned into ash within seconds.
“Fuck, Ella. I’m so glad you’re okay.”
Over his shoulder, I watched as Kai and Iston battled it out. When Kai’s eyes landed on me, the ground shook beneath us. He thrust out his arms, and when he did, Iston and my brother, along with everyone else, flew across the room, leaving me to face off with him alone. Even the dark fae were knocked out.
Beck’s sword was on the ground, so I picked it up and got into position. Kai glanced down at Ridge’s ashes, his face emotionless. It was terrifying seeing nothing but evil and darkness in those gray eyes of his, eyes that used to look at me with love.
Kai circled me and I countered his movements. This exact moment was what I saw in my vision. The only thing I didn’t get to see was how it turned out.
“Kai, please,” I begged. “This isn’t you.”