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My eyes drifted shut and I dug deeper than I had before. The power of the earth swelled within me, combining with my natural ability to manipulate fire. Focusing all of my attention, I dropped the flames around the lodge for only a second. At the same time, I waved both my hands at the two blond naturi. The females with their thin lithe bodies and almond-shaped eyes instantly burst into flames, causing Rowe to shout and jump away from them.
In the next second, the flames around the lodge were roaring again. I had managed to take the two naturi by surprise, as they expected me to expend all my energy on maintaining my defense, not to attack. I hoped that Rowe would be unwilling to sacrifice any more members of the light clan, because I doubted that I’d be able to get them to fall for that trick again. I was stronger now, but not strong enough to continue to take on multiple light clan naturi.
“This fire will keep you out for now,” I said with a sinister grin. “Send me your light clan, and I will burn through them like a dry brush.”
“You’re ru
“True,” I said, nodding, and then put my hand behind me, grabbing hold of Cy
“Nia!” I heard a woman scream. Then Nyx pushed through the crowd to stand beside Rowe, her eyes wide and haunted.
“Nyx!” Cy
“I offered a trade,” I said. “You walk away from the sacrifice and I set little Nia free.”
“Mira!” Rowe shouted at me in frustration. The hand holding a blade trembled in his rage, but he said nothing more. I had no doubt that Nyx had been pressuring him to come up with a way to free Cy
Danaus stepped up beside me, a weapon in each hand, ready to resume the attack, but he also knew there would not be another attack until after the sun rose. And then it would be he and Shelly alone against the army of naturi. The naturi would slice through every nightwalker until we were all dead, and then free their wayward princess.
We have no choice. His words danced across my brain like a warm breeze, catching me by surprise. I thought I would have to convince him of it. I thought I would have to beg and plead with the hunter to use our power to destroy the naturi that waited to kill us all.
It will kill Cy
“Take Cy
Shelly led the trembling Cy
I don’t want to do this again, Danaus admitted at last. In both his hands, he still gripped blades, ready to physically attack our enemies if I lowered the flames so much as an inch.
If we destroy them now, there will be no sacrifice. No door to close again.
Danaus dropped his knife from his left hand and grabbed my upper arm. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Stefan take an ominous step forward, moving to come between me and the hunter. A wave of my hand kept him at bay, but only just barely. He would keep his word to protect both me and Danaus, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t rough the hunter up a bit.
More than Danaus’s words vibrated through my brain. I could feel his horror and his revulsion at the thought of what had happened back on Blackbeard Island. We had been desperate. Backed into a corner, surrounded by the naturi, he and I had agreed to make one last push with our powers. He had taken my hand in his, while pushing his powers into my body, wielding me like a weapon from Hell. At Themis, it was an accident. We didn’t realize what we were capable of. Yet, on the island, trapped and frightened, we knew what we were doing when we killed them all. We felt each soul being crushed into bleak, cold nothingness. We destroyed their souls.
No. I don’t want this either, I softly admitted, dropping my head so I could only see his chest.
Never again.
We can do this, I pressed. I was still confident that there was another way to use the co
Mira…
I could feel him begin to waver. He knew this was our best and only shot to survive the day. We have to do this. If we stop them tonight, there’s no going to Machu Picchu tomorrow night.
Danaus released my arm but didn’t step away as he continued to stare at me. He didn’t want me in his head as he weighed what I had said. He could care less if Jabari or any member of the Coven intended to kill me once I completed the task they had set before me. Sure, he might want the honor of chopping my head off, but dead was dead for him. But I liked to think he also realized that our best chance of defeating the naturi was by attacking them now, not trying to mount an offensive on Machu Picchu.
“We go slow,” Danaus finally said.
“No argument there,” I said, trying not to sound too relieved.
“Only the naturi in Peru,” he continued.
I tried not to laugh at his tone. It was his conscience he was attempting to soothe. “You’re the one in the driver’s seat. I’m just the weapon,” I replied, bitterness slipping between my words.
“Mira, what’s going on? What are you pla
“We’re getting rid of the naturi,” I murmured, lifting my hand so it hovered between Danaus and me.
Taking a deep breath, Danaus wrapped his long fingers around mine. For a moment there was only his warmth. The strength of his hand holding me was calming, reassuring in a deeper way that I hadn’t felt in a while. For those few seconds, the world and all its threats slipped away because I had someone willing to stand with me.
And then I screamed. The pain was overwhelming, burning brighter than the fire that surrounded me, brighter than the sun I was only now begi
Focus! Danaus ordered, but I could barely hear him over the roar in my head.
I reached out, could see naturi bursting into flames before me but not how we had pla
“What happened?” he demanded, kneeling before me. He roughly grabbed both of my shoulders and forced me to meet his intense gaze. “It felt different. I wasn’t in control any longer—something inside of you was fighting me. Did Cy