Eternal Sacrifice (Mortal Enchantment Book 4) (14 page)

I broke away from my thoughts when the crowd applauded. Their kiss sealed the bond. They were now husband and wife.

Marcus turned around and hugged me. It was so tight, I thought I heard a bone crack. “Easy now, buddy.”

He chuckled as he released me. “Sorry.”

The musicians played at a higher tempo as we made our way down the aisle. Each of the bridesmaids walked with one of the hounds that Marcus had chosen as groomsmen. When it was our turn, I held out my arm for Kalin. Marcus and Ariel would be right behind us.

I pulled a tissue out of my pocket for Kalin. She dabbed the cloth under her eyes. “Is my makeup running everywhere?” she asked.

Maybe a little. “No, you look beautiful.”

“I’m so happy for Marcus and Ariel,” she gushed. “I’ve read about the essence transfer but I never expected it to be so beautiful.”

Kalin had never witnessed an elemental wedding. She’d understood the technical aspects of the process, but seeing the event in person was something else. It’s really a privilege to be part of such an intimate exchange. “The commitment is much bigger than anything in the mortal world. When you accept the gift from your mate, it will stay with you for the rest of your life. You’ll always sense them inside of you.” Or, so I’d been told. “I don’t know what that feels like, but I’d guess it’s pretty intense.”

She stopped when we reached the end of the aisle. “Would I be able to do the same? I mean, because I’m a halfling.”

“You’re the akasha now.” I tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I doubt there’s anything you can’t do.”

The crowd had already begun to enter the reception area. As the ceremonial space emptied, I noticed that Marcus and Ariel were still on the stage. He held her in his arms while she rested her cheek against his chest. It was such a tender moment, I looked away. “Come on, Jelly Bean. Let’s give them some privacy.”

She glanced up at them and smiled. “I’m so glad I got to see this.”

“Me too.”

Grabbing my hand, she pulled me toward the ballroom. Tables were set up on the side wall for the wedding party. We sat at the largest one so we’d be with the bride and groom. The upbeat music played while many elementals danced in the middle of the room. Bottles of wine were the first to come out. I took two glasses from a server tray, and handed one to Kalin. The flavor was a bit sweet for my taste. She seemed to enjoy it, drinking nearly half in one gulp. “You might want to take it slow until you get something to eat.” I smirked.

She sat her glass on the table. “I’ve had enough bad experiences with wine to know you’re right.”

I wondered if she were thinking about that shithole, Sebastian. He’d spent weeks poisoning her with wine as he pretended to be her friend. It was perfect timing. She was under non-stop pressure to marry, while her father tried to recover. He acted like he wanted to help her. But the whole time he was weakening her power so he could seize control of the air court. I was beyond happy that he got what he deserved in the end.

“Would you like to dance?” I asked, bowing.

She accepted my hand. “Of course.”

I led her through the dance floor crowd, settling right in the middle of the massive hall. The music settled to a soft tempo. I slid my arms around her waist, and she wrapped hers around my neck. We swayed together to the beat of the song. I heard her let out a sweet sigh. When she pressed her body into mine, I tightened my hold on her. Our bodies fit perfectly together. Like we were each shaped for the other. Everyone disappeared and all I could hear was the sound of her breathing. As I closed my eyes, I wished this moment would never end.

In my relaxed state, I sensed something was happening.

I opened my eyes. As I scanned the room, I concentrated on a sensation I couldn’t describe. It was like a humming inside of me, and it was getting stronger by the second. My body tensed.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, gazing up at me.

It reminded me of the telepathic link I had with Britta when she spoke to me. It wasn’t her, though. I was sure of it. “Something’s in my head. I can feel it.”

“What do you mean?” Her eyebrows knit together. “You’re starting to scare me.”

“I’m sorry.” I didn’t mean to be vague. But I had no idea what had happened. I released her from my hold, and massaged my temples. “Something is pulsing in my head. It’s hard to explain. Like someone is trying to reach me telepathically. Trying to force their way in.”

She put her hands over mine, and closed her eyes. “Let me see if I can use my power to help you.”

My body jolted when she entered my mind.

“I hear it too,” she said. “Let’s try to move towards the sound.”

I didn’t have time to respond. Within seconds, we both saw what had been making all that noise. It was the Ring of Dispel. Valac had removed it from the pathway, and I could sense it once more. The ring was trying to communicate with me. I’d known the ring had a connection to the king of the fire court, but I had no idea it could contact me. I used all my energy to sense its location.

The air court mountain came into view.

Kalin stepped back, breaking our connection. “Did you see it, Rowan?”

“Alert your knights.” I removed the glamour over my weapons. Some of the elementals on the dance floor screamed when the sword and shield on my back appeared seemingly out of nowhere. I released my sword from its sheath. “Valac is here.”

Marcus

This was the greatest moment of my life.

The musicians had already begun to play an upbeat instrumental song. We watched as our guests strolled inside for the wedding reception. Members of the royal families and high ranking elementals from every court were in attendance. It was hard for me to believe they’d all come to witness the wedding of a hound who had, until just recently, been considered a step above a servant. A guardian to the prince, they once called the deserter. The one I called best friend.

Before we joined them inside, I wanted to first have a quiet moment with my wife.
My wife.
Two words never sounded so sweet. I’d spent all these years wondering if I’d one day surrender to the fierce creature I struggled to control. But Ariel was the one who made me see I was more than an animal. That I didn’t have to accept the life assigned to me. No matter the circumstances, her faith in me was indestructible. I held her tightly against my chest.

For maybe the first time, I’d truly felt the warmth of optimism.

The night sky was filled with thousands of bright stars. From this height, I saw little more than clouds and the edge of the forest surrounding us in every direction. Cold wind blew in from the south, and goosebumps filled the top of her arms. “It’s time to get you inside, my wife.”

She let out a pleasant sigh. “Lead the way, my husband.”

A scent I wasn’t expecting wafted through my nostrils. I inhaled deeply. It was the familiar smell of burnt ash. Of course, there were many fire elementals here. But this odor was strong. Like hundreds of elementals were suddenly all around us. My muscles tensed. With one arm, I thrust Ariel behind me.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, with worry laced in her words.

I wasn’t ignoring her. I had to make sure I was right before I answered her. Closing my eyes, I drew in a slower breath. What I’d feared was confirmed. “A crowd of uninvited guests will be here in a matter of minutes. You have to go inside and alert everyone.”

I surveyed the area around the castle. All of the royal families brought knights with them. There had to be at least two hundred. I’d been around long enough to know they’d only accept a command from their king or queen. If they weren’t ready, we’d never survive the ambush.

Her eyes widened. “What are you going to do?”

Anger built inside of me. I had to hold off whatever attack was coming. The beast inside of me stirred. “Slow them down.”

As she turned to leave, I held onto her wrist. “Why are you stopping me?”

I bent down, leveling our eyes. “If this is about to get as bad as I think, I need you and your family to get to safety.”

She pulled her hand back. “I’m not going to abandon my friends.”

“Please listen to me, Ariel,” I begged, my stomach already in knots. I wanted to be angry, but her fierce loyalty was something I’d always admired. That’s what made her who she was. “I can’t fight them off if I think you’re in danger. I’ll end up getting myself killed.”

Her eyelids lined with tears. “Marcus—”

My heart pounded in my ears as sweat poured down my back. Fire burned in my core. This was a familiar sensation. The change had started. I reached out for her. My large hands completely covered her biceps, rattling her tiny frame. “Please promise me.”

She looked away into the distance. “I—”

“Please,” I repeated, trying my best to hide the pain. Bones in my back popped as they broke. I dropped to my knees. “Promise me.”

“Okay.” Her voice trembled. “I promise.”

Muscles tore as the bones shifted into their new position. Skin stretched to accommodate my growing size. Hair fell out in clumps, replaced by dark fur. I glanced up. Her hands covered her mouth. It had been a while since she saw me shift. It was something I preferred to do alone. As hard as it was on me, I imagined it was always more difficult to watch without being able to help. The cartilage in my nose cracked, blood dripped down my face. My snout formed. “Go,” I growled.

She ran full speed toward the castle.

Not long after she was gone, the transition was complete. Now that I was in my hound form, my hearing was heightened and I was able to see into the dark forest that surrounded the castle. The thick forest was about a mile away. I hurried over, and prowled the wooded entryway. The scent of ash grew more potent as each minute passed. As they drew closer, I got a whiff of elementals from the other three courts. They must’ve joined with Valac. It was the only way to explain the combination of smells.

A thunderous roar shook the ground.

I circled around. The other hounds were coming to assist me. Knights had positioned themselves all around the castle. Each one stood with a sword and shield. They were ready for battle. Which meant Ariel had done as I asked. I hoped she’d followed all my instructions and kept herself out of danger. I quickly brushed those feelings aside, and refocused on what was happening. The ten hounds I’d traveled with appeared on either side of me, forming a large barrier around the forest.

The bulk of my pack remained at the fire court.

“Valac has come for the shield,”
I told my pack. In this form I was able to speak to them using telepathy. Last time I saw the sacred object, it was strapped to Rowan’s back.
“We must protect our king.”

“Our king has readied himself for war,”
Ethan replied.

That wasn’t a surprise. Rowan never shied away from a battle. He certainly wouldn’t start now that Kalin’s life was at risk. If I had to bet, he was with her. Where I preferred to be, with Ariel. But I had to stand with the pack. We were the first line of defense. As a group, we could kill most of them before they had a chance to reach the castle. I wished I’d brought more hounds with me. I should’ve anticipated the attack. But I assumed Valac wouldn’t risk an all-out assault while all the courts were together.

He was more brazen than I’d given him credit for.

I sent out a distress call, howling loud enough to shake the trees. Any members of my pack in their hound forms heard the vibration, no matter the distance. It was likely the other royal families had sent for backup as well. We had no idea what was coming. My nerves remained on edge as we waited. The low growls from the other hounds echoed in my ears. When I heard the pounding of feet, I dug my claws into the grass-covered dirt, and bared my teeth.

“Get ready,” a voice said, shifting my attention away from the woods.

Rowan stood behind me clutching his sword. The shield wasn’t on him. He must’ve given it back to Kalin to protect. This was the last place he needed to be. I wanted him inside with her. Together, they could’ve defended the shield if some of the rogue elementals managed to get past us. Now, he was putting himself in danger. I wasn’t able to speak to him in this form. Instead, I released a venom-filled growl that let him know exactly how I felt about his presence.

“I know you’re pissed.” He tried to pat my head, but I turned away. “I need to try one last time to reason with him. See if I can end this before more of us die.”

His motives weren’t unreasonable. Any worthy king wanted peace before war. But Valac was long past logic. He was willing to die to see this through. I was convinced the only resolution we’d find today would happen on the edge of a sword.

A heavy gust of wind blew through while twigs snapped and leaves rustled.

They were here.

I faced the edge of the forest. Lowering my head, I was ready to pounce the moment they charged. The rattling ground gave me the impression they planned to come in fast. One by one, Valac’s rogue elementals appeared out of the brush. Each halted as soon as they saw what waited for them. Most were once members of our court. They’d likely been seduced by the power of the sacred artifacts, and whatever else Valac had promised.

There was a commotion among their ranks, and then I recognized Valac’s voice. He fought his way to the front of the line to see why they’d stopped. He wore the Green Armor. Excalibur was in his hand as well as the Ring of Dispel. When he spotted Rowan, a smug glare formed on his face. “Have you come to surrender?”

“This is your last chance.” Rowan pointed the blade of his sword at his throat. “We can resolve this without any more bloodshed.”

At the sight of his sword, the rogue elementals raised their weapons. Some had iron swords, knives, and axes. Others ignited fire in their palms. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on edge. The second any one of them made a move against Rowan, I’d lunge at his throat.

“This ends when I rule over all four courts,” Valac replied, intently. “I’ll return order to Avalon and restore honor to the House of Djin.”