“Why aren’t you putting up a fight?” she whispered. “I’m supposed to kill you. I have to make it look real.”
She heard him gasp, but had to stay focused. She stood, grabbing him by the collar. His eyes widened, and she flung him across the common. Gods, this power felt glorious. And he’s a fire demon. He can take a little bruising.
She leapt into the air, soaring on the wind before landing gently near him.
He rose, staring at her. “I need you to kill me.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“The hellhound comes for me tomorrow. It’s the only way out of the fire.”
Glancing down the hill, she saw Nod watching, his arms folded. If she didn’t make this look real, the Guardians would kill them both. She’d impressed him with her destruction of the Purgator helicopters, but what he really wanted was fire-demon blood.
She ran at her friend, slamming her shoulder into him and tossing him into the air. Cool wind rippled through her hair, caressing her skin as they flew deep into the woods. They landed hard against a tree, out of Nod’s line of vision. Tobias grunted as his back slammed against the bark, and she had a sudden impulse to kiss him all over. But there wasn’t time for that now.
He had a dazed look in his eyes, and she lifted his chin. “I need you to help me. Nod has the relic around his neck. I’m going to attack him. Do your best to keep the other Picaroons away from me. Don’t hurt them unless you have to.”
Tobias stared at her, dark eyes shining, and he slipped a hand around the back of her neck. He pulled her in for a kiss, slow and deep, and she pushed herself against him, feeling the warmth of his chest against hers. For a moment, all thoughts went out of her head; she almost forgot who she was, why she was here.
He pulled away. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
Hand in hand, they slipped through the shadows, rushing through the trees. At the woods’ edge, she set her sights on the Picaroons. They were looking for her. Luckily for her, Nod had moved apart from the others, walking in her direction. She crouched before springing into the howling winds. When she plunged down again, she slammed her elbow into Nod’s head with all the force she could muster. He fell back, dazed.
Fiona’s heart thudded against her ribs. Within moments, a circle of fire surrounded them. Tobias’s flames. She grasped for the relic around Nod’s neck. But by the next heartbeat, his hands were around her throat.
Blue flames flashed in his eyes, and he tightened his fingers. “I thought you would be loyal,” he bellowed. “I trusted you.”
Her windpipe closed. Under her feet, the ground trembled.
She closed her eyes, and an image flashed in her mind. Nyxobas rushing at her with his scythe. She’d already died once today.
Slipping her arms between Nod’s, she pried his hands off before slamming a fist into his throat. She snatched the relic from his neck. Leaping into the briny air, she cleared the flames. She landed again on the hard rock, searching for Tobias. He stood within another circle of fire, body blazing as he fought to keep the flames alive against Valac and Marlowe, who held their arms outstretched, chanting to douse them. Storm clouds roiled in the skies, and the ground rumbled. Dogtown’s death rattle.
Shooting a quick glance to Lir, she found him staring, his mouth agape and eyes swirling green and black. She really didn’t want to hurt him. She just needed to get the relic to Tobias.
She began to ascend into the air, but someone yanked her hair from behind, slamming her down against the rocks. In the next second, Marlowe was on top of her, his face contorted with rage. He gripped her hair, smashing her head against the stone, and pain exploded in her skull. He slammed her head down a second time, and she felt something crack. Her head swam; the breath left her lungs.
She needed the night air. She needed to slip into the shadows, into the empty parts of the sky, and disappear.
As her vision went dark, she felt her body charge with hurricane-force energy. She lifted her hips, flinging Marlowe to the side. When he thudded against the earth, she grabbed him by the shirt collar and jumped high into the air. Wild marine winds churned above the common, and she felt the first fat drops of rain from the storm the Picaroons had called up. Exhilarated, she dropped Marlowe to the rocky earth, listening to the thump of his body on rock.
She plunged down again, staring in disbelief at the scene before her. Tobias was lowering his flames. Jacques and Lir were fighting Nod and Valac in a frantic blur of clashing swords, so fast she could hardly see what was happening. All she knew was the Guardians were no longer unified. She’d caused a full-blown mutiny, and Lir had finally turned against his brother.