Darcy didn’t stop there. She threw blast after blast. The two were able to deflect most of them, but the ones that landed kept knocking them backward.
With each hit, Darcy grew more confident. She was determined to do her share against the Dark and not stay huddled in a corner waiting to be saved. She was a Druid, for goodness sake. She needed to act like one.
If only she could get a glimpse of Warrick. He must still be doing damage, because the group around him hadn’t moved away. Why would they though? They’d managed to catch a Dragon King twice before. Why wouldn’t they try again?
Darcy renewed her blasts of magic. She was not going to be responsible for Warrick being taken by the evil shits.
Thorn was doing his fair share of taking out Dark Fae, but he had to be stealthy about it and remain hidden. Which meant he couldn’t take out as many as he wanted. Still, he was doing enough damage that those around Warrick began to take notice.
When the two Dark Darcy was fighting ran off, she shifted and began focusing her magic on Warrick’s group. It didn’t take long for them to turn to her.
That’s when she got a glimpse of Warrick. He was still fighting. It made her smile—and breathe easier.
Until she realized the Dark were now fixated on her. Darcy squared her shoulders. Whether the dragon magic held around her shop or not, she was going to stand as a Druid and show the Dark what she was made of.
Thorn dashed from the shadows, throwing her a smile before he grabbed a Dark and wrenched his head 180 degrees. Darcy winced and gathered her magic once more.
*
Warrick was on his hands and knees in the rain. He tried to rise, but the blows of magic had taken a toll. His arms, unable to hold him, gave out so that he pitched forward onto the cobblestones. His limbs were going numb while the rest of him burned as if acid had been poured on him from the Dark magic.
“I’ve got you,” Thorn said and dragged him off the streets into a narrow alley. “Damn, War. You look awful.”
“Oh good. I look better than I feel.”
Thorn set him against the wall and squatted beside him. “The few Dark that remain have hidden. They’ll be back. With more.”
Warrick shook his head. More was not good. More meant that the odds of the humans seeing them grew exponentially. He still wasn’t sure how mortals hadn’t noticed them, but he was thankful of the rainclouds and the rain for aiding in that fact.
Warrick dropped his head back against the building as his body began to heal. “How did you do?”
“I killed several. Wanted to kill more,” Thorn said with a grumble. “But I stayed hidden as we discussed. It worked. They didna know where I was, or if Darcy was the one killing them.”
Warrick’s gaze jerked to Thorn. “What? What do you mean they thought Darcy was killing them?”
Thorn grunted as he shot Warrick a look. “Did you forget she was a Druid?”
“Nay. Well. Maybe.” He briefly closed his eyes. “It doesna matter. Tell me what happened.”
“There were two Dark trying to get to her. They broke through her magic. She stood and faced them, War. You should’ve seen her. It was … impressive.”
For Thorn to say such words was something to be sure. Warrick wished he could’ve seen her. He could only imagine Darcy standing there with her green eyes narrowed and trained on the Dark as she used her magic.
“She was a sight,” Thorn said.
“Where is she now?”
“Still in the shop. She knows better than to attempt to leave.”
Thank the stars. “I got food. I need to get it to her.”
Thorn pushed him back when he tried to sit up. “I’ll get it to her. You stay here and rest. You took a great many hits of magic, War.” Thorn frowned as he looked him over. “I’m surprised you’re still conscious.”
“Me too.”
It wasn’t the first time Warrick had taken hits from a Dark. He’d taken many in the Fae Wars, but this was the first time he had been beset by so many Dark at once. He tried to count. In the end, there had been twenty Dark he faced at once.
But he knew why he kept fighting. Darcy.
During the battle with the Dark, he tried to use his power of protection, but he hadn’t had a chance to get past the Dark to do it.
A mistake he wouldn’t make again.
Warrick watched Thorn use the shadows, buildings, and cars to remain hidden as he gathered what remained of the groceries Warrick had gotten. There wasn’t much, but it would be something for Darcy.
He closed his eyes when Thorn went to the back of the shop. Darcy was safe and soon to have her belly full of food. Warrick had done his duty. It wasn’t nearly over, but he could rest for a bit.
It was just a few minutes later before Thorn returned. He sat beside Warrick, a peevish look on his face.
“What?” Warrick asked, suddenly worried. “Is Darcy all right?”
“She’s more than fine,” Thorn grumbled.
Warrick forgot the pain and sat forward to face him. “What’s that mean?”