Chapter 69

Chapter 69

FEY

F ighting Vivian’s control was like fighting a storm.

It was torture, having someone twist your own body against your will like this. But Fey had known torture, before. She had known suffering and pain. And she’d survived.

This was nothing new to her. And when everything else failed her, when everything else turned away, she had the powers the Goddess had given her.

Earth answered her call first, filling her with strength. Her rage came next, Fire coursing through her body. Then Air, pushing back against an invasion.

And finally, her body called Water.

Vivian’s power was an infection, a foreign body invading her own and seeking to control her. And all that delicious power inside of Fey came out to fight it.

She could feel when Vivian began to slip, and she started to lose control. She pushed even harder, forcing Fey’s body to bend, trying to break her.

No .

Fey didn’t even try to fight that influence. Her power was enough to do it for her.

And suddenly her body was her own again, and Fey found herself on the ground, her muscles back under her command. Her body ached. There was blood in her mouth, and Fey was fairly confident she’d bitten off part of her own tongue.

Propping herself up on her elbow, Fey spat out a glob of blood onto the bricks and scrubbed at her mouth with the back of her hand.

Time to end this.

Fey reached for her blade and was crouching down to make the kill when she heard the command.

“ Kill her. ”

Oh, no.

Jasper. His Wolf was a giant, beautiful thing, full of powerful muscles. It was glorious to see. And under Vee’s command, that glorious monster turned, lips curling in a snarl, as he advanced toward her.

“Jasper,” Fey warned him, gripping her blade so tight her hand felt numb. “Fight it, Jasper.”

The snarl only grew, lips pulling back to reveal long, deadly teeth. She knew exactly how dangerous those teeth could be. She’d fought more Wolves than she could count. Killed more Wolves than she could count. And she could kill him, too.

Jasper stalked closer, closing the distance between them.

“Please,” she said. “Jasper, please don’t. Don’t make me do this.”

But there was nothing of the crooked grin she loved in that face. No trace of the warm, friendly eyes that made her feel so safe.

She thought of Alastair, then. The way he smiled at Jasper. Teased him. How happy he had been in the short time the three of them had been together. Would he survive this? Losing Jasper to her hand?

Her heart twisted.

“Jasper,” she tried again, staring into those wild eyes and hoping some small part of him could hear her.

A stranger looked back at her.

Fine. Fey squared her shoulders and made her choice. She hoped the Goddess would forgive her for what she had to do tonight.

She hoped Alastair would forgive her eventually, too.

Steeling herself, Fey stared into those eyes and let her blades fall to the roof with a clatter .

“Just make it quick,” she told him.

Something in his eyes faltered. Two steps away and advancing, some of that wildness in his eyes broke, and for a second, she thought she could see the male inside.

Then he snarled even louder, a bone chilling sound that Fey could feel deep inside herself before he crouched to leap.

Fey closed her eyes.

His fur was soft as it passed over her. Soft, as Jasper leaped straight over her head, and threw himself off the roof.