28. Eldrion

TWENTY-EIGHT

Eldrion

" W hat was that?" I storm after Alana. She is heading for the roof, and I have no idea whether I want to rip her clothes off or lock her in chains because of what she has done. "Alana!"

She flicks her wrist out behind her and sends a ball of golden light hurtling towards me, and with it a display of ornate swords falls from the wall, a painting tumbles to the ground, the ceiling shakes.

I cannot even fathom how much power is surging through her right now. The thought of it is too much to comprehend.

The way she is moving. The way she's carrying herself... she seems completely unbeatable.

And suddenly, I know without a doubt that no matter how strong Finn's forces are, Alana will win. There is nothing that could be stronger than her.

I catch her arm as we reach the roof. I should probably be afraid of her, but all my body wants is to be close to her.

She swirls around, eyes flashing gold and purple and black, then she releases an almighty scream. She turns her face up towards the storm clouds that are still gathered above the city. And they almost seem to quake under her rage and her elation.

She is smiling when she looks at me. "Can you feel that?" she cries.

I can feel her. She is magical. I am transfixed.

She looks me up and down and her lips curl into a smile. Just the way her eyes move makes me instantly hard.

In an instant, she is in front of me on her knees. She pulls my pants down and takes me in her mouth. "Alana..." I don't know why I'm pretending that I want her to stop. I don't. I don't want this to ever stop.

I no longer care about anything but the way her lips feel against my shaft.

I reach down and push her dress from her shoulders. She looks up at me, her eyes still shimmering, her wings out wide behind her back.

Then she stands. "Fly with me," she says, looking up at the storm clouds.

"Fly with you?"

She nods, spreading her wings.

I spread mine too and follow her into the sky. She is heading straight for the centre of the clouds. But still I follow her.

There, she lets her dress fall further, down to her waist. She is treading air with her wings. Lightning crackles around us and she inhales deeply, her entire body vibrating with the power it now contains.

"Fuck me," she says, wrapping her legs around my waist the way we did in the water.

I spin her around roughly, and enter her from behind. Her wings are pressed against me, and she is completely at my mercy.

It is me holding us up.

Only me.

And in that moment, I realise why I find her so irresistible. Why I have always found her irresistible. Because I want to tame her, but I also want her to tame me.

It is an intoxicating dance.

To own something so powerful, and to make her mew and whimper under my touch, fills me with so much heat I can barely breathe.

But for her to own me in return?

She slams back onto me, reaching back to loop her arm around my neck. She comes hard and quickly. There is no romance or love in our fucking. It is a release of pressure. A valve that needs to be loosened. But as we both climax, the lightning intensifies.

Alana barely allows me to finish before she pulls away from me, tugging her dress back up over her breasts and using her wings to keep herself alight in the air.

She looks me up and down approvingly, almost as if she is saying thank you. Then she swoops down from the clouds.

I follow her to the citadel's edge.

Below, the water shimmers beneath the warmth of the deceptively calm sunset.

"What will happen to the Sunborne now?" she asks.

I almost laugh. "You tell me, Alana. What will happen to them?"

"I suppose they will continue as normal. It has been a long time since they used their magic." She tilts her head. "But it will be interesting to see how they change now they do not have the comfort of knowing they are the most powerful fae in the kingdom."

"You are talking as if the battle has already been won and we are living in the after. Finn still needs to be dealt with."

Alana looks at me as though I am a little bit stupid and rolls her eyes. "Of course, but as soon as I have removed his opportunity to grow his forces, he will no longer be a problem for us."

"Removed..." I frown at her. "What do you mean?"

She lifts her palms in front of her face. The magic has changed colour. It is blue now, and below us, I feel the tide in the waters around the citadel start to shift.

"Alana, what are you going to do?"

A smile parts her lips. She inhales deeply, then presses her palms outwards as though she is pushing an invisible wall away from herself.

I look away from her, my gaze falling on the now undulating water. It looks as though it is swelling, growing larger, waves crashing against the shore.

"Alana . . ."

"That is the Shadowkind Quarter?" she asks, pointing north.

"It is."

"I will deal with them first, and then we will deal with the ones who are left inside."

I move in front of her, blocking her view, but she closes her eyes as if it makes no difference to what she is doing.

"Those who remain are loyal."

"They are not loyal, and you are a fool if you think they are." Her eyes snap open. "And it does not matter either way. Whether they want it or not, Finn will turn them. So, we need to make sure there is no one here for him to turn."

I beat my wings and turn around. The waves are higher now. She is going to flood the city.

The sky is darkening, angry storm clouds roiling overhead. Lightning flashes, illuminating the scene in stark, purple-white bursts.

Alana is still suspended in the air, her wings spread wide, crackling with power. Her eyes glow an unearthly violet, and her hands are raised above her head.

With a swift, brutal motion, she brings her arms down.

A massive wall of water materialises, towering over the city's highest spires. For a heartbeat, it hangs there, defying gravity. Then it crashes down.

My vision blurs. I rub my temples as pain stabs the backs of my eyes.

I see what is coming. I have seen it before but now it makes sense.

The wave smashes into Luminael with terrifying force. Buildings crumble like they're made of sand. Streets vanish beneath the deluge. I hear screams, cut short as the water engulfs everything.

The flood races through the city, unstoppable, merciless. Fae of all kinds are swept away, their wings useless against the torrent. The water rises higher and higher, swallowing entire districts in seconds.

The vision fades, leaving me gasping, my heart pounding. I cannot stop it. Alana's wall of water is already gathering pace, moving through the city.

And I have no choice but to let it.

She does not linger to witness the fruits of her destruction. Instead she swoops back down to the castle and strides through it as though it belongs to her.

I follow behind, unable to do anything but marvel at her power.

Every Shadowkind we pass, she shoots a bolt of purple smoke towards them. It paralyses them, and then they fall.

They are utterly defenceless. They have no magic, and they do not see their fate coming.

Perhaps they should have, and run when they had the chance.

As each falls, I stare into their vacant eyes and try to decide whether I care that they are dead. If there are feelings present, I can't find them. So, instead, I focus on Alana.

"We should return to the roof and watch for Finn." My wings flick out sideways as I try to keep up with her pace.

"I have somewhere else to go first." She turns a corner. She is heading for the healing wing.

When she reaches it, she goes straight for the door to Raine's room. My breath catches in my chest. She yanks the door open and screams, "Maura! Show yourself."

I wait in the hallway, listening for screams or the sound of a battle.

Nothing comes.

Moments later, Alana marches back into the hall with fury in her eyes and on her skin. "They've gone," she spits. "No matter. After this is over, I will find them."

"She hurt you." I catch Alana's gaze.

"She destroyed me." For a second, just one brief second, hurt swims in her eyes. But then she shakes it off, and the darkness returns.

"But before I can have vengeance, we must destroy Finn."

She stops, as if the momentum in her stride has suddenly begun to waver. She inhales deeply. Is she forcing herself not to think of him? Or is she simply enjoying the raging waves of power that are surging through her body? "You're right," she says. "We should wait on the roof. We are not going to him. He will come to us. And I can't think of a better place to end this. Can you?"