Jocelynn Drake - Burn the Night

“It seems you have stolen something that rightfully belongs to us,” Jasmine, the one in the center of the trio, said. Her hands were open and empty, but the same could not be said of her sisters. To her left, Alaina held a short bow with a quiver full of arrows waiting to be set free. On her right, Wyllow held a short blade in each hand and had a large grin on her face. The youngest of the three, she was always eager for a fight. Their eldest sister Jasmine was the diplomat, willing to use words to get close to her opponent before she jammed a knife between their ribs.

“Aurora banished him,” I replied. “She had no business with Rowe any longer. She made her choice, and I’m certainly not going to help your father take his place as consort.” I drew a pair of knives from my sides as my wings dissipated to mere dust that trickled down to my feet. Rowe had been right. My wings would only be a hindrance in a battle with these three. There were too many trees in the area. Neither of us would get a clear shot to the skies above before we were grabbed.

“Maybe she has rethought her position on the traitor,” Jasmine said with a slight shrug. Behind her, Wyllow gave a small snicker, which matched my own sentiments. Aurora was not about to back down—she had been planning this elimination of her allies for months, if not years. At least I believed that to be true when it came to Cynnia and me. Rowe’s appearance might have taken her by surprise and she might have decided to sweep him away with the rest of us. Her goal was to begin a new rule on Earth, and she was going to do that with a fresh set of allies.

I placed myself between Rowe and the three women. “Leave here,” I told him. “I will find you after I have dispatched these three.”

The naturi gave an unexpected snort, drawing my gaze over to find him leaning against the entrance to the cave. “I’m not leaving and missing out on this performance. One way or another, I’m somebody’s captive. What do I care who wins?”

“You should have a care since I’m the only one that needs you alive,” I grumbled, looking back at the Huntresses.

“We want him alive,” Alaina corrected me with an evil grin. “He’s got years of torment waiting for him.”

Clenching my teeth, I let her words slip away from me as I focused on the coming battle. Overhead, I could feel the clouds moving in and the wind picking up. A low rumble of thunder rolled in from the distance, warning them to walk away now, when they still had the chance.

“It doesn’t have to be this way, Nyx,” Jasmine said. “We weren’t sent after you. We’re prepared to let you walk away.”

“No, you’re not,” I corrected before dropping my short sword. As I expected, their eyes followed the blade into the soft ground, allowing me to palm one of the smaller knives from my side and throw it directly at Alaina before she could draw her first arrow. The naturi screamed as the blade found its mark in her right shoulder. She would be unable to use her bow for at least several minutes as the muscles in her shoulder healed.

Wyllow charged around Jasmine, both blades drawn and ready to decapitate me. I reached down for the hilt of the blade I had dropped into the earth, but I could not pull it free. It was as if the earth around the metal had turned to stone, holding it locked in place. I barely dodged Wyllow’s first slashing blow, and blocked the second with the blade I had palmed in my left hand.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see Jasmine standing in the same place, whispering a spell. The trees were beginning to sway and it felt as if the earth was growing softer under my feet. I knew this tactic. She was going to pull me down into the earth and bury me alive. It was the quickest and easiest way to dispatch her opponent.

“Don’t push me, Jasmine!” I called as I blocked another series of slashes from Wyllow.

“You’re the one that has forced my hand,” she warned, throwing her empty arms out wide. “You were an excellent tutor, Dark One, but your nights are over at long last.”

Gritting my teeth, I finally succeeded in pushing Wyllow away from me and slogged forward a couple of steps as the earth seemed to turn to mush beneath me. I was now sinking down to my ankles in the growing mire. Wyllow rushed me again, both her swords swinging, in hopes of slicing me into two neat chunks. Falling to my knees, I bent backward so I slid beneath the swords. She overextended herself, leaving her stomach exposed. She knew her mistake in an instant and tried to twist out of the way, but it was too late as I slammed one knife into her midsection. The female naturi staggered away from me, pulling the blade from her abdomen while cursing me. I tried to regain my feet but the earth closed in around my calves, holding me in place so I was trapped in a kneeling position.

“Back away, Alaina!” I snarled, throwing out my arm toward Rowe. The other sister had been sneaking around the battle, drawing close to my scarred companion while I was distracted with Wyllow and Jasmine. A bolt of lightning streaked from the sky and pounded the ground between Alaina and Rowe, causing her to jump back.

“Watch your aim, please,” Rowe said calmly. He was standing behind me, so I couldn’t see him, but I had no doubt there was a smirk twisting his lips.

“A little help wouldn’t be unheard of since I am trying to prolong your life,” I bit out between clenched teeth as I struggled to pull to my feet. The earth fought me, sucking at my limbs like so much quicksand, leaving me vulnerable.

“You’ve planned this battle poorly. You’re focused on the wrong one,” Rowe advised.

And he was right. I was allowing Alaina and Wyllow to wear me down and distract me when Jasmine was the oldest, strongest, and the unspoken leader of the three. She was the one who was going to slowly bury me while her two sisters chipped away at my defenses. In the end they would leave me alive long enough to see them depart with Rowe, then I would die with the taste of failure on my tongue.

Focusing my powers before Alaina could strike at me, I called the lightning. One bolt slammed to the ground between Alaina and me, forcing her to jump backward, buying me a little time. The second struck at Jasmine, who leapt to a thick grove of trees. The old growth reached out its limbs and wound them together, creating a protective canopy over her. It would take several lightning strikes to finally break through the barrier, something that would leave me open to attack by her sisters, who were once again drawing close.

The one positive was that the lightning strike at Jasmine had broken her concentration on the earth. With a grunt, I finally regained my footing, though the ground remained soft like soggy marshland.

Frowning, I resheathed my sword and unsnapped a slender strap on my left side. Grasping the leather handle, I flicked my wrist, allowing the long whip to unfurl before me. It came as no surprise when the three sisters instantly went still, their eyes growing wide as they locked on the new weapon.

“It doesn’t need to come to this, Nyx.” Jasmine took a step back. “Rowe isn’t worth protecting. We don’t want to hurt you. You’re free to go, I promise you.”

“Rowe is worth more than you will ever understand,” I said in a low, even voice. I flicked my wrist again, causing the whip to crack like a snap of thunder, warning them.

Wyllow didn’t listen. She charged me first, bringing with her the long arms of the trees that surrounded us, hoping to entangle me and the whip. Widening my stance, I swung the whip around, slicing through the tree limbs that drew close, raining down debris on Wyllow before she could reach me. She pushed on, determined to slice through me, but she didn’t have a chance. In a flash, I brought the whip down, slashing it across the hands holding her two swords. She screamed, dropping her blades as she pulled her hands in against her stomach.