Dalton, Tymber - Fire and Ice [A Triple Trouble Prequel] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) by Tymber Dalton Read Free Book Online Page A

weapons against their prey. Smoke and the smell of roasting flesh drifted across the countryside.
    It wasn’t until Zaria felt a darkness descending that she realized they had a big problem.
    Cries of agony from some of their own troops reached her ears. She turned to find a dozen demons had joined forces, formed a circle, and were attempting to use their dark skills to take out shifters one at a time. Though weakened, combining their energies they still proved themselves a powerful force. Any fighter that reached the outer ring of their powers was struck down immediately. Orcs, humans, and ogres used the diversion to trap shifters between their physically greater force and the demons’ metaphysical one.
    “Stribog! Svarog!” Zaria cried out. “Come here!”
    Her two men finished off a huge orc they’d been battling and raced to her side. “What is it?” Stribog asked.
    “Join hands, quickly!”
    They did, and she focused the force of her powers into her men.
    Goddess of All, please guide my way.
    She closed her eyes and envisioned feeding all of her energies into her two men, to form a protective shield around them. Despite her earlier power surge, she realized the extended fighting had taken a greater toll on her than she first realized. Ignoring that, she thrust every bit of power she possessed into her men.
    Releasing their hands, she screamed, “Go! Now!” They turned and attacked the demonic circle. As she sank to her knees, she lost sight of them as other shifters poured into the breach behind them.
    The entire war now seemed centered on this battle. Shifters forced their way through behind Stribog and Svarog, with blood-covered swords hacking away at the dark forces.
    Then she felt the first blow to her men, as if her own shoulder had been struck.
    “Stribog!” she screamed. Another pain in her neck nearly made her black out as she felt his energy snap back into her.
    “No!” She dug her fingers into the ground and struggled back onto her knees, desperate to get to her men. Several shifters surrounded her, facing out and protecting her from attack, but blocking her view of the nearby struggle against the demons.
    Then, just as she’d nearly regained her footing, she felt a pain in her gut as Svarog fell. Her visceral scream rent the air as she collapsed to her knees again, driven down by the force of Svarog’s energy also rebounding into her.
    Fortunately, it seemed the two men had done enough damage to the demons’ cabal that the other shifters were able to break them apart and began slaughtering them.
    Zaria’s heart and mind shattered. Sitting back on her heels, she looked to the heavens and let out an echoing, thundering roar of rage and grief that stopped everyone in their tracks. She raised her hands to the heavens.
    “Goddess Above,” she screamed, “I give my all! Take from me, make our enemies fall!”

    * * * *

    Zachary used the distraction to run his sword through a human that stank of the cockatrice before turning to view the brilliant light emanating from Zaria. It flowed from her and spread out amongst the warriors, striking dead their enemies while leaving their allies untouched.
    A high, keening wail of anguish rolled from her like the scream of the wind in a hurricane. The impact knocked him off his feet as he tried to make his way to her side. He looked around, trying to locate Stribog and Svarog. Then he spotted their still forms strewn amongst the carcasses of demons, cockatrice, and other dark forces.
    After what felt like hours but was only a few minutes, Zaria let out a final, gasping cry. As the light flowing from her died, she collapsed to the ground. Stunned, he stared at her as their dazed comrades slowly climbed to their feet and began cheering when they realized all their enemies lay dead around them.
    With a choked sob, Zachary stumbled to his feet and ran to his Goddess. He dropped to his knees beside Zaria’s still form. He felt her dying, her immense expenditure