Amidst the chaos, Raquel's chant grew louder and more intense. Her body convulsed with the unearthly rhythm. Her words controlled her more than she dominated them. The golden glow around her burned brighter. I prayed to all the entities I could think of to keep her safe.
"Jean Paul," I shouted. "Don't fucking stop."
"Never," he growled as he pushed his bleeding body far beyond its limit.
Then she screamed. The shriek that left Raquel's body was filled with so much rage, pain and power it stopped me in my tracks. The ground around us split open and tendrils of blazing fire reached out and began incinerating the Wraiths one by one.
Raquel's body lurched forward and she fell to her knees in the middle of the flames, but she continued to chant through the billowing smoke and fire. Seizures wracked her slim frame and the Wraiths fought wildly to invade her and end her magic. She was torn and bleeding, but she forged on.
In a fit of fury and panic, I threw my body over hers and took the brunt of the attack as the fire continued to dance its deadly tango with the ghosts. Raquel's voice stayed strong though I was positive she had no firm grasp on reality at that point. Instead she was lost in her spell and nothing could pull her out.
She rolled out from under me and rose shakily to her feet. Blood poured from open jagged cuts all over her body. "No more," she screamed and waved her hands in a circular motion. "Be gone."
The fire roared and exploded into colorful flames as it choked the life out of the remaining Wraiths. I was thrown at least ten feet back and immediately began to fight my way back to her.
Raquel had collapsed by then and lay lifeless on the ground. The shrieks of the Wraiths as they were sucked into oblivion were something I knew I would never forget for the rest of my eternity. Nightmares couldn't begin to touch this shit.
"Get her," Jean Paul begged as he tried to stem the blood flow from his head. "She's dying. Have to get her out of here."
I crawled to her prone form and shook her gently. There was no time to lay there. Trolls were everywhere and I had no clue who was winning. Her skin still glowed a golden peachy color, but there was something very wrong. Her body stiffened in rigor mortis and her eyes opened sightlessly and stared into nothingness. What the fuck was happening?
"What’s wrong with her?" I shouted above the din of the battle as I shook her harder. Her frame was like an unbendable board and my head felt like it was going to explode.
"She’s dead," Jean Paul hissed as he yanked her stiff body from my arms and began to run to the compound with her.
In my confusion I let him take her…
However, without her body in my arms I snapped out of my shock. Jean Paul had taken what was mine and it was unacceptable. I took a running start and flew through the air at a speed he could only hope for. I dropped to the ground in front of them and tackled him violently.
Raquel's dead body fell to the ground as my fists connected with Jean Paul's face.
"Stop," he pleaded wildly. "Let me take her inside. There is still danger out here."
He was desperate and attempted to crawl back to her.
"She will turn to ash within the hour," I growled like an insane animal. "You will bring her to my suite and lay her on my bed. Her ashes are mine. Do you understand me?" I hissed as I punctuated my instructions with a right hook that dislodged his jaw. "She is mine."
"You don't under… "
"Do not defy me," I shouted in a voice I barely recognized. "She’s my mate. Her ashes are mine. You will do as I say or I will kill you with my bare hands right now."
I wanted to crawl out of my skin. This could not be happening. Jean Paul tried to speak again and I moved in to kill him. He shook his head in frustration as he glanced at the bloody war closing in on us and gave up.
"As you wish," he grunted as he picked her up and sprinted to the compound.
The roar of agony that left my body was wrenched from my soul, blurring my vision. I felt the heat of the still burning fire and heard the screams from the battle that raged around me.
I had nothing left to live for. My purpose for life had just died before my eyes and the need to destroy consumed me.
I pulled my sword from its sheath and went back into the fray without any concern for my safety. The only thing driving me now was revenge. The Wraiths were gone. They took the life of my mate and I would avenge her death by finding Juliet and killing her.
For the next hour, I killed without remorse as I searched the area for Juliet. I had no clue who I fought beside and I didn't care. As claws ripped through my skin, I simply went forward, piercing the necks of Trolls and shoving their dead bodies out of my way. I vaguely heard my name called, but the roar in my ears made hearing clearly impossible.
I hadn't found my target and I wouldn't stop until I had completed my mission.
Death meant nothing unless it stopped me from my goal.
"Heathcliff," Ethan bellowed as he tackled me to the ground. "It's over. The Wraiths are gone. The Trolls have retreated."
His words made no sense and I tried to fight him off. The Trolls meant nothing to me. I wanted Juliet. I needed to rip her head from her body and then burn her to ash.
"Get off of me," I demanded as I fought him like a wild animal. "I'm not done."
"We are done," he hissed as he trapped me in a spell of magic that felt like my body was burning from the inside out. "Get control of yourself. Now."