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And with that acknowledg from for months faced me square on No matter how much I’d tried to avoid my fate, I knew I had to face--and e

Delilah, the Death Maiden Delilah, obliterator of souls Delilah, harvest wo throughin ive h the darkness I will teach you how to grow strong and keep your soul intact when all around you is madness"

Destiny in action Fate on the move "How do I wake you up?" I asked "And why have you never spoken to h h my shoulder, into my heart "Only when I’m wielded by one who loves with the depth of her soul, and who fights to protect the one she loves, will I speak You have been close to suht with the desire to die rather than see the one you love destroyed"

Chase It had to be Chase I was in love with Chase Despite the passion I felt for Zachary and the betrayal from Chase’s lies, I still loved hiic gas of Fate like to see us squirm

"Tell ht have been the tinkle of wind chi bird to her mate "Say my name three times aloud And then I a me For that, you must use your oers"

I raised the blade The Scytatian waited, silent and brooding Karvanak looked i Smart move The Scytatian could make mincemeat out of him in three seconds flat

"Lysanthra, Lysanthra, Lysanthra!" I called out, raising the blade A shaft of light burst fro into ether

Caaze fixated first on my blade, then on my face When Menolly started to speak, Caravely at me

I turned back to the Scytatian and Karvanak "You--deet your ass over here and fight The Scytatian’s got your back What are you waiting for?"

Karvanak let out a low snarl, then he shier, claws ripped from his nails, and he stepped forward

At thatdown the steps, and a blur of white and silver crashed into the roo over the Rāksasa as the hipped down the stairs Straight out of the Ionyc Sea, Smoky landed in a crouch and rolled to straddle the dean to beat the crap out of Karvanak, but the Rāksasa was strong Hethe dragon across the face

"Don’t you hurt hi out the unicorn horn She’d used it once in the past few days How much power did it have left?

My question was answered as a shaft of ice burst forth, like a frozen bolt of lightning, zigzagging out of the tip of the horn The ice bolt struck Karvanak directly on the head between his ears, distracting the deh for Vanzir and Menolly to dive in and help out

Karvanak roared, lunging at Vanzir He knocked the dreaet to Zachary, as trying to protect Chase With one hand, he backhanded Zach and sent hiainst a wall, then turned to Chase, as still in shock

Menolly raced across the room, but Zach was faster He scraed directly into the center of Karvanak’s stoh for Menolly to grab Chase and pull hirowled and whirled, his foot squarely landing against Zach’s lower back, sending him to the floor Smoky dove in, but thendown on me

I had no doubt it intended to kill everyone in this roouess would be that he’d find hi spirits--even for a demon--never worked out quite the way it was planned

I sheathed Lysanthra and focused on the swirling energy that pulsated a staccato throbbing beneath my tattoo

"Hi’ran," I whispered "Help th"

A faint laugh, carried on the wind along with bonfire fla you help Let go and change Only you can kill this creature Your sisters will die if you don’t"

And so I unleashed Panther Hands to paw, spine lengthening, ears pointing, teeth growing long and sharp, fur coatingarray scale as scents grew stronger, urges grew more difficult to control

As the transformation fully took hold, I let y that imbued my Panther self I sucked in a deep breath asthe Scytatian Everyone else had vanished, and once again, I was fighting alone, on the astral

The creature had been cloaked in shadow--difficult to get a bead on when I’d been in my bipedal form--but now I could see him clearly for what he was: an avatar of Death The shadoere gone, and he stood there in brilliant white, shining likeits way up to the surface of the world

The Scytatian shone so brilliantly, he was difficult to look at, but my third eyelid shaded my eyes froular Were, my claould not touch hiy of the Autu from the Netherworld

I crouched as the Scytatian approached Onelet it get close enoughtwowriggle into just the right position and then--pounce! I grappled him with my front paws For a fraction of a second, I feltcoaxed out of y field, but then I yanked h to tell th

And then restling He took th pheno ot his arms around my neck, I’d be screwed for sure I leaned s deep into his shoulder as we rolled along the floor