But there was no respite for the wicked and I had more ogres to deal with.

Rylee, I cannot do much damage with them so close to you! Blaz said.

“Grab Sas, maybe we can hold her hostage.”

I like how you think. He let out a rather evil chuckle and leapt over our heads. But we’d forgotten about the red ogres; the fact that they had magic as strong as any witch. And they knew Blaz’s weakness as they knew mine.

From the base of the mountain, two large boulders lifted into the air, a pair of red ogres under them, directing the rocks that had to be at least two tons each.

Time slowed.

In mid-air, the two boulders swung toward Blaz, catching his head between them. As if in slow motion the boulders pressed toward one another, twisting Blaz’s head at an unnatural angle. The reverberation of the crunch of bones shot through me as if it were my head being caught in a vice and not his.

Rylee, I am sorry, he whispered to me. Just to me.

“NO!”

Blaz’s body was held aloft as the rocks continued to squeeze his head. A final push and they let him go. He slumped downward, blood pouring from his nose and mouth, teeth broken and shattered. Eyes glazing over, the golden light in them dimming at a speed that could only mean one thing—

A scream ripped from me, one not even close to human; primal, feral, a cry that was every bit that of an enraged animal. The ogres closest to me actually stepped back, but that wasn’t going to help them.

I dove into the ogres, desperate to get to Blaz, my swords slicing through them as if they were standing still and not trying their best to take me out. Blades caught the edges of my arms; I didn’t feel it other than to notice the blood sliding down my skin. Clubs clipped my legs, and though I went to my knees, I fought from there, cutting off legs and driving my weapons through male anatomy.

I forced myself to Track Blaz, forced myself to reach for him.

There was a flicker of life still. We had time if I could get to him.

Please, for all that is holy in the world, let me get to him; let us get Pam to him.

The ogres fell in front of me; Alex and Cactus, and then Pamela was there with us, her magic curling around the ogres in ribbons of flame and lightning. The red ogres engaged her, forcing her back a step.

Cactus worked with her, raining fire down on their heads as Alex and I slammed through the ogres, cutting a swath in their numbers. Two blond heads popped up beside us, and distantly I knew that Faris and Berget had joined the fight. The sun must have gone down, but I’d barely noticed.

“Blaz, don’t you dare die on me,” I screamed at him, desperate to hear his voice again.

Nothing in my head but silence.

Faris and Berget’s speed outstripped the ogres and they blasted through their ranks, cutting throats and hamstrings, dropping the remainder of them until there were none left standing except for Sas.

Her eyes were wide and she stepped back, her hands clutching her belly. “You wouldn’t dare.”

I didn’t even look at her. “Pamela, we’re losing Blaz!”

I clung to his threads even as they faded, the last of his life gone from him as Pamela laid her hands on his side. “Please, please try,” I whispered to her.

Her hands shook as the sobs rippled from her tiny body. “Rylee, he’s gone.”

I grabbed her hands and put them back on his side. “Try, you have to try. He’s not gone.”

Letting her go, I backed away. My own Immunity would affect Pamela’s ability to use her magic. I clenched my teeth. “Pamela. Please try.”

She looked at me over her shoulder, tears streaking down her face. “Rylee,” she sobbed my name, “he’s gone. I can’t . . . I can’t bring him back.”

I dropped to my knees and tipped my head back to the sky as I screamed, the wail slipping into a sob that shook my entire body. Blaz . . . damn him for leaving me, for leaving me now when I needed him more than ever.

Arms circled around me as my body shook with uncontrollable spasms. The bond between Blaz and me that severed in death left a hole in me like no other. He had been a part of my life for such a short time. And yet it felt like I’d never lived without him.

My hands shook and I didn’t even realize I’d dropped my weapons. More arms went around me as I sobbed, unable to feel anything past the loss. Worse than losing Giselle. Worse than losing Dox or even Milly.

Blaz . . . he couldn’t be gone. This was a joke; a nightmare I’d open my eyes from and he would be there, inside my head teasing me about my growing feelings for Faris. Kicking my ass when I needed it.

Slowly, I opened my eyes. Blaz was not in front of me, wings poised and waiting for our flight. He was in front of me, his body still. Wings that would never take flight again.

Sas stood to the side of us, Cactus holding her arms behind her back. Liam, Berget, Alex, Pamela, and surprisingly Lark, held onto me. I gently pushed them all back and stood.

Cactus’s eyes were wet, but his mouth was a hard line. “Rylee, what do you want to do with her?”

I took a deep shuddering breath. “Whose babies do you carry?”

She shook, her oversized body quivering with what I had no doubt was fear. She was alone, what was left of her people wiped out. “I don’t know. Perhaps the triplets. Perhaps Dox’s.”

Lark stepped forward. “I can tell you.”

Sas squirmed, but Cactus held her tightly, his hands lighting up. “I will fry your ass if I have to, ogre.”

She stilled and Lark stepped close enough to put a hand on Sas’s bulging belly. A few moments passed and she pulled her hand away. “Three children, one blue and two violet. All boys.”