Aria’s POV
“WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?!” Erinne roared.
I barely registered the pain from the dagger as it grazed my side. My entire focus was on Edward, on protecting him from this monster in front of me. Erinne’s face was full of rage as she realized what had happened. I had used my body to shield my son.
With a roar of anger, she grabbed my arm and flung me to the side. I skidded across the dirty floor, through a pile of debris, and hit the opposite wall. The sound of a loud, sickening crunch filled my ears, and I realized with horror that it had to be my back.
Every inch of my body burned, as though it had been set on fire by Erinne’s dagger. My back hurt with every movement, as Erinne glared at me.
Then her face twisted into a sick smile as she realized what she’d done; the blade was still dripping with my blood. The rage in my chest was blinding; regardless of everything that she had done to me, she was still smiling!
I lunged at her again, clawing and kicking, trying to wrest the dagger from her grasp. We stumbled, crashing into the old furniture, and splintering a chair as we fought for dominance. My hands latched onto her wrist, trying to pry the dagger from her grip, but Erinne was stronger, stronger than I’d anticipated. Her small size had fooled me.
“You’re a fool, Aria,” she spat, shoving me backward. My back slammed into the wall again, knocking the air from my lungs and sending needles of pain up my spine. “Did you think you could win this? You’re nothing. Just a broken woman clinging to a child you’re too weak to protect.”
I ignored her words, fighting against the dizziness clouding my vision. The room spun, but I couldn’t afford to stop. Not now. Not when my son’s life was on the line. Gritting my teeth, I pushed off the wall, launching myself at her again. My hands found her hair, yanking her head back as we crashed onto the filthy floor. The rats scattered, and dust rose in a cloud around us as we fought for control.
But where was Denderick? Could the men hear our scuffle down?
“I’m his mother!” I screamed. “His mother, you bitch! Neither you nor Logan gets to decide whether he lives or dies!”
Erinne laughed; the sound was bitter and cruel to my ears. “But I do, Aria. You’re too weak to stop me.”
She shoved me off, using the weight of her body to pin me down. I felt the cold press of the dagger against my chest, and panic filled my head. I thrashed beneath her, trying to break free, but she was relentless, pushing the blade closer to my heart. My breaths were nothing but ragged gasps as I struggled. But my strength was fading already.
“You should’ve stayed in the shadows where you belong,” she hissed, her eyes gleaming with malice. “You should have stayed a slave, all these years! But now you die here, in the dirt like the filthy werewolf that you are.”
I was losing. I could feel it. Her grip on the dagger was getting stronger, the point pressing harder against my chest. But I wasn’t ready to give up.
Suddenly her words rang in my ear like an alarm. A filthy werewolf…. but a werewolf regardless.
I closed my eyes and silently called on my wolf. I could feel my wolf claws sprouting, slowly but surely. And as quickly as lightning, I reached up and clawed at her face, raking my nails down her cheek. She yelped in pain, her grip on the dagger loosening just enough for me to shove her off me. We tumbled apart, both scrambling to our feet. The dagger skidded across the floor, landing somewhere in the corner.
But Erinne recovered faster.
Before I could react, she picked up the dagger and lunged at me again, this time with the full force of her body. I barely had time to raise my hands in defense as she slammed into me, knocking me to the ground. The dagger was poised above her head, gleaming with deadly intent. I could see the cold satisfaction in her eyes as she prepared to drive it into my heart.
This was it.
But something inside me snapped. A deep, angry force I hadn’t felt in so long roared to life. It pushed through my veins like fire, burning away the fear and weakness. I could feel the power rising within me, raw and untamed.
No. I wouldn’t let her win.
A scream tore from my throat, but it wasn’t just a scream. It was a release of something far more powerful. The ground under us began to tremble, the very walls of the treehouse shaking as my witch powers came to life. I could feel the energy crackling around me, wild and uncontrollable, feeding off my desperation, my love for Edward, and my rage at Erinne’s betrayal.
Erinne’s eyes widened in surprise as the treehouse shuddered violently. The floor under us cracked, splitting apart as the earth itself responded to my call.
“What-what are you doing?!” she shrieked, stumbling back as the ground split beneath her feet. But it was too late for her to escape.
A gust of white light filled the room, blasting Erinne off her feet and slamming her into the far wall with a loud thud. The dagger flew from her hand, clattering uselessly across the floor. Dust and debris rained down from the ceiling as the roof began to cave in, splintered wood and heavy beams crashing around us.
The treehouse was collapsing, tearing apart at the seams as my power raged out of control.
I didn’t stop to think. I didn’t stop to breathe. I lunged forward, grabbing Edward from where he had fallen, and cradling him to my chest. His small body was warm, fragile, and alive.
He was alive, thank the Moon!
The walls groaned, the roof above us giving way. I could hear the roar of the earth splitting beneath the treehouse as it collapsed.
There was no time to hesitate. No time to think.
With Edward clutched tightly in my arms, I ran for the edge of the treehouse. The world around me blurred in a whirlwind of dust and chaos. I didn’t care. All I cared about was getting Edward out, getting us both out before the entire structure came crashing down.
I reached the very edge of the platform just as the final beam snapped, and the floor beneath me began to fall away. Without thinking, I leaped, throwing myself into the open air as the treehouse collapsed behind me in a deafening roar of destruction.
And then, we were falling.