Chapter 176 Blood of the Past pt 2
Duncan
“Stop?” Mikhail laughed. “Why in the world would I stop? Don’t you see? We are the supreme race. The new apex predators. I’ve achieved something long thought impossible. I’ve created a new race—a race that answers to me!” He twisted his hand, one sharp jerk, and the hybrid army stomped their feet and saluted as one. The echo of hundreds of boots slamming down at once vibrated underneath me, the warriors around me flinching at the show of power. Mikhail’s smile was wicked and quick. “I will have the kingdom I am owed.”
Cian shook his head. “You’re as insane now as you were then. Father was right to remove you from succession.”
“Father’s decision no longer matters. I’ll take what is mine.” Mikhail’s eyes flicked to Seren. “Everything that is mine.”
Conn bristled, growling, as I stepped in front of my mate. Gideon came forward, and we formed a wall in front of her. Her small hand touched my back.
“You are owed nothing, Michael!” Cian growled.
Mikhail’s eyes narrowed. “Fine. Let your children watch you die.” His canines lengthened even as he took a step forward. He was in front of Cian in a flash, his fist slamming against Cian’s face. Cian’s head whipped to the side, blood dribbling down his chin. He snarled, then launched himself at Mikhail.
The crowd stepped back, giving the pair space as they traded blows. The hybrid army didn’t move. They didn’t cheer. They didn’t show any reaction at all. Hundreds of blank eyes tracked every exchange as their leader struck our king again and again. It wasn’t loyalty I saw there. It wasn’t even bloodlust. It was obedience. Pure and absolute. As if they were extensions of his will, waiting for the smallest signal to descend on us all.
Cian fought back, calling on his powers. Roots burst forth to trip Mikhail, but he was too fast and dodged them. Cian threw a fireball, and Mikhail ducked, ignoring the explosion behind him as it hit one of the hybrids. They circled each other, taking a moment to recalibrate before they leapt again and smashed together mid-air.
Seren was practically vibrating with the need to help her father, and Gideon’s jaw was ticking as he watched, but the duo was moving too quickly, trading blows too tightly, to be able to jump in and assist. There was no way to interfere that wouldn’t hit them both. It was obvious Mikhail was the prime hybrid. His speed, his strength were so much more than those in the army that followed him.
They separated again, both of them panting. Mikhail smirked. “You’ve gotten better over the years, brother. But it won’t help you. Even your daughter won’t be able to save you once I’m finished with you…and her.”
You could almost see the veil of red descend over Cian’s eyes at the taunt, and he sent a wave of fire at Mikhail. For a heartbeat, the entire crowd seemed to hold its breath.
Then Meredith moved forward, her steps unhurried, the dust and smoke parting around her as though unwilling to cling. She didn’t look at Cian. Didn’t look at the fallen hybrids. Her gaze never left Mikhail.
Her eyes glowed faintly—not with warmth, not with righteous fury—but with something hollow and fever-bright. The air shifted as she lifted her hands. It smelled wrong. Metallic. Sweet and rotting at the same time. With one quick gesture, she smothered the fire. The flames died too fast, as though starved rather than extinguished. For the briefest second, the glow in her eyes dimmed—then flared brighter as Mikhail’s shadow fell across her.
I saw Elaine move from the corner of my eye, felt the recoil in the air as her magic surged forward to meet Meredith’s. Elaine’s power struck back, sharp and clean, and for a moment Meredith’s magic recoiled—not outward, but inward, folding in on itself like something held together by force.
Mikhail lunged, his fist smacking against Cian’s temple, then spun. His kick landed directly in Cian’s chest with an audible crack and sent him flying back into the crowd. He slumped there, unmoving.
Meredith stepped forward as if to follow, her power rising again, but Mikhail lifted a single finger without looking at her. She stopped instantly, and the glow in her eyes dimmed.
“No!” Seren’s cry was heartbreaking. She tried to run to her father, but the hybrids had already moved, their speed making them nothing but a blur, as they created a wall that she couldn’t breach. She turned back to Mikhail, her face a story of rage. “You will not get away with that!”
I felt it before I saw it. Her power didn’t flare—it gathered. Thick. Dense. The bond between us vibrated, humming against my ribs as if something vast had just woken up inside her. Anger fed it. Grief sharpened it. The air around her shifted, dust lifting in a slow spiral at her feet. My instincts screamed to pull her back, to shield her from what was coming—but the earth was already answering her call.
The ground trembled, and she moved.