Free Knight Avenged by Coreene Callahan Page A

her. He needed to reach her—this instant. To assess the damage and pull her out of harm’s way. Before the charged pause ended and the enemy regained momentum. Before Halál loosed another arrow in her direction, bu t . . . Jesus help him. The enemy was so close. And he was still too far away.
    Boot soles slipping against the floor, Henrik ramped into a run, trying to close the gap. Twelve feet. Now te n . . . then eight sat between him and Cosmina. No small distance. Not great odds that he’d reach her in time, either. Al Pacii assassins aimed well and always shot to kill. Which meant Halál’s skills had grown rusty with disuse. Thank God. Otherwise Cosmina would be dead—done in by an arrow to the heart—instead of injured.
    The creak of a bow being drawn sounded behind him.
    Henrik pushed himself harder. Goddamn it. She was too vulnerable right now. Sitting out in the open: hunched over on the floor, blood spilling down her side, a black feather-tipped arrow protruding from—
    Sweet Christ. He couldn’t tell where she’d been hit. Not from this angle.
    Sheathing his sword, Henrik lunged toward her. “Andre i . . . Sha y . . . ”
    “Go!” Green eyes flashing, Shay unleashed his throwing stars. Razor-sharp discs whistled through the air as his comrade shifted to protect his back.
    Enemy assassins howled in pain.
    Moving to intercept Halál, Andrei snarled and magic flexed. A river of blue flame streamed in behind Henrik. Heat blew toward the ceiling as the inferno snaked across mosaic tiles. Shaped like a viper, ravenous tendrils rose from the temple floor, and fangs bared, filled the chamber with venomous fumes. With a sidewinding shift, the fiery serpent struck. Flames blew outward, shooting over the altar, melting solid gold into liquid metal. As yellow rivulets poured onto the marble floor, the Al Pacii assassins closest to the blaze caught fire.
    The stench of burning flesh rolled into the rotunda.
    Almost at Cosmina’s side, Henrik stayed low and listened to the flames hiss. A voracious beast, the magical inferno ate the assassins, devouring the enemy with flaming fangs. He heard Halál curse. Glancing over his shoulder, Henrik watched the Al Pacii leader leap backward, away from the blaze, and retreat down the steps.
    Breathing hard, Henrik blinked. What the hell? Where had the fire come from? Someone snarled in French. He shifted focus. His gaze landed on Andrei. Jesus be swift and merciful. Was the inferno coming from his comrade? It sure looked like it. Particularly since fire rose like twin swords in Andrei’s hands, the bright blue of the blaze the same color as his eyes.
    Startling, but not much of a mystery.
    Goddamn the Goddess of All Things. She never stopped meddling. Now she toyed with his comrade, infecting Andrei with magic just as she had him. Not that Henrik felt the need to complain at the moment. With the magical fire burning and Cosmina in trouble, he’d take what he could get and use the inferno for cover. He’d solve the riddle—and unearth the deity’s plan—another time. When the enemy wasn’t at his back. And the woman he’d sworn to protect wasn’t bleeding all over the temple floor.

    Still counting each click of the key, Cosmina sheathed her second dagger. Not the smartest thing to do, considering a battle raged behind her. The clang of steel resonated in the rotunda, along with unholy snarls and the hammer of footfalls. Goddess keep her, it was all upside down and backward. So completely wrong. She should be moving toward the fight. Should be helping Henrik keep the enemy at bay. Not stowing her blades while she turned her back on the man standing between her and certain death.
    Her conscience panged.
    Less than a second behind, her sense of fair play thumped on her too.
    Cosmina shoved both aside. She didn’t have time for guilt and even less for reflection. Desperate times called for desperate measures. She must get inside the chamber. Which meant getting