Free Emblazed by Nikki Narvaez Page A

we won’t draw attention to ourselves,” I suggested.
    “ Mi amante , that’s brilliant!” Jace praised before planting a firm kiss on my lips.
    Backtracking in the opposite direction, we put distance between us and the heart of
     the Underworld. Once Jace decided that we were far enough away, Zane and I created
     the bridge using our Earth. The rocky soil rose and molded at our command, forming
     a bridge composed of rocks, dirt, and sand from the riverbed.
    After we finished, we all crossed over quickly, except for Kimber. She dramatically
     flailed her arms while slowly inching her way across and cursing under her breath
     the entire way.
    The Acheron beckoned from about a mile away, and we continued toward our escape home.
     Jace stayed close by, holding my hand as if he feared I would be taken again if he
     let go. As we neared the last quarter mile stretch, the finish line in sight, a black
     mass dropped from the sky and landed thirty feet in front of us.
    The ground shuddered from its impact, rippling outward with a velocity that threw
     everyone off their feet. My tailbone throbbed as I landed on the rough, hard earth.
     A gasp to my left caught my attention, and Kiera’s wide-eyed stare redirected my gaze
     to the cause of our fall.
    Cerberus . Fuck.

 
     
     
    Damn. Cerberus stood between us and our escape. His three heads bared huge, razor-sharp
     fangs, which dripped foamy, black saliva that sizzled when it hit the ground. As tall
     as a two-story building, he was even more enormous than when we had first seen him
     upon our arrival.
    “What’s the plan, bro?” Zane asked shakily. His eyes remained focused on Cerberus
     as he blocked Kimber’s body protectively with his own. Everyone stood rigid with fear,
     careful not to make any sudden movements to set off the beast before us.
    “We have to attack. Running is out of the question. There’s no way we can outrun him.
     Try to stay away from his saliva—it looks acidic.”
    “Should we stay together or split up?” Kiera asked.
    “Brielle is not leaving my side, that’s for damn sure. We should stay together and
     consolidate our attacks. We are stronger as a unit than individually.”
    My heart pounded as we prepared to attack. “Ready?” I asked before swallowing the
     huge lump that had suddenly formed in my throat.
    Everyone silently nodded. Here goes nothing .
    “Now!” I yelled.
    We broke out in a run, charging towards the humongous hellhound of myth. I didn’t
     know if we were crazy or courageous, but I know we teetered on a fine line between
     the two.
    Cerberus stood his ground as we neared, not looking threatened in the least by our
     approach.
    Brielle’s hands lit up with Akasha, and I did the same with my flames. Thick roots
     began to wrap around one of Cerberus’ massive paws, but he ripped through them like
     they were made of tissue paper.
    A bolt of Brielle’s Akasha struck Cerberus in the chest, narrowly missing one of his
     heads. Roaring in fury, he directed all his heads toward her. His tail, which ended
     in a barbed stinger like a scorpion, swished violently through the air.
    Shit, that’s probably poisonous, too. “Watch out for his tail!” I yelled as I shot a fireball towards his feet.
    The ground beneath him caved in, causing him to stumble forward and land on his chest.
     Brielle took the opportunity to throw another blast of Akasha, striking him in his
     far right head’s snout. He threw his head back and yowled in pain before pushing back
     up to stand on all fours again.
    A few man-sized boulders soared by, crashing into Cerberus’ front left leg. It buckled,
     sending him down to his chest again. A concentrated stream of water from Kimber’s
     hands pummeled into his center head, causing him to cough and gag on the liquid.
    Bounding over us, he landed behind where we stood. Once again, the quake from his
     impact caused us all to lose our balance. Stalking closer, he snarled before rapidly