CAMILLA''S POV


    “Five,” she began and I turned to Ryker unsure of what to do.


    I switched to our mind link. “What do we do?’


    “I don''t know,” he admitted at the same time she counted four. “If we let her then everyone''s deaths will be on our


    hands.”


    “But we cannot give her the dagger, what assurance do we have that she will not kill them regardless and kill us?”


    “Three,” she sing songed.


    “We need a n,” Ryker mumbled and a crazy idea popped into my head. “What is it?”


    “I need you to trust me and just go with the flow.”


    “Cami-" he began but I cut off the mind link and turned to Reina.


    She had a cruel smirk on her face as she watched us. She knew this was a difficult choice and somehow, I knew that


    was the entire point. I exhaled deeply before reaching out with my senses. I had pulled water from a cliff below, I


    could pull water from beneath the ground. I could feel it under my feet and I willed it upward. Reina was still


    counting and just as she hit one, everywhere exploded.


    Water shot up like a geyser and it was enough to knock her off guard for a minute. The dolls flew out of her hands


    and Ryker was quick to grab both of them. Reina was soaking wet and I was breathing hard. Please visit J o b nib. co


    m and search the book title to read the entire book for free. I didn''t realize how much it would take out of me to do


    that. I willed the water shut long enough for her to get back to her feet. She was spluttering and most of all, she


    looked pissed off.


    “I thought we could do this the easy way,” she began as she made a circr motion with her hands. I saw ck


    smoke follow her movements. “But since you want to y dirty, I will y dirty.”


    She threw whatever she had conjured in my direction and if not for Ryker pushing me out of the way, it probably


    would have hit me. It hit the tree behind me and I saw it smoke before dissolving into ashes. I turned to her with


    raised brows but she was already making another one.


    “Come on, Reina,” I began softly. “Do you really want to do this? Do you want to spend the rest of your life fighting?


    Even if you beat me, the goddess will send someone else after you. You will never be able to live in peace because


    you are killing the very people she wants to save you.”


    She shot another ming ball in my direction and this time, I was able to erect a wall of water. The wall smoked out


    when the ball hit but it was enough to protect Ryker and I.


    “We should surround her,” Ryker whispered but I shook my head. “It would be easier to have her attention split.”


    “No,” I kept my voice firm. “You could get badly hurt. Reina is ruthless and you cannot get killed by her”


    “l won''t,” she shot another ball our way and this time when Ryker pushed me out of the way, he rolled in the


    opposite direction. I nearly screamed because he had done exactly what I asked him not to.


    Reina looked between the both of us with an amused smirk. “Is this your grand n? Divide and conquer? It isn''t


    going to work.”


    “Maybe,” Ryker shrugged as he took out the dagger from the holster. My eyes widened to the point of saucers. I tried


    to mind link him to ask what he was doing but his wall was firmly in ce. “This is what you want, right? I''ll give it to


    you but on one condition.”


    “You are in no position to make demands but I am willing to hear you out”


    “You have to swear- make a blood oath- and say that you will never bother us again. If we are certain that you will


    leave us alone then you can have the dagger.”


    She hesitated before crossing her arms over her chest. “You drive a hard bargain but fine, I will do it. Do you know


    how a blood oath works?”


    “Yes, actually, I read up on them which is why I know that people of equal standing should do it. Cami will make


    the oath with you,” he gestured for me to step closer and although I was stunned, I found my feet moving in


    ordance to his beckoning.


    Once I was close enough, I dropped my voice to a whisper. “What the hell are you doing, Ryker? You are going to get


    us both killed.”


    “I need you to trust me on this,” he whispered as he grabbed my left hand. “I have a theory and I need to make sure


    that I am right”


    “What-" my words turned to a hiss when he shed my palm with said dagger. It was silver tipped so it burned and I


    didn’t miss how the de glowed slightly when my blood touched it.


    He handed the dagger to me. “It is her turn now.”


    “How am I sure that you will not try to attack me once I am close?” I asked Reina and she sighed.


    “I swear it on my life”


    It wasn''t enough but it was all that I was going to get. I walked over to her noting that the cut on my arm was yet to


    heal. Reina stretched out her hand to me and I made a careful incision along the center. I knew this was an absurd


    idea but I was choosing to trust Ryker. Once I was done, I turned to him.


    “What now?” I asked and he opened his mouth to respond when Reina cursed.


    “What did you do to me, you bitch?” she spat and I looked down at where I had cut, it was bleeding profusely and


    ck smoke was oozing out of it. She reached out to grab me but fell to her knees as if in pain.


    “Kill her now!” Ryker yelled and without hesitation, I plunged the dagger deep into her chest. Her mouth formed an


    “0’ as more ck smoke seeped out of her and seemed to almost gather into a circle in the air.


    “You bastard,” she managed out and I thought she was talking to me but her eyes were fixed on Ryker.


    “I guess you don’t know as much about the dagger as you thought you did,” Ryker museding to stand next to me


    “Good fucking riddance, witch.”


    He pulled out the knife and stabbed her once again. I had to shut my eyes but I couldn''t rid my ears of the sound of


    squelching flesh. I heard her body drop to the ground and I opened my eyes in time to see the light leave her eyes.


    Her eyes were alight with anger and she had a single finger pointed at Ryker.


    “It''s over,” I began and I tried to rush towards Ryker when I noticed something that had me halting in my tracks.


    I had thought the ck smoke dissipated into thin air when she died but no, it was currently swirling over my mate''s


    head. I pointed slowly at it and he looked up. No sooner than his eyes connected with it did it move. It mmed intc


    him so quickly that neither of us could have prepared for it. I screamed and reached out for him but it was like I was


    frozen in ce. I watched as the smoke epassed him until I couldn''t see him at all.


    “Ryker!” I screamed but I couldn''t reach him. There was an invisible wall stopping me from touching him. It remained


    that way for exactly two minutes and then, I watched the smoke disappear into his skin.


    He was on his knees and I reached out for him relieved that I could finally touch him. I wrapped my arms around his


    shoulders and sobbed. His chest was heaving and his voice was hoarse as he tried to assure me that everything was


    fine. I pulled back and cupped his cheeks looking over him for any signs that he was hurt.


    “What the hell was that?” I asked and he waved me off. “Don’t you dare do that shit. You better start speaking now.”


    Heughed. I was panicking and he had the audacity tough. He kissed my lips softly before reaching into his


    pocket and wherey the dolls before nowy a string of yarn and some pieces of hair.


    “We won,” he whispered to me. “That is what happened.”


    “How did we win?” I shot back. “How did you know about the blood oath? How did you know to cut me first?”


    “It was something Audrey whispered to me yesterday. She said we needed both sides for it to work. She said life


    beats death in her fairytales and I remember you had the powers of life. I didnt know if it would work. I took a huge


    risk and it paid off. We won, Cami, that is all that matters.”


    I threw my hands around his neck and squeezed tightly. “Don’t you ever scare me again or I swear I will kill you


    myself and bury you six feet under.”


    Heughed once again. He wrapped his arms around me and rose with me still in his arms. I didn’t want to let go, I


    couldn''t. I had never felt a panic like I did a few moments ago. I had thought he was going to die and he was standin


    here normal. I wasn''t sure if I wanted to cry or fall to my knees in appreciation of the goddess.


    “What about the ck smoke?” I asked after a minute of silence and he stilled. “What was that about?”N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    “I don''t know,” he admitted slowly pulling away from me. “There wasplete darkness, I could feel the magic


    around me. It was cold, it was evil, it was there and the next minute, it was gone.”


    “Do we need to find another witch? Perhaps we can find someone who will exin all of this to us?” I began but he


    cut me off.


    “I think I have had enough of witches for a while,” heughed before going to retrieve some matches.


    “Why do you have that?”


    “I hoped we would need it,” he said simply before striking it. The smell infiltrated my nose and I had to take a step


    back. I watched as Ryker dropped the match on Reina’s body.


    It didn''t take long before the smell of burning flesh filled the air.