Dragon's Storm (Legion Of Angels #4)(65)

“Stop,” the dark angel said, turning around slowly to face us. His dark eyes lit up with silver and gold when he saw me. “You.” His tongue traced the tip of his left fang. “I’ll deal with you soon enough. After I’m done with her.” His gaze shifted to his prisoner.

Fire erupted across Colonel Starborn’s blade.

“Put that out, Leila,” Battlestorm said impatiently. “You’re too late. The Venom will consume her.”

“She’s stronger than you think.”

“No, she’s not. The change is killing her. She won’t make it. Not unless I stop now.” He shot the angel a saccharine smile.

“What do you want?” she demanded, her voice simmering with barely-contained violence.

“I propose a trade. If you surrender yourself to me—and to the change—I’ll cure your scorned lover.”

“Don’t do it, Leila,” Captain Somerset croaked out.

Colonel Starborn’s eyes shifted from her to the dark angel. Love was overriding reason. She was going to do it. Why? She must have realized that Battlestorm was going to kill Captain Somerset either way.

“We don’t make deals with the forces of darkness,” Harker stated, stepping in front of his mentor.

“What a shame.”

The dark angel pulled out a syringe and jammed it into Captain Somerset’s arm. She began to convulse.

“What was that?” I demanded.

He smiled at me. “Pure Venom.”

In other words, a death sentence. Pure Venom would kill a Dark Force soldier in minutes. Captain Somerset, a soldier of light magic, didn’t even have that long. As Colonel Starborn and I rushed to her, Harker shot past us. His face contorted with raw anguish, he tackled Battlestorm. He was going to avenge his friend. He thought she was already dead. But I wasn’t ready to give up on her.

“It’s spreading fast,” I said, watching the Venom blacken her veins. I remembered how Nero had drained his mark from me by drinking my changed blood, just as you would drain poison. “We have to drink the Venom out of her.”

Colonel Starborn waved her hand, dissolving the chains to dust. She reached for Captain Somerset’s arm.

“No, not you.” I cut her off. “You have too much light magic. The Venom will kill you.”

I didn’t hesitate. There wasn’t any time for second thoughts. I grabbed Captain Somerset’s convulsing arm with both my hands and sank my fangs into the black vein. I drained the Venom from her. When my mouth was full, I pulled back just enough to spit out the contaminated blood, then I went back to drain more. I repeated the motion three times before the black tint faded from her veins.

“I drained most of the Venom from her, but a few drops remain that I can’t get,” I told Colonel Starborn. “Can you use your magic to cleanse the remaining Venom from her blood?”

She set her glowing hands on the small punctures I’d left on Captain Somerset’s arm. “I will try.”

I coughed.

“Are you all right?”

“Fine,” I said.

I’d tried to spit out all of the Venom, but some of it had already slid down my throat. It had a sweet taste, not quite like Nectar. Different. But delicious. It was a potent punch to my system, jolting me awake. I felt so alive.

“Are you sure?” Colonel Starborn asked as I swayed to the side.

My hands were shaking. My body was having trouble dealing with the power rush. My legs gave out from under me. My knees hit the floor. Colonel Starborn moved to help me.

“No,” I snapped. “Not me. You have to keep healing Captain Somerset. If you stop, she won’t survive.”

“You’ll die, you know.” She kept her glowing hands on Captain Somerset’s arm.

I rose slowly to my feet. “I’ve survived Venom before. I can handle a few drops.” A convulsion shot down my body from tip to toe. I caught myself on a stone pillar to stay upright.

“A few drops of pure Venom will kill an angel.”

“Then it’s a good thing I’m no angel,” I replied. “I have my fair share of darkness.”

Despite my nonchalant smile, I wasn’t feeling all that confident. My vision was blurring. The Venom was pulling me under. Beside me, Colonel Starborn was healing Captain Somerset as fast as she could, pouring all her magic into destroying the Venom I hadn’t been able to drain.

Harker was still fighting Battlestorm, but things weren’t looking good for him. The Sea, Sky, and Earth Dragons burst through the door, Nero and Major Singh hot on their tails. Had they chased the three Dragons all the way here?

The Sky Dragon spun around and hurled a lightning bolt. The Sea Dragon cast an icy spike, and the Earth Dragon cooked up a bouquet of Soul-eater Vines. The Dragons’ elemental salad exploded at Nero and Major Singh’s feet, releasing a magical miasma of light and dark magic. Pieces of furniture shot in every direction.

“They did it,” I said, steadying my steps as I moved away from the pillar. “The Dark Force created soldiers who could wield both light and dark magic.”

Nero and Major Singh jumped to their feet, brushing the remnants of the elemental explosion off their leather uniforms. The magic shockwave had thrown Harker clear across the room. I reached down and pulled him to his feet—then I pushed him toward Colonel Starborn and Captain Somerset.