Athena’s back and forth movement.
He sighed and looked at his watch. Poor guy. Scarlett wondered how many times Athena had been at this. Scarlett knew from emails that her cousin had been militant about including Tyler, her fiancé, in everything. Scarlett had a feeling—looking at him as he lounged there in his black suit—that he would have preferred to leave all the details to his beloved.
Scarlett slipped inside and walked toward them.
“I’m thinking we can have the bows of flowers draping back to here…” Athena said, pressing her tongue to her top lip as she stopped to think.
“Theenie, I have a feeling Tyler couldn’t care less where you put the flowers.”
“Scarlett!” Athena yelled, running to meet her halfway down the aisle. “I didn’t think I’d see you.”
“I made a way.” Over Athena’s shoulder, Scarlett saw Tyler’s head snap toward her. He sat up slowly then came to his feet.
“It’s about fucking time,” he rasped. “Truly, I couldn’t give a rat’s ass for the arrangements, and it pisses me off that innocent flowers will be murdered for this god-awful affair.”
His hands started to glow.
“Oh shit…” Scarlett whispered. Grabbing Athena, she dove between the pews several rows back as the front pew splintered. Frantically, she started commando crawling toward the
back of the church. Refusing to let go of her cousin’s hand, she dragged her along, thankful there were no kneelers to impede their progress.
“What the hell?” Athena exclaimed.
“Just shut up and come on,” Scarlett hissed.
“Yes, listen to your little cousin,” Tyler said from the front of the church. “She’s the only reason you’re still alive.”
Athena’s breath caught, and Scarlett yanked her hand to urge her back into motion.
“Don’t cry,” she grated. “Not now. Save it.”
“What?” Tyler taunted. “You thought I really loved you? I was supposed to kill you like all the others of your blood. I only let you live so I could get to her.”
Athena ripped her hand free of Scarlett’s. “You bastard,” she screeched as she stood. Scarlett yanked her back down just before a ball of blue light rocketed over them and blew a hole in the rear wall of the sanctuary.
“Come on,” Scarlett urged. “Keep your head together so we can get out of here alive.”
“Oh, you’re not getting out of here,” Tyler returned, his hearing apparently extraordinary. “I’m going to turn you both to electrified goo and go home a hero.”
A series of explosions split the air, and Scarlett looked back to see pew after pew exploding in the center to make a path. Tyler walked toward them as if nothing impeded him—and he was moving far faster than they were.
Panic rose in Scarlett’s stomach, choking her as red hot prickles raced up her spine. She couldn’t die. She couldn’t leave Janos alone like that. She’d been so stupid. Doubling her speed, she dragged Athena with her toward the back of the church. She deduced from Tyler’s diatribe that her cousin was a Dragon’s mate as well. No doubt Tyler would have killed Athena on their wedding night had Scarlett not arrived. There was no way she was letting him kill her cousin.
As they cleared the last pew, it splintered, but rather than falling, the wood pieces took to the air like a swarm of wooden daggers. They hurtled at the women as they huddled against the wall trying to get to the doors.
Just as Scarlett readied for impact, rubble cascaded onto them and the room shook with the impact of feet to the floor. Through heavily scaled bodies, Scarlett saw Janos and Jonah hold up their hands and stop the progress of the splinters. A blast of fire turned them ash.
“Scarlett, get her out of here,” Janos said as he and Jonah advanced on the Djinni. The doors exploded inward. Scarlett dragged Athena the other direction to a side
door, as a tall, willowy woman stepped through the rubble. With a circular motion, she lifted the door’s
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