Mated to the Moon (Portal City Protectors Book 6), Georgette Clair [best classic books to read .TXT] 📗

The men worked together, spreading out and attacking different Hollows instead of teaming up on them. It widened the circle until they were nearly at the Zealot.

“Go!” Adonis ordered.

Giuliana scooped up Fabiana and broke away. The Zealot roared, mouth wide open and spittle flying everywhere. They were gone, racing toward the Temple, but the Zealot was faster. Raphael, Adonis, and Pasquale all went after a different leg on the beast, fighting to bring it down. They broke off bone, but the Zealot kept coming.

“Fuck!”

Giuliana got to the stairs, and the Zealot lowered its head and rammed the columns. It was all they could do to roll out of the way, hitting each step hard as they tumbled back toward the ground. Marble crumbled and pieces peppered the ground around them. Their escape route was cut off and the Zealot was closer than he’d been before. It reared its head, screeching.

“Giuliana!”

“Fabiana!”

Hands gripped her, yanking her away, even as Adonis got hold of Giuliana. Pasquale took point, guarding his mate’s body and taking the brunt of the blast. He went into the air, impaled on one of the pinchers in the Zealot’s mouth before dropping back to the ground.

“Pasquale.” Giuliana moved to her mate’s side, her hands glowing with her healing. “Don’t leave me,” she choked out.

Pasquale coughed, blood spraying from his mouth. Fabiana couldn’t move. He had been everything for so long—her protector, her brother, her confidant. He’d been the only good thing that came from Primo.

And he’d just risked his life for his mate and her.

“Get the medical team out here!” Adonis yelled into the mic. “If he dies, they die. I want them all out here. Divert resources to this location. We need to move the Zealot so Pasquale can be worked on. I want every fucking Hollow withing a hundred feet of them dead.”

He turned to Raphael, his eyes wild. “Take her. Run into the house. The Zealot can’t beat you. Get her as far away as you can. I don’t care if you have to drive away.”

“I’m not leaving you,” Raphael argued.

“And I’m not letting her brother die. Go! Fabiana, te amo. Take care of them.”

He meant the pack. In case he died, she was supposed to take care of them.

“Adonis, not without–”

He snapped their connection closed, not allowing her to say anything.

“No!” she screamed when Raphael lifted her off the ground. “Adonis!”

The Zealot turned toward her, watching.

“Adonis, I love you!”

He didn’t turn back, didn’t take his eyes off the threat.

“I know.”

And then he was gone again.

Raphael pivoted with her in his arms and raced back toward the house, turning toward the left at the last moment.

He’s going to get in a car. He’s going to take me away.

“Raphael, don’t.”

He didn’t answer and just kept running. But he couldn’t hide his fear as his eyes searched the land in front of him. He was praying too, hoping his brother would be okay.

The Zealot roared and the ground thundered with its steps, and then it screamed. Fabiana forced herself to turn and see what had happened. Using his speed, Adonis reached one of the pincers and ripped it away. Darting to the other side, he did the same.

It didn’t take long for the beast to shake it off and lumber back to its feet, but the distance between them was greater. Fabiana couldn’t see Pasquale and Giuliana anymore.

“We’re ‘ere, chile.”

Zahara stood on the edge of the drive, hands to the heavens, her eyes turning white to match the lines on her face. Silva landed with Kalinda in her arms, and Romano, Heath, Kallan, and Teague stepped out of a portal with Nanshe and Carlo. She’d never been so happy to see them before, to know Adonis wouldn’t fight alone.

“Please, help him. Please! Pasquale is hurt and Adonis is there alone.”

“Not anymore!” Nanshe yelled.

She came to Raphael’s side. “Go to your Alpha. Nothing will touch her, I swear it.”

Raphael nodded and released Fabiana before racing away. Nanshe smiled big, her skin covered in fine dust as she lifted from the ground. Her arms stretched wide, a force field spread, closing around her and Fabiana.

“We’ve got ten feet of nothing can kick our ass right now. We can move closer so you can see, but I won’t let you get into danger.”

Fabiana could only nod. It would be enough. She couldn’t wait here on pins and needles while her mate was fighting. “I promise I won’t go anywhere.”

They moved together, until Fabiana was just on the edge. The Zealot still tried to get to her, but Raphael had made enough space that he was out in the open, and Pasquale was not in danger of being attacked or trampled.

“They are moving him into the Temple? Is that the building over there? Nice.” Nanshe turned back to Fabiana. “Carlo says he’s been stabilized but isn’t out of the woods yet,” Nanshe relayed. “My male seems to be particularly angry they touched that one.”

“He would. Our father was abusive to Carlo, but Carlo was always kind to us. We loved him. He’s technically our cousin but we called him uncle when we were kids.”

“So you are family?”

Fabiana nodded.

“It makes sense then.”

“What?”

“The paintings. He’s the King of History, and someone in his bloodline can see the future.”

Fabiana had never thought about that.

Zahara lowered her hands to the ground, whispering words Fabiana couldn’t make out before the land rumbled and split. Cracks spread until dark, whispy shards of black pushed out.

“What is that?”

“The In Between. She’s going to force him there. If she can, my sisters and I can send him back home.”

Zahara continued to mutter, her body swaying as the wind kicked up dust and debris.

The world simply … melted.