The soldiers surrounding me did not move. Helen summoned a small fireball and pushed it into Menelaus’s chest. He sank to his knees, yowling from the pain.
“Do as she says!” he gasped.
The soldiers dropped their blades and backed away. I took only a step before Menelaus roared up from the ground and sank his blade into Helen’s chest. She cried out and fell to her knees.
“I would rather destroy her than let you have her,” Menelaus screamed and twisted the blade.
Helen pinned me with her emerald gaze as my heart froze. So much in her eyes, so many things left unsaid and undone.
I shook my head. Please, don’t do this.
She closed her eyes, her magic building. Menelaus pressed the dagger deeper.
“No!” I dashed forward.
Helen exploded into a burst of pure light, Menelaus turning into ash and the blast blowing me backward. A whooshing boom rang in my ears, followed by a chafing silence.
I could only see white. I blinked over and over, trying to regain some semblance of sight. Stumbling forward, I tripped over bodies until I reached a clear area. There, my feet kicked only ashes. She had to be close. I dropped to my hands and knees, ignoring the remains of the demons unlucky enough to have been close to Helen when she went supernova.
“Helen?”
I felt a warm body under my fingers and ran my hands up. I would know Helen anywhere. It was her. I sat and drew her into my arms. She was alive, but I couldn’t tell the extent of her wounds. My vision was slowly repairing itself, but I could only see hazy colors and light. I ran my hand along her throat and winced when I felt the blood still spilling from her veins. I ripped the blade from her chest. She convulsed in my arms but made no sound.
Pressing one hand to her neck and the other to her front, I stanched the flow as best I could. I rocked her back and forth and sent up silent prayers for someone, anyone to save her.
Could I turn her? Give her my blood and save her as she’d done for me? Or would it be of no use since she was no longer mortal? I held her tightly in my arms, listening to her shallow breaths and feeling her blood flow onto my hands. The memory surfaced of that night so long ago when I’d awoken in the same pool of her precious blood. I couldn’t let it happen again.
“Please, please, my love.” I still couldn’t see her. Could only hold her to me. I pressed my lips to her forehead. “Please.”
Her breaths sputtered before resuming their shallow rhythm. Fear took hold in my breast. She had to survive this.
“Iphi?” Helen’s voice was so faint, I almost thought I was imagining it.
“I don’t know, my love. I can’t see her.”
“She’s here, if she’s asking about the other female,” Faren said. “We have her, my lord. She’s only a little singed.” He coughed and inhaled deeply.
I heard a slap and a growl.
“Hands off the goods!” That had to be Iphi.
“Play nice,” Helen said, her voice still a whisper.
“Since when has playing nice been a part of warrior maiden protocol?”
I sensed Iphi approaching and saw a vivid slash of red. “What’s with your eyes?” she asked. “Wait, you watched Elena go all kaboom? Should have closed your eyes like this here smart maiden. Oh, and this guy over here with the scars. His eyes are fine too, though half of him is charred. Gross. But you? Silly vampire king.” She plopped down next to him.
“Does Helen look okay? How is she?” he asked.
“Helen? Who’s Helen?”
“I’m Helen,” Helen said.
“Wait, what?”
“Elena is Helen,” Paris said.
Iphi snorted. “No, Elena is Elena.”
“Just tell me how she is!”
“She’s okay. Well, okay for someone with an extra smile on her neck. Ew. And the dagger to the chest. Just bad form, Uncle Menelaus.” She whistled. “He’s getting toasty by the fire in Hades right about now.”
Movement blurred ahead of me.
“Don’t move,” Faren growled.
“What is it?” I drew Helen even closer to my chest, wary of any threat.
My vision was improving by the second.
A demon knelt, his head bowed in deepest respect.
“Uh, why are you bowing?” Iphi asked.
“Queen Helen is now the ruler of Decanum.” The demon’s voice trembled.
“Are you shitting me?” The slash of red came into better focus as Iphi whipped her head around.
“She killed Menelaus, which makes her—”
“The boss! Well fuckin’ A!” Iphi cried and clapped her hands.
“Order the demons to stand down, now.” Helen’s voice, now a little stronger. Her breaths were deeper, the blood flow easing.
“Shh, now. Just rest.” The scent of her blood was still too strong. She needed to heal. Her golden hair was like a halo in my blurred sight, though I thought it appropriate.