The warriors reach her and she moves. She's too fast to track. One second, she's in front of a wolf; next, she's behind him, and his head is rolling across the ground.

Her sword finds hearts, throats, and spines. Fire trails in arcs behind every strike. She kicks a vampire across the courtyard and his body explodes through a stone column. Another lunges, she grabs his face and burns him alive with a bare hand.

This isn't just a rescue; it's slaughter. It's an execution.

Someone behind me whispers, horrified, "What is she?"

I don't answer because I don't know whether to be proud or terrified.

More warriors rush her—maybe fifty—and Sadie finally snaps her head toward them.

"Enough."

The word shakes the earth. A gust of wind explodes outward and violently launches enemies backward like broken dolls. She then looks up at the administration building where the council members hide like cowards.

Her cold voice carries across the ruins, "I gave you a week... Now, give me my mate or I burn this place to the ground."

The doors open. Twelve council members step out in ceremonial robes, led by their High Chair, Daelor, an ancient wolf whose arrogance reeks even from here.

He snorts. "You think a few parlor tricks make you a threat? We are the most powerful forces on the continent, girl. You are nothing compared to us."

Then he gestures forward, "Kill her. When she's dead, we'll reunite her corpse with her precious mate."

A hush falls. Sadie doesn't scream or rage; she simply says, "So be it."

The air shifts and Sadie shoots upward straight into the sky.

"What's happening?" someone asks terrified but no one answers.

Clouds churn, winds sharpen, the sky darkens and thunder roars. Lightning veins across the sky, and there is a flash so blinding I cover my eyes and then something hits the earth like a meteor.

Dust explodes outward and silence follows. When the haze clears, my lungs forget how to work.

Sadie crouches in a crater, stone cracked beneath her feet. Wings arc from her back, feathers of burning gold and molten white. Her scepter forms in her hand, white-gold metal pulsing with celestial power. Her eyes are pure white light, and gold bands form around her wrists and ankles, ancient etchings glowing along her skin.

I've seen her like this before, but this time it feels different. She is holy, terrifying and unreal.

I get this overwhelming need to bow before. To lay prostrate and worship her.

"Holy fucking hell," Jason whispers.

He can fucking say that again, because she feels divine and standing here, I feel unworthy of being in her presence.

The warriors who'd been rushing.

towards her crumble to their knees.

Even council members step

backward, faces blanching, and for the first time since we arrived, can

the firs in their eyes.

See the

Sadie lifts her chin and raises the scepter and the whole damn sky answers.

Lightning and fire rain down on the

territory, obliterating buildings,

burning warriors to ash and tearing

stone apart

like Sand Screams fill

the air as the flames roar and smoke

coats the already dark skies.

When they are all dead, she stands alone in the center of ruin, breathing slowly. Then she lifts her hand. Councilman Daelor flies to her, dragged by an invisible force and right into her grip.

"What are you?" he asks, his voice trembling.

Sadie ignores his question and instead her fingers wrap around his throat, just as the scepter vanishes.

"I warned you,” she says, her voice distorted in a way that sends chills down my spine. "You should have listened."

Before anyone can react, her hand slams through his chest, and she rips out his heart. He collapses, dead before his knees hit stone, his eyes still open and frozen in shock and terror.

She turns her head, white eyes locking on the remaining council.

“Will you bring me my mate, or do I have to go through all of you?"

"A-as long as you promise not to kill us." One of them stammers, the fear in his eyes evident.

Sadie nods, but deep down I get this feeling that she won't let them go scot-free.

This time, they don't waste time. They scramble, and moments later they drag Alec out-beaten, bloodied and barely conscious. He looks half dead.

They push him towards Sadie as if afraid to even get near her. She catches him before he can fall and touches his face.

"Alec,” she whispers.

He tries to focus on her, voice broken, "Sadie..."

She kisses him and then lays him gently on the ground and when she stands again,

the sword returns to her hand.

One of the council stammers, "You—you said you'd spare us!"

Sadie smiles. A terrifying smile that gives me chills.

"I lied."

They should have known. The moment they took Alec and tortured him, they signed

their own death warrant.

The scream barely starts before she

moves. She cuts them down. Every last one with no hesitation or

merov

And when the last member

breathes his last, I can only stare at Sadie standing over their corpses.

Today history is made. The council fell and we witnessed a woman single-handedly

take them down.