INCARNATE | Book 3 of the Spirits' War Trilogy [excerpt]

1: THE LIGHT

She giggles like a schoolgirl as I enshroud her in my arms. The cool caress of dusk tickles my cheek and I bury my face in her scent, breathing in her lush red locks.

"Did you do it?"

I sniff, biding my time. "Not yet."

She pulls away, holding me at arms' length and narrowing her emerald eyes. She looks so unlike her father, unlike Tyrone. She looks like her.

"I told you I want them gone!" she hisses. "I won't be able to sleep until my father's avenged."

I sigh, glancing at the stars. It was a nice night, but she's turned it gloomy again.

"This is war, Arwyn. You can't expect everything to..."

She peers at me through slit eyes, full lips trembling.

"I'm sorry," I whisper, carefully cupping her silky cheek in my rough hand. "I won't rest until they're gone."

"We can't get rid of them. Let one live, and boom – you've got ten more. They spawn like—"

"Arwyn."

She gives me a sideways glance. "Tell me again."

I sigh deeply. "I'm not sure if that's a—"

"Tell me. Please." Her eyes glint with rage, illuminated brilliantly by the lantern's glow. I wish to calm that ire, to show her she'll be safe. But I don't know. I don't know if we ever will be safe.

I shake my head, leaning my arms casually against the railing of our balcony. In the distance is Conwy castle, still left smouldering from what the Ddreigiau had wrought upon the village. I'd returned to help the townspeople put out the fires and tend to the wounded, but I hadn't stayed long enough. I wanted to return to Arwyn, lest she tries something stupid again. It was becoming her mission – her obsession – to get back at her half-sister for what she'd done.

Half-sister. Half-demon.

Arwyn's younger sister cannot be considered human. Never was. The blood of a monster runs through her veins, and now, she's become one of them. The sorcerers. Manipulators of energy. Since the dawn of time, it was up to the Light to stop these monsters from taking over the planet and quashing humanity under their claws. Up to its devotees to send the demons back from whence they came. Only then would we achieve peace.

Arwyn's hand brushes across my wrist and grabs hold of my fingers. I smile, closing my eyes and relishing the moment.

"He stood his ground, valiant in the face of the great demon," I tell her softly. "Its razor-sharp fangs and lightning-talons were no match for his will. The dragon closed in on him but still, he fought – for his Covenant, for his Knights, for his daughter..."

I open one eye, peering down at her. The ghost of a smile strikes her lips. I gulp, noting the tear that trails down her face.

"I know what it's like. Losing a father."

She snorts. "No, you don't."

"In a past life—"

"There you go again. You're not one of them. Forget what they said."

"Of course I'm not one of them," I blurt, taken aback. "They are creatures of Hell, and I am of the heavens."

"Weirdo. You think I'm gonna drool over you, picturing you with wings?"

I bite my lip to stifle a grin. "How would you explain it?"

I eye the sword in the corner, propped against the wall – Saint Patrick's sword. How natural it felt to wield the weapon, to feel the power of the Light coursing through me as I faced my destiny. And how terrible it felt when the blade plunged deeply into a foe, rending its flesh like a child's teeth tear through a sandwich. The disheartening whoosh of energy as it left the sorry soul I'd extinguished.

Light runs in the veins of every living thing. If only it were not constantly quenched by darkness, by dark influence...

"Show me again," she whispers. "I never tire of it."

I raise my eyebrows at Arwyn, extending a hand and willing the Light to take hold of me. A burst of luminescence blinds us and I grit my teeth. But instead of rendering me useless, the lack of sight grants me life. A sixth sense, almost. The purest of energy forms blankets me in its entirety, and I gasp at the revelation.

A squeal from Arwyn breaks me from my reverie, and I stifle the Light at once. She's breathing heavily and I sense her energy at my feet; she's collapsed. Squatting in front of her, I offer a hand.

"My apologies, milady."

She links her fingers with mine, allowing me to raise her to eye level.

"You are difficult to pinpoint, Pat," she whispers, placing her hands on my chest and staring into my irises. "I like the way the stars reflect in your eyes."

"Don't get sappy."

"You're the last one."

"What?"

Arwyn sighs. "The last guy in my life. My father's gone, my best friend's gone..."

"I won't ever leave you."

"You better not," she whispers. "I'm all for the cause, but if it takes you down with it—"

"It won't," I declare, rolling my shoulders back. Her hands slip from my chest and I grasp them in my own, pulling her closer.

Our lips meet and I allow myself to melt into her embrace as she wraps her arms around my neck.

"I won't ever leave you," I mumble into her lips, stroking her hand and smiling as the cool, familiar form of the diamond on her finger meets my touch.

A halo of energy encircles me, and I attempt to push it out of my mind. The relentless light bathes me in its glow and I close my eyes, picturing her face. My heart stutters.

Soft features and smooth, pale skin. Long, auburn hair...

And then a wide swath of sky drifts through my mind – a small coastal town beneath it. I feel myself pumping my wings steadily onward. Wings I don't possess.

I'm seeing the world through its eyes.

It's all I can do not to pull away from Arwyn's embrace as the realization comes crashing down like a brick wall.

I know where it is. The half-demon.

It's allied itself with Nwyfre and Mac Tíre and they're getting stronger by the minute. If I can locate the town, the Lìog Airgid can't be far. The horde has already destroyed Arwyn's father and dozens of my Knights.

As long as the Light graces me, I will rid the earth of their kind once and for all.