Page 77 of The Bones of the Cursed
“We saw him briefly in the vestibule. He was gaunt and pale, his canines a tad sharper than a normal Fae’s.”
“What is he?” she asks, fear dripping from her words.
“I think when he sold his soul to Hell,” I say, slowly, “he also managed to convince them to make him into one of the undead. I think that’s why he is able to control the ghouls—he’s one of them, but more powerful. I’d bet anything one of his tattoos depicts the bargain. I’d say he’s closer to a ghoul now than a Fae.”
“How do we beat someone who is already dead?” Alanis asks. “How do we fight the ghoulsandhim, especially if he is as powerful as you think?”
“You can kill a ghoul by decapitation, so maybe killing Iclas would work the same way.”
Alanis’s thoughts play across her face, her thoughts ringing loud in my head, jarring me. She is terrified that, no matter what we do, someone she loves is going to die. I hear my name and Kailu’s infiltrate her thoughts. I feel her pain and pull her into me, hugging her as tightly as I can without hurting her. I’ve never heard her thoughts before. I thought maybe I would once we solidified the bond. Could her intense fear push her thoughts to me anyway?
“We will make it through this. You and I have so much leftto do.” I hold her face gently in my hands, gazing into her eyes. “We will go to the ends of this world to keep you safe. I know you don’t need us to, but we have your back no matter what. And then, firecracker, we are going to travel the world. We’re going to take you to every city and explore every spot of your body.” I kiss her, slipping my tongue into her mouth, losing myself to the taste of her. I run my hand up her neck, holding her throat with slight pressure. I pull back, her eyes darkening with lust. “I’m going to make you scream my name so everyone knows who you belong to.”
Elion clears his throat, breaking the sexual tension. I shoot daggers at him with my eyes, though he doesn’t see them, considering his gaze is on the ceiling.
“Maybe we can pick this back up when we are in a safer location,” Alanis says, laughter evident in her tone.
We turn towards the sewage-filled pit a few steps away from where we stand and grimace.
“Ugh, this is going to suck.”
The disgusted look on Alanis’s face makes me chuckle. “What’s wrong, firecracker? I thought you liked getting a little dirty.”
I wink at her and she punches me, only making me laugh harder. Kailu chuckles under his breath and she throws him a death glare. Elion continues to look uncomfortable as hell.
“On the count of three,” I say, looking at the group. “One.”
I grab Alanis’s hand.
“Two,” she says, looking into my eyes.
“Three,” Kailu whispers.
“Yippee,” Elion sighs.
We all take the plunge into the sewage pit and land in the well, piled atop each other. The crash of steel hitting steel, shouts of pain and fury, and the heavy pounding of hooves beating into the ground above draw our attention.
We quietly scale the wall only to be greeted with war.
29
- ALANIS -
UNKNOWN POWERS
Acoppery smell permeates the air, thick enough to chew. My brain struggles to comprehend what I’m seeing. Soldiers clash swords with ghouls, humans, and Fae alike—Iclas’s army. Kailu and Malakai draw their swords, preparing for battle.
Elion and I are both unarmed. I search the ground for anything we could use as a weapon, coming up empty. My eyes catch on Siveral, battling six ghouls on his own, so Kailu takes off to help his friend. Malakai places himself in front of me, drawing his daggers.
“Take these,” he says, handing one to both Elion and myself. He locks eyes with me. “Do not die.”
“I won’t let anyone take me from you again,” I promise.
With a nod, Malakai races into the fray while Elion and I stay beside the well, surveying the Golden Vale before us. The majority of the fight takes place in this small meadow, on this side of the rickety bridge, but a few soldiers fend off ghouls on the other side. Thirty or so King’s Guard take on the hoard of ghouls, at least a hundred of them. It’s two men who appear human in pitch-black armor that catch my eye. Iclas’s men. Themen he abducted and turned into his soldiers. Every creature, human, and Fae here fighting for him is linked together, working with a hive-like mentality. I can see it now, how they all move in sync without needing to look or speak. A perfect weapon.
If we can find the queen bee, the worker bees will fall apart.
Iclas wouldn’t dare be here himself; he’s too conniving and manipulative to walk into chaos. But he could put someone in charge in his stead, controlling the leader from afar.
