Page 82 of Fated In Ruin
“Like I could ever trust you.”
“Then be my guest and trust the creatures your father and uncles have become; they seem so much more trustworthy.”
His shoulders sank, everything about him going limp. “No,” he whispered, “I don’t trust them, any more than you.”
“Then you’re smarter than you look. Now, tell me when the next patrol will pass by, and how to avoid them.”
Shadows curled at my fingertips, tendrils of glamour that slithered between darkness and wove a shield around us as we edged out of the cell out into the corridor beyond, where the stale scent of decay and despair was stronger.
Outside, except for a few pairs of guards along the perimeter, the compound was empty, and we picked up the pace, my strength slowly building, my footing surer as we headed for the tree line.
Virgil remained quiet, his clumsy feet shuffling through dirt, then grass as we crossed the area between the outbuildings, then the grounds themselves, draining my already depleted strength as we crossed hallowed ground.
On the far side of the compound, groups of males in all black were checking weapons, talking in low, excited voices, the practiced actions of well-trained soldiers before a mission. I picked up the pace.
As luck would have it, we ran across two guards smoking in a darkest corner of the yard, their backs turned, laughing at something crude on their phones. My fingers curled, calling up more glamour. A thin wisp of shimmering magic snaked forward, wrapping around the throat of the nearest man. He choked, eyes bulging, his hands clawing at the air as I snapped his neck. The other male dropped his cigarette, then I snared him, too.
In minutes, I’d drank them both dry while Virgil panted in fear, then we stepped over the perimeter, and disappeared into the woods.
I drank freedom in greedily, the sky a vast, open expanse above me. But there was no relief—not yet. Not until I knew Evangeline was safe.
Outside the compound, I sensed her pull as strong as the tide, as undeniable as the blood racing through my veins. She did not realize danger slithered toward her tonight.
But when Ravok arrived at Crimson House, I would be there to face him. He would not take her, he would not lay a fucking finger on her.
I would die before I let that happen.
“Is this where you kill me?” Virgil asked quietly, as if he’d resigned himself to this fate and not allowed himself to expect any other outcome. He tipped his chin up, reminding me of Evie. “Do me a favor. Make it fast, will you?”
“I keep my word,” I bared my fangs, “Even if it is to a human whose family has hunted my kind for centuries. I only have one favor to ask.” I gripped his arm tight enough to bruise. “Do not vomit on me.”
I forced my still-healing body forward, dematerializing us both into the dark, toward the only thing that mattered.
Toward her.
35
EVANGELINE
We worked through the night, until the birds started chirping, and the pitch darkness gave way to the pink of morning. I could barely raise my arms one more time, my phantom flames twining obediently around my hands and fingers.
My body was limp with exhaustion, but I was ecstatic.
Blake was no longer up in the window watching, and I wasn’t sure when he’d left.
The wind carried away the last of the spent magic when Fiona and I crossed the threshold of Crimson House. Two months ago, I’d stepped into this house for the first time. Now, this place felt like home.
And I finally felt like I was making progress.
“I expected there to be more…preparations going on.” I frowned down the empty hall. “Maybe they’re waiting out front?”
Even after our lesson, my power had been slowly growing all morning, until my magic felt like a living thing, begging to be set free. Every cast of power was like letting steam off a kettle, releasing enough pressure so I didn’t explode.
But all I could think of was Malachi’s face, his blood on my fingertips. The blood I could still taste.Still smell.Now Iwantedto face Ravok again.
I wanted to make him pay for his sins—I wantedhimto fucking atone.
I might not be able to control my magic completely, but I had tamed this power enough to breathe. And now, I was ready to find Riordan and Blake and get to Malachi before it was too late.
