“Okay.” I spun in a slow circle. “What now?”
7
HOOK
The bed beside me was empty. I knew it before I reached out and laid my hand on the cold pillowcase, but that crushing disappointment didn’t hold a candle to the emptiness consuming me from the inside out.
That clawing nothingness was what dragged me from my tortured dreams and into my new nightmare. It was the same force that had me sitting up in bed with my heart lumbering against the growing ache in my chest.
She was gone.
And what did I find resting on the nightstand? The bracelet I’d given her, with live wards burned into the copper alloy to protect her. Not only had she taken it off, but she’d left it where I would see it.
A clear message.
“Damn her,” I growled. I hauled myself out of bed, slipped into my pants, and flashed to the island.
Following the trail of her magic—my magic—was easy enough, but it amounted to a pointless exercise in torture. I knew I wouldn’t find her standing on the beach, that much wasobvious from the hollowness inside me. Our connection had been severed, which meant she wasn’t in the Nassa any longer.
Foamy waves crept up the sand where remnants of her boot prints still lingered. I hadn’t missed her by much, but whether it was by an inch or a mile, she was still gone.
I sank down to the sand, rested my elbows on my knees, and stared out across the water. I’d known it was coming, and I’d known it would hurt. Never wasn’t the kind of woman who would let the world burn if she could do something to stop it. But damned if some foolish part of me hadn’t been hoping our connection would survive the distance.
“Looking for your girlfriend?” The voice was all too familiar, and I shot to my bare feet, spinning to face her.
“Keep your distance, pixie,” I growled. I wasn’t in the mood to deal with anyone, let alone a monster like her.
She held her hands up. “It was just a question, Atlas.” Her voice dripped with poisonous honey. “I thought it was strange that you would let your latest obsession run off with anyone, let alone a guy who looked like death.”
As if I’d had a choice in the matter. I would be lying if I said I hadn’t considered chaining Never up and holding her here with me the moment I’d sensed what she was planning. I’d even entertained the thought briefly.
She was mine, dammit.
The only thing that had stopped me was the knowledge that holding her here against her will would destroy the trust we had both worked so hard to build.
I was so fixated on Never that it took a long moment for the rest of Anya’s words to sink in.
“Death?” I had assumed Never would summon Nerebis to take her to the Alius, but perhaps she didn’t know how. Or perhaps she’d summoned someone else altogether.
The devil pixie smirked. “Black cloak, big scary scythe? Yeah, I saw him.”
Tenebris.My heart rate picked up, and I found myself quite suddenly caught between fury and worry. I knew powerful forces had been looking for her, but for Tenebris to escort a soul himself? That was rare.
Was she truly such a threat?
“Oh, you sweet fool. You are positively shaking,” Anya cooed, taking obvious delight in my misery.
A rush of power welled up inside me, and before I fully grasped what I was doing, I had her pinned against a rough boulder by her treacherous neck. “Silence, Anya,” I demanded, letting the full force of my magic drive the command home.
She withered in my grip, shrinking back against the rough bark even as her peridot nails clawed at my skin. “Please,” she croaked. “You’re hurting me.”
As if I would make the mistake of granting her even an ounce of mercy ever again. “I thought you enjoyed pain,” I said, slipping into a cruel calm I hadn’t felt in ages. I eased my grip just enough to allow her to draw breath.
Anya’s glittery brow creased, and she gave her head a tiny nod. It was likely all the movement she could manage with the grip I had on her throat.
“Do you want more?” I demanded, bringing my face just two inches from hers.
Her green eyes danced, but for the life of me, I couldn’t tell whether it was fear, amusement, or arousal that was animating them. She always did like to play rough.
