The featureless face, however, was pure nightmare fuel.
A dim ray of sunlight glinted off his skull as he…sniffedme. My muscles, no longer twitching, tensed up as white dust clouds drifted overhead. The churning colors of his eyes bled together.
Essence swelled as I shoved my hands against his chest—
Multiple things happened at once. The contact of my skin against his sent an intense charge of energy coursing through me, flattening me as a flash of crackling light bloomed. His hiss scorched the air, and he rose several feet into it.
Static dancing over my skin, I shot to my feet. The Ancient straightened as he lowered himself to the ground. I was nothing but pure instinct as I summoned the eather. No longer chained, it responded in a heated rush, spiraling down my right arm as I lifted it—
He was right in front of me, catching my arm by the wrist. The contact sent a rush of energy over my skin, lifting the tiny hairs on my arms as his other hand clamped down on my throat. Fingers dug into the delicate column as he lifted me until my feet dangled in the air, several feet above the ground. I gripped the forearm of the hand at my neck, ignoring another surge of tingling energy as I stamped out the spark of fear threatening to ignite. It would be far too easy for him to crush my throat, and I knew giving in to my panic wouldn’t help. I’d been in more precarious positions—okay, maybe not more precarious than this, but I could hold my own. And I—
Kha thren loru?
My eyes widened at the rough whisper. His lips hadn’t moved, but I’d heard him speak. Even more shocking was howthe words spoken in an unfamiliar language suddenly made sense.
What are you?
“You’re askingmethat?” I forced out in a scratchy rasp.
His lips moved this time, and when he spoke, my insides turned cold. “Asking…me…?” He spoke each syllable slowly and deliberately, his voice reverberating with…
Whispers.
A shiver of dread curled down my spine. There were faintwhispersunder each word. Or in them.
I wanted to be far, far away from that sound. From him.
“What are…you?” he asked.
Swinging my legs up, I kicked out with every ounce of strength I had, ramming both feet into his chest. The impact rattled the bones of my legs and hips, but the Ancient…
He didn’t budge. Not even an inch. Nor did he grunt. That kick would’ve caved in a mortal’s chest.
The Ancient looked down at my feet, still planted against his chest, and then raised his gaze. Swirling eyes locked onto mine.
My chest hollowed out as I smiled weakly. “Sorry?”
His head cocked to the side, the taut skin at the corners of his eyes creasing. I didn’t even see his arm move. I only felt the brutal swipe of his forearm against my legs, knocking them down.
Oh, that would leave a bruise.
The Ancient jerked me toward him, my legs dangling like one of those creepy dolls with a porcelain head but nothing but cotton and wool for limbs. His head lowered, and he breathed in deeply.
Was he…sniffingme again?
Tilting his head, the bridge of his nose grazed the underside of my jaw, sending a shudder of revulsion through me as he inhaled once more.
“For the love of the gods.” I swung my arm around, hand closed into a fist. “Stop smelling me!”
He caught my wrist without even looking at me.
Oh, shit.
A loud boom sounded not too far off, and the sensation of being thrust downward froze my heart. I landed hard, the back of my head cracking off the ground.
The realm disappeared for a moment, and then everything was a flashing, intense white. I blinked rapidly, trying to clear the starbursts as I lay there, my brain feeling scrambled. Sensation was slow to return, starting with a dull ache in my back and moving downward—
The Ancient’s bony fingers dug into my throat, pressing the fragile bones there. I could feel them start to crack, to give way.
