Over water, over the soft hum of the sleepy little city in which Dalziel’s castle resides, through forests and over gently worn paths to the sweeping hills that dip into long valleys that I call home. Death brings me back.
My feet land on cobblestones. My rambling thoughts springing back to me as my body pieces back together, one granule at a time. The smell of smoke is the first thing to punch through my senses. I cough into my palm, wishing this dress had enough material to cover my face.
Hands grip my shoulders, spinning me around. On instinct, I shove my fist into the waiting hard muscles of Carver’s abs. He hisses out a breath and grunts.
“Violence?” My name is no more than a wheeze.
“Shit! Carver. I’m so sorry!” I throw my hands around his neck, pulling him tightly against me. His returned hug is gentle, his hands respectfully centered.
Over his shoulder, a shadowed figure emerges. Red hair is braided down her back, and oversized black trousers and gray shirt are secured against her thin body by a belt. Cameron dusts off her arms with a shudder.
“Damn, that was a hard landing for me.” She squints through the smoke.
“Where is he keeping you?” Carver whispers into my hair.
“I was in the Court of Winds, but that’s not where he is keeping me.”
“Keeping us.” Cameron shakes a finger in our direction, casually slipping her hands into her pockets as she comes to stand at our side.
“Glad to see you alive, Witch.” I raise a brow.
“I’m not so easy to kill. Trust me. Many have tried.”
“Is it because of yourlovelypersonality?” Carver holds me at arm’s length but sends Cameron a dirty look before ignoring her. “The Court of Winds?” Lavender eyes scan me head to toe.
I stare down at my slippered feet. “Merrick is trying to marry me to Prince Dalziel.”
“He is doingwhatnow?” A terrifying, booming voice growls behind Carver. Carver looks me over once more but steps away as Nollix comes barreling forward through the thick haze.
Muscular arms hook around my waist, pulling me up off my feet. For once, my head is clear, at least clear from heavy sedatives, not so much my ever-racing thoughts. I struggle for air around the corset top while Nollix cradles my head into his neck. He pulls away, attention dancing from the crown to my chest to my eyes and then my lips.
“I’m going to kiss you,” he says with a husky breath.
“I just threw up,” I whisper between us.
“I don’t fucking care.” He seals his lips to mine, kissing me feverishly until my toes curl in my slippers.
Carver clears his throat. I’m the one that breaks away, not Nollix. My heart pounds inside my chest. Nollix doesn't let me go, and my toes hover against the ground.
“What was that for?” I wave a hand between us, trying to clear away the smoke.
“So you know—”
“Hate to break up the convo, lovebirds, but we have a job to do, and I’m hungry.” Jeriko’s form slithers from fog and ash. She flips her long braids over her shoulders and pushes her way through Nollix and Carver. Jeriko comes to a sudden stop as Nollix’s hand wraps around her wrist.
“I’m going to kill you for what you’ve done,” he manages to say through his teeth.
Jeriko stands under the scrutiny of his glare far better than anyone else I know. The black scars that litter her skin sparkle as light cuts through the haze. “Do you trust me?” She says the words so quietly, I’m not sure that I’ve heard her right.
“I used to.” Nollix looks around her.
The moment it hits us, what little conversation we’d started comes to a very quick end. There’s a soul. No...
A static sensation races up my spine.I want... I want... I want...
The memory of a soul’s taste lingers on my tongue. My entire being quakes with the need to devour.One slender sparkling form passes.
“Mine.” Jeriko growls and shoots forward. Her shoulder collides with mine, sending me staggering a step.
