Page 19 of Fated Angel

Gabby slips her hand into his. “Time to do a little searching.”

They walk forward, stepping over what’s left of the battlements, eyes and ears sharp. If the shard is here, the cult is here.

Suddenly, Colt jerks Gabby back. She crashes into his arms with a gasp, trying to understand what the threat is.

“Merde,” Colt whispers, drawing her close, not moving.

She clings to him, doing the same as she sees what he does. There’s nowhere to go. Their very surroundings are morphing. Changing.

Behind them, the stone wall soars high, gaining substance as it reaches for the sky. Within a heartbeat, an immovable length stretches as far as Gabby can see. But it’s what’s happening before them that keeps her entranced. Immobile.

The air shimmers, ripples, then seems to sharpen. As if it’s going from blurred to high definition. The vista of an ancient city appears, hazy at first, but then undeniably real. A new horizon forms, punctured by high walls, rounded minarets, and pointed towers. Windows and arches and columns that look like they belong in mythology dot the expanse, creating an architectural panorama that’s as ancient as it is impressive.

Gabby blinks. The Lost City of Ubar just resurrected.

“It’s the power of the obsidian,” Colt says in a low voice. “That’s why the cult chose this location.”

Without such powerful magic, a person wouldn’t be able to see the entire, ancient city stretched over the sand.

Gabby blinks again. And they now have an entire city to search.

“Shite,” Colt growls, suddenly running forward. “Guards.”

She runs with him, now conscious that sounds have joined the sights that just revealed themselves. Voices, dozens of them, all harsh and guttural.

They slam into a wall and press themselves there, listening. Booted feet stomp high above, someone coughs. A fat globule of spit lands a few feet away from Gabby and Colt, but nothing else.

They haven’t been seen.

Gabby rests her cheek against the warm stone that until minutes ago, didn’t exist, letting out a slow breath. They have an entire guarded city to search.

Kill them all, the obsidian hisses.

Gabby pretends the voice didn’t just infect her mind, even as she wonders how easy that will be when the obsidian’s seven shards are reunited. She follows Colt as he creeps along the wall, pushing that thought away along with the voice. They have to get the seventh shard before any of that’s an issue, which makes it a ‘cross that bridge when she gets to it’ issue.

A hand lands on her shoulder, sending her heart shooting straight for the stratosphere. Gabby spins around, celestial fire already flaring around her hands. Colt is by her side in a blink, but they both stop.

“Kenna!” Gabby gasps.

The leader of the Order of the Knightly rose cocks a hip as she angles a brow. “Sorry, couldn’t help myself.”

Gabby quickly realizes Kenna isn’t alone. A young man with unruly blonde curls is next to her. He smiles congenially, as if they aren’t in a lost city, surrounded by enemies, and Kenna didn’t just defibrillate Gabby’s heart. “Good evening.”

“What are you doing here?” Colt hisses.

Kenna glances around. “Not here.” She spins on her heel and hurries away, the young man following her.

With a quick glance at each other, Gabby and Colt aren’t far behind. The vampire huntress was the last person they expected so see out here, in the middle of the Arabian desert.

Kenna takes a sharp right and disappears into an alcove tucked into the stone wall, and Gabby and Colt follow. The moment they’re tucked inside, a pale light flares. The young man smiles at them again as he positions the gently pulsing ball of white above them. Whomever he is, he’s supernatural.

“What are you doing here, Kenna?” Colt repeats, keeping his voice low.

The leader of the Knights shrugs. “Rescue mission.”

For a brief second, Gabby wonders if Kenna’s talking about the final shard of the obsidian. Anger, black and hot, flashes through her.

No one will have that shard but her!

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