Page 163 of The Dawn of the Cursed Queen

I did, and she stepped back, creating distance between us. She glared up at me as if I were a threat, and it gutted me. I realized how thoroughly I’d fucked up. I should have stayed and talked instead of leaving her, but I had a reason, a purpose, and something I needed to collect before we moved forward.

“I apologize for sending you away. A lot happened and . . .” I stopped. I couldn’t tell her, not here, not like this. “Just come with me. Please. There is something I need your help with.”

She folded her arms tight to her body. “No.”

“No?” My brow lifted.

“No. I’m taking a play out of your book. Maybe I should disappear for a few days. Maybe visit a sex house too? I hear threesomes are great for heartbreak. Oh, wait. I can’t because the fucking universe is hunting me, and what—”

Her words died as soon as I advanced on her. I crouched, wrapped my arms around her thighs, and tossed her over my shoulder. She yelped, her hands digging into my back as she thrashed.

“Put me down.” She tried to kick her legs, but I tightened my hold on them.

“No.”

“You smell like rancid wine and sex,” she hissed, punching at my shoulder. “What, did you leave to get drunk and get your cock sucked?”

“To be quite clear, I was at a brothel.”

“I knew it!” Her scream was damn near demonic as she clawed at my shoulder. “Put me down! I’m going to kill you. You won’t have to worry about Nismera finding you.”

“Would you stop biting me?” I adjusted her on my shoulder. “It was not for sex. I went to visit an old friend who is in hiding. He can make . . . things.”

She removed her teeth from my back. “What the fuck does that mean?”

“You’ll see.”

I moved my arm in a slight circle, my side aching as I pulled on my power. The air split on a whisper, sending dust and trash skipping over the ground. Dianna grumbled and bit me again, but we were already in the portal and gone.

SIXTY-SIX

DIANNA

My feet hit the ground as Samkiel lowered me from his shoulder. I stepped away from him without saying anything. The swirling portal closed behind us, and I looked around. We were in what looked like an abandoned city. Halfdestroyed buildings and crumbling infrastructure rose from the center, and a large, cathedral-style structure glared at us from a few miles up.

Samkiel stepped past me, staring at the skyline and the ground as if listening for something. The cobblestone road was fractured, parts of stone standing up in jagged patterns as if something beneath it had moved so fast it busted the infrastructure below.

“What are we doing here? What is this place?”

Samkiel stopped and glared down a narrow street, but I only saw more abandoned and destroyed buildings. “An old place where we once gathered for ceremonies. It was at the center of the Netherworld. Great kings and queens would travel from all over. It doesn’t look like much now after Nismera’s rule, but it once was beautiful.”

I looked out over the dark, empty city but couldn’t see it, not with how worn down it was. “Oh? Did you come to a lot of ceremonies here?”

Samkiel stopped and motioned for me to be quiet. I rolled my eyes but didn’t speak. He continued down the road, and I followed him with a sigh.

“Are we not going to talk about anything?” I asked, my tone irritated.

He spun toward me, placing his finger to his lips.

I threw up my arms. “There isn’t anything here. I didn’t even hear a heartbeat besides ours.”

“Dianna,” he hissed, crouching to peek around a corner before tossing me a glance. “Hush.”

My lips formed a thin line, and I shook my head. I crossed my arms and stood behind him, tapping my foot. He rose to his full height before dipping through a low doorway. I followed him into the small half-collapsed building, not needing to duck. A small web hit me in the face, and I spun, ripping at it as I grew more frustrated. My hands scratched at each other as I tossed the slick material to the ground.

Samkiel’s eyes blazed into mine. “Dianna. Shush.”

Fire lit my hands, the blaze hot enough to burn steel as I glared at him. “I swear to gods, Samkiel, if you shush me one more time . . .”

---