Page 20 of Tangle of Lust and Lethargy

I drew a deep breath, steeling myself for what was to come. “Then we’d better?—”

A bone-chilling screech that seemed to shake the foundations of the building cut my words short. Justice rushed back to the window. His pale face lost what little color it had at whatever he saw.

“Sawyer,” he uttered, his calm cracking. “You need to see this.”

With my heart pounding, I joined him at the window. What I saw made my blood run cold. The sky had darkened to an unnatural twilight, and a massive winged shape was rapidly approaching on the horizon. Even from this distance, I made out gleaming scales as black as midnight and eyes glowing with an unholy fire.

“Maci,” Garrick hissed. “She’s found us.”

As the shadow dragon drew nearer, a chilling realization struck me. We were out of time. The Whispering Wastes suddenly seemed like a welcome alternative to the terror bearing down upon us. With Damon incapacitated and Zara passed out from exhaustion, our safe haven had been compromised.

My gaze met Justice’s in a moment of shared understanding and fear. His hand found mine, cool and strong, grounding me in the chaos. I squeezed it, drawing strength from his touch.

“We need to do something,” I insisted, my voice steadier than I felt. “Now.”

Justice nodded, his jaw set with determination. “Together,” he agreed softly.

Maci’s roar shook the air around us. We had to draw her and the demons away from the hut. Why did Damon choose this time to indulge in an Unseelie elixir?

I wouldn’t lose him or Zara like I did Brody.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

The floor trembled as another ear-splitting screech tore through the air. My heart hammered, and I tasted copper on my tongue. Garrick bolted for the back exit, his movements a blur of desperation.

A flash of déjà vu hit me. This was McDuff Manor all over again. My fingers latched onto Garrick’s sleeve. “Damon and Zara,” I managed, fear constricting my throat.

Garrick turned a hard-as-flint look on me. “The wards won’t hold forever. We linger, we’re trapped.”

Maggie materialized behind us, her expression worried. “They’re almost here.”

“Time’s up,” Garrick hissed through clenched teeth. His gaze darted to Justice. “Think you can outpace a shadow dragon?”

Justice’s lips thinned, his pale features set with grim determination. “Guess we’ll find out. Link up, now.”

The atmosphere congealed around us as the four of us huddled near the door, fingers interlocking with white-knuckled grips. The rhythmic thrum of massive wings pulsed through the air, beating a countdown to our doom.

Garrick cocked his head, his gaze unfocused as if listening to a distant call. “Beyond this threshold lie the Whispering Wastes,” he murmured.

A deafening roar ripped through the house, rattling windows and shaking dust from the rafters. Damon’s thunderous snore cut through the chaos, a jarring reminder of his oblivious state.

Justice’s jaw clenched, the muscles in his neck straining. His eyes blazed with urgency. “Enough waiting. Open it. Now.”

With a swift motion, Garrick wrenched the door open. A gust of air rushed in, carrying whispers that tickled the edge of comprehension. As the chill seeped into our bones, Justice surged forward, dragging me into his slipstream.

The world dissolved into a swirling smear of colors and sensations. My stomach lurched, struggling to keep pace with our supernatural flight. The Whispering Wastes unfurled before us, a nightmare landscape rushing past in a blur of muted hues and half-formed horrors.

My feet played tag with the ground, touching down in quick, teasing moments. Justice’s fingers interlaced with mine. On my other side, Garrick’s unyielding grasp sent tremors coursing up to my shoulder. Trapped between them, I felt like a prisoner, shackled by their unyielding grasps.

Hang-on-hang-on-hang-on.

I mumbled the mantra over and over in a desperate prayer. My skin crawled at the thought of the sloth demons’ touch. Their mere presence sent icy tendrils of dread coiling in my stomach.

I could almost feel the demons’ glacial fingers reaching for me, threatening to freeze me in place for all eternity. My muscles bunched, ready to bolt at the slightest provocation, though Justice and Garrick’s grip kept me tethered to our desperate escape.

The Whispering Wastes stretched before us, a nightmarish expanse of barren, gray earth. Withered stalks of long-deadplants clawed at the swirling, ashen sky. I stumbled, my feet skimming the ground as Justice’s inhuman speed propelled us forward.

“Trees ahead!” Justice’s voice cut through the rushing wind. In a heartbeat, we plunged into a copse of gnarled, leafless trees.

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