Page 128 of Bound By Roses

“Quinn?” A voice I know so well sounds from behind me, and I whip around to face it. I don’t give a fuck that my back is to my enemy. Not when it’s Abby on her knees in the dirt.

I close the space between us in what feels like a single heartbeat and drop to the ground beside her, taking her face in my hands and searching her gaze. “Are you hurt?” Gods, she’s covered in blood. Her hair is still wet with it and red smears her face as if she tried to wipe herself clean.

“It’s not my blood.”

Even in this moment, with our enemy mere steps away, pride swells in my chest at the fighter she’s become. This strong, beautiful woman with more kindness filling her heart than anyone else I know put her values aside and did what she had to tonight. To survive. And still she’s here. The same beacon of light that pierces the darkness and reaches me, even when I’m in the depths of despair.

Before I can speak, her voice flits through my mind.‘Ty’s alive. He’s going for help.’

Void’s shadows didn’t kill him. He’d moved us before Ty could reach him, which means that—just maybe—he can be hurt.‘We just might make it out of this.’

‘Arabella?’

‘Alive.’But for how long? The Spider said the only reason to incapacitate a weaver is if fate is already set in a way that guarantees your victory. Arabella said this is the wrong path, so why let her live? They must still need her.

Soft footsteps sound from behind me, and I don’t think it’s the dirt that muffles them. I turn, ready to put myself between him and Abby, but find his hands already raised in a show of submission.

“Hello, Abby,” he says with what can almost be described as a shy wave. “It’s nice to see you again. In person.” So he really has been tormenting her in her dreams.

“You look different,” she says, jumping to her feet and palming a dagger. Her grip is too tight, so I brush against our bond in a silent reminder not to let fear rule her.

He shrugs. “Time works differently where I’m from.”

“And where is that, exactly?”

The only answer he gives her is a sinister smile that I wish I could knock clean off his face. But if my sword did nothing, what good are my fists?

“What do you want?” I ask. I channel my rage through the words and hope it masks what I’m really feeling.Hope. Ty needs all the time we can give him.

“What I always want. Just to talk.”

Good.

“You’ve done enough of that,” Abby snaps, taking a step forward and raising her blade.

Not good.I snatch her empty hand in mine and hold her in place at my side. ‘Let him talk.’

‘What?’The word is little more than a hiss.

‘Trust me. We can’t fight him like this.’

She relaxes, but only slightly, and Void takes that as a sign to continue. “We’re the same, you and I.”

“I am nothing like you.” The anger permeating off her is almost tangible and I can’t tell if it’s because of his words or because I’m asking her to hold back.

“Oh, but you are—and you have no idea. That was my mistake. I thought you understood, but I see now that we’ll have to start from the beginning. But first, I’d like your full attention.” His shadows move, forming a thin tendril as it shoots towards me. I raise my hands to block it, but it slips right through them and slams into my chest.

Or, it tries to.

Light erupts from the rose Abby’s power branded there, forming a shield and forcing the shadows back. Each time it stabs for me, a flash of light cuts through the night and chases the tendril away. Void hisses with each attempt, either in pain or anger. “Interesting,” he says, though his tone isn’t amused. “You can just sit quietly then.”

My shadow moves this time, wrapping around my legs, my arms, and then eventually forcing its way into my mouth. I can breathe, but when I try to speak, no sound comes out.

“Stop it!” Abby shouts beside me, though her words are distorted by the shadow restraining me.

‘I’m okay. Keep him talking.’I’m not even sure if she heard me.

“Relax,” Void says with a roll of his eyes. He seems to grow impatient. “It seems I can’t kill him, either.”

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