Page 2 of Forging Darkness

Turning my head, I’m face-to-face with a black and white Great Dane snuggled up against me. Its hind legs stretch over my hip and waist, and its tongue lolls on my pillow. A drool stain the size of the massive dog’s head spreads across the pillowcase.

Nasty.

I’m gonna kill Tinkle. The idiot likes to shift into large animals and cuddle with me at night.

My pillow buzzes. I reach underneath it and grab my cell—the first phone I’ve ever had. Aside from the occasional group text, and the random gifs Sterling likes to send me, I hardly ever use it. It’s basically a glorified alarm clock.

The screen lights up with one word: Unknown.

My heart starts to beat double-time. This is the fifth unknown call this month. Most of them have come through in the early morning or middle of the night. When I answer, I’m only ever met with silence—total serial killer stuff—but my gut tells me who is on the other line.

Maneuvering out from under the dog sprawled across my comforter, I pad to the bathroom, making sure Ash is still asleep. She’s a lump under the covers, slowly inflating and deflating with her even breaths. Only a few clusters of ringlets peek out from under her blankets.

Shutting the door as gently as possible, I scurry to the far end of the small room, anxious to answer the call before my voicemail picks up.

I hit the green button on the screen and hold it to my ear for several ticks before saying anything.

“Hello?” The word passes my lips as barely more than a whisper.

As usual, I’m greeted by silence.

My stomach bottoms out in disappointment.

Is he ever going to talk to me? If not, why does he even bother calling?

I slide down the wall until my butt settles on the chilled tiled floor, pulling my knees to my chest.

“Steel?”

I know it’s him. I haven’t told anyone about these calls, mostly because there’s nothing to tell since he never talks. Also, I don’t want to explain how I know it’s him. With every call, there’s a tug on my heart that only ever happens when he’s around.

Audible breathing on the other end of the line should probably be creepy, but it’s not. It’s a connection to Steel I’m desperate to hang on to. The last two months he’s been gone have been . . . hard.

I’ll only admit it to myself, and under duress I’ll deny it to my dying breath, but I miss him.

The frustrating part is that I can’t put my finger on what exactly I miss. Steel was a grade-A jerk to me ninety-five percent of the time. He pushed me and aggravated me and didn’t let me get away with anything. He never took it easy when we trained, and the tender moments we shared were few and far between. But since he left, I feel the hollowness inside more acutely. I’m over trying to figure out why.

My grip on the phone goes white-knuckle as the silence continues.

“If you’re not going to talk to me, please check in with your family. They’re worried sick about you.”

His parents and siblings haven’t heard from him since the day he rode off. The youngest twins seem to be taking Steel’s absence the hardest. They’ve practically adopted me as a surrogate sibling. I’ve even found them hiding in my dorm room a few times. They claimed they were making sure I hadn’t been devoured by monsters, but I knew better. They missed their older brother and were looking for some sort of connection to him. Unfortunately, they weren’t going to get what they needed fighting the dust bunnies under my bed.

Even though Steel and I had buried the hatchet—kinda . . . sorta—he probably wouldn’t be okay with them seeking me out. When it comes to his siblings, his protective instincts run deep, and who’s to say I don’t still have a target on my back?

“Steel, at least tell me if you’re okay,” I say. I don’t hold out much hope that he’ll respond, so when he does, my heart stutters.

“Em . . . I found her.”

I stop breathing.

There’s no mistaking who he’s talking about: Silver, his twin sister, thought to be deceased up until we learned she orchestrated the youngest Durands’ kidnapping to lure me into a trap. It didn’t work, but it was a close call. I still don’t know what the Forsaken want with me, but if the Nephilim from Seraph Academy hadn’t tracked us down that day, I have no doubt I’d be dead now.

Steel has been hunting her since the day he found out she was alive.

My lungs start to burn, reminding me I need oxygen. I drag in a ragged breath. “Tell me where you are, Steel. I’ll talk to Sable and she’ll send help. Please don’t do this alone.”

Steady, Emberly. He spooks easily.

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