Page 36 of Forging Darkness

In the blink of an eye, she snatches the arm shoved against her neck. Drawing both feet up, she kicks them out into Steel’s stomach.

He’s been trained to take punches, but Steel lets up just enough for her to slip out of his grasp. Steel and Sterling lunge for her, but she disappears.

“She phased. I’m going after her.” Sterling vanishes before the word “wait” can form on my lips. Steel is still with me.

“It’s got to be a trap,” I say.

Steel stares at the place Silver just stood. His knuckles bleach of color, especially the hand clutching the dagger. He’s going to leave an indent on the handle.

Lifting his head, he looks at me and simply says “I know,” then phases into the spectrum world after them.

Chapter Twelve

The air huffing out of my mouth fogs in front of my face. Snowflakes drift from the sky, getting stuck in my eyelashes. Indecision rides me. Hard.

Phase into the spectrum world, or search for help?

The choice gets taken from me a moment later when Sterling pops back into the mortal world, his shoulder a mess of mangled flesh. I spot muscle peeling back from bone.

He falls to his knees just as I reach his side. Blood streams from his lips and pools on the damp pavement.

“What happened?” He couldn’t have been gone more than a minute.

He coughs and a glob of blood lands at my feet, splashing over Ash’s boots. That’s not good. Internal damage?

Throwing his non-injured arm over my shoulders, I force him to his feet. We stumble-walk to the club door.

I have to find someone. Sterling needs immediate help. I don’t have anything to press to his wound to stanch the flow.

Grasping the cold metal handle, I throw open the door and drag Sterling through, not even sure if he’s conscious anymore.

The bass is as loud as before, but the long hallway muffles the sound a bit.

I have to find one of the others.

Setting Sterling down and propping him against the wall, I seriously consider yanking off my dress to tie around his shoulder. I probably won’t get very far in my search for the other angel-borns if I’m running around in my underwear though.

I’m about to set off when Sterling’s head rolls back. Pain glazes his half-closed eyes as blood continues to dribble from his mouth. His lips move, but I can’t make out the words over the pump of the music and rasp in his voice. I lean in, placing my ear only inches from his face.

“They’ll kill him,” Sterling croaks.

Steel.

His words stab my heart. I cast a panicked glance at the closed door.

“Go.” The urgency in Sterling’s voice is real, but I can’t go after Steel right now. If I don’t find help, there’s a real chance Sterling could bleed out.

Using his uninjured arm, Sterling tries to push me back toward the alley. His movements are sloppy and lacking in strength.

Standing, I turn to the dance floor and see Ash and Greyson shove through the crowd, a trail of pixie dust behind them. Seeing us, Ash’s eyes saucer and Greyson’s mouth opens. It’s half a beat before they’re running down the hall to us.

“Help him!” I shout over the music before pivoting on my heel and busting through the back door again. Grabbing hold of my panic, I let it wash over me and sweep me into the spectrum world.

Two steps out of the door and I’ve phased into a war zone.

Forsaken. Are. Everywhere.

There have to be at least three dozen. The bulk of them congregate down the alley in what looks like a mosh pit.

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