Page 40 of Forging Darkness

“Release Ash and Steel first.” Steel’s hold on my shoulder tightens with my words, and he tries to tug me back into him. I want so badly to find comfort in his embrace but I can’t, so instead I break free and stride forward, putting several feet of distance between us. It only helps a little. I can feel Steel at my back like a soothing summer’s breeze. “I’ll agree to your terms, but only when you pull your beasts back so I know Ash and Steel will go free. And you promise to hurt no one else tonight.” Throughout this battle, my mind hasn’t been far from my other friends as well.

Silver brings a hand up to her chest and feigns a look of insult. “Are you saying you don’t trust my word?”

Rather than verbally respond, I narrow my eyes and bare my teeth. Now that I’ve made a decision, I’m ready to be done with this.

She nods her head in Ash’s direction. Silas growls, but shrinks his teeth enough to disengage them from Ash’s throat without doing further damage. Even after he releases her, the rips in her neck weep blood. More than one Forsaken has its eyes fixated on the wounds, a glazed look in their eyes.

“Your turn to offer a boon.”

Time to turn myself in. I take a step forward, but am jerked back two.

“No.” Steel hisses the word in my ear. Silver’s eyes narrow and her hands flex. The claws on the tips of her fingers shine in the iridescent spectrum moonlight. She may act flippant, but she’s one wrong move away from losing it.

Closing my eyes briefly, I settle against Steel.I’ll only steal this single moment of time, I tell myself.

One inhale. Two. Time’s up.

Flaring my wings throws Steel off balance, and his hold on me dissolves. I spare him a glance over my shoulder before marching to my doom.

I consider grabbing him for a goodbye kiss. It seems like the appropriately romantic thing to do, especially when you aren’t sure if you’ll ever see someone again, but honestly, Steel is nasty right now and the thought of licking blood off his lips . . . hard pass.

It’s funny how something can seem so ideal, but the reality of the situation is much grittier than the fantasy. Instead of a kiss, I can only offer Steel a lingering glance filled with longing.

If he’s interested in more than that, he’s going to have to do something about it.

“You said it was easy for you to find me. So prove it.”

Chapter Thirteen

Icome awake with a start, my face smooshed into a silk-covered pillow. I’m never going to get used to waking up in a strange location. The last thing I remember is Silver’s sly smile before I was beaned in the back of the head and knocked unconscious.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I reach back and probe the throbbing spot with my fingers, wincing when they come in contact with a goose egg buried under a layer of hair.

Oh, that smarts.

Sucking up the pain, I force myself to assess the situation. With a groan, I flip and stare at sheer white fabric draped over the corners of petrified wood posts that make up the bed I’m lying in. The tips of each branch reach for the others, creating a center point above my head.

Throwing off the covers, I crawl to the edge of the ginormous bed and slide off the mattress. I notice I’m back in my bandage dress as my bare feet sink into an animal-skin rug—bear head still attached.Sorry, big guy. It’s cold. The air puffing from my lips mists in front of my face before disappearing. I rub my hands over my chilled arms.

I cast a glance around the room and then freeze, my blood turning to sludge in my veins.

The only window in the room is covered with dark stained glass, but there’s a tell-tale shimmer in the air. I release a strong whistle, and the sound drifts on visible currents. Breathing in through my nose, I smell honeysuckle.

I’m still in the spectrum world even though I should have phased back to the mortal world when I lost consciousness.

Unease coils in my gut. The spectrum world means monsters and pain along with the beauty and wonder.

I’m a captive either way, but if I had a choice, I’d pick the mortal world. At least the Fallen don’t exist there. One less enemy to worry about.

I try to phase several times, but something blocks me, reminding me of the orb Silver used to keep the Nephilim out of the spectrum world. After the fourth try, I give up and start checking for a means of escape.

The room I’m in is over-the-top. It looks like it’s outfitted for an ice princess with a nasty vendetta against color. Its furnishings are white with a splash of silver here and there. Bleached white stone lines the walls and floor. There’s a fireplace with an ice-encased log. An oversized high-backed accent chair is placed to the left of the useless hearth. A small table supported by one long spindle leg connected to a round base sits next to it. The only other piece of furniture in the room is a white lacquered armoire pressed up against the wall to my left. Just beyond that is the door.

Bingo.

I tiptoe across the room as if the task requires silence. Grasping the knob, I’m not at all surprised when it doesn’t turn, but I still yank on it several times for good measure.

I press my ear to the flat surface. Nothing.

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