Page 81 of The Daughters of Nyx

Clearly, someone had taken Kerry’s phone off charge, because the cell wasn’t on either bedside table.

My heart stuttered, and the calm was dissipating.Oh, God, they broke in while everyone was asleep. Maisie, Ginny, and Eloise were in the rooms down the hall.

Bile rose in my throat. The only blood I could see belonged to the blonde, so at least I knew that when these assholes had arrived, Kerry at least had made it out of this room alive.

I sucked in a breath and closed my eyes.It doesn’t mean they’re alive anymore, I thought, clutching at my stomach as it churned. I was going to puke.

Calm down, a voice whispered, and my eyes popped open. I looked around, but I was completely alone. Ducking down, I searched beneath the bed, too, but found nothing.

I shook my head.I am going insane.

No,the same voice whispered, making me jump.You are going to survive. Do as I say, my flower, and none will hurt you again.

The calm came over me again.Are you doing this?I asked, not sure if I should expect an answer. Was it my magic doing this? Nyx herself? But I recognised the voice vaguely. Like I’d heard it in my head before.

The voice hummed inside my mind.Go to the door. Take the dagger with you. A soldier will be standing right outside. Plunge it directly into his throat. Silence him immediately so others don’t suspect you’re awake.

Bile rose again in my throat despite the calm. I crawled back to the woman and picked up Maeve’s dagger. Blood pooled around the woman’s body like a dark shadow, soaking into the carpet.

Trembling fingers rose to my lips and I stifled a gasp.Oh, God, I killed her.

You did what you had to in order to survive, my flower, the voice said. I could almost taste the truth in his words, and yet, it didn’t sit right with me. I wasn’t a killer—I wasn’t violent. Yet, I’d plunged a fucking dagger into her stomach without a second thought.

For the first time since I’d been hit by Mr. Johnson, a tear slipped down my cheek.

Let that be the only tear you shed for those who’d stand against you and your claim to Nyx’s throne,the voice said, words tipped with a harshness that made me suck in a breath.You are the true Queen, not the usurper vying for your crown. Make no mistake, my flower, they will sooner see you bleed out than offer you mercy.

I shuddered at his words and nodded.Okay. Guard at door. Stab him in the throat. Then what?

Do that first, you will need your strength.

Swallowing back tears, I rolled my shoulders back and began my crawl to the door. My knees barked with pain, but I chewed the inside of my lip to distract myself.

Silently, I went over the voice’s instructions again and again.Open door. Stab in the throat.I’d need to keep the guard quiet. When he was down, I’d have to leave him inside the bedroom, and close the door on the two dead people.

If these guys don’t kill me, Kerry definitely will, I thought, lips twisting up in a grimace.

Thankfully, the voice didn’t respond. I wasn’t sure I wanted his commentary on my mother.

I strained my ears for anything; voices, breathing,something, but only a deep, impenetrable silence filled the space. It made my heart stutter. Was everything out there so quiet because Thea and my family were already dead?

Thea wouldn’t sit quietly for them, unless she was surrounded by my sisters. That much I could rely on.

I sucked in a calming breath and twisted the lock. It clicked over softly, but in case the guard had hearing better than me, I threw the door open. A man almost a head taller than me turned, his brows furrowed over sharp, angular features. Surprise sparked in his black eyes.

The dagger went into his throat a second later with a force I wasn’t sure belonged to me. Blood spluttered from his lips as he fell, and I grabbed him before he could hit the ground hard. His large body almost encased mine as I dragged him back.

I tried to ignore the blood from his neck soaking down my chest. I tried to ignore his garbled words as he tried to mutter the same bullshit she had.

I tried to ignore his lifeless eyes as I lowered him gently down beside the woman. The dagger was too wet with blood for me to hold, but I wiped it off with the hem of my skirt. The shine of a black Glock caught my eye, and warily, I slipped it from the holster.

Once, when I was sixteen, Thea’s grandmother had taken us to the shooting range. She’d said,‘You’re almost grown up, girls, and I know you’re going to be out of here as soon as possible. So, you should learn how to defend yourselves, just in case. City boys won’t hesitate to hurt you.’

Small town boys hurt me just as much as city boys, but I’d never had the chance to tell her that. She’d passed away not long after she’d taught us how to shoot, and I’d never picked up a gun again. I hated them; hated the weight in my hand, the danger they posed.

The lesson came back in fragments as I kept one eye on the dark hallway. The chamber was fully loaded, and the safety on. I tucked it into the back of my skirt and favoured the dagger more. It was my lifeline, my connection to the team. No longer did my hands shake.

I crept down the hall, keeping to the wall.What now?I asked, and prayed to Nyx he was still there in the back of my mind.

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