Page 37 of From Frost to Flame

“Promise.”

A blur shot over Lex, and Silas was gone.

“Silas!” He scrambled out of the water and searched the pool for him. To his horror, he spotted Arden pinning Silas face down in the water under his knee. The last time Lex saw Arden’s face, Silas had beaten it in. Now, he was completely healed without so much as a scar.

His gloved hand wrapped around the spine of the arrow that jutted out of Silas’s back and twisted.

Silas thrashed under the water and Arden just laughed. “The Ravenous One was right. He makes you weak.”

“Stop it!” Lex pleaded as he ran over. “She only wants me, right? I’ll go with you. Just please stop.”

Arden gave the arrow another rough twist, then got to his feet, leaving Silas behind. He conjured up a sword with a deep purple blade out of the air. “Good little pet.” He let the tip of his sword scrape along the bottom of the fountain lazily as he strolled over to Lex. “Come along then.”

Lex stopped in his tracks. His eyes flicked from Arden to Silas, who was pushing himself up on trembling arms. He watched as Silas coughed. Black ink spewed from his lips.

“What did you do to him?” Lex had never seen Silas sick or weak in all their years together.I can’t leave him. I have to get back to him.

“He’ll be dead soon. The sentimental idiot jumped in front of the arrows gifted to me by The Ravenous One herself. It dampens healing in werewolves. I was worried about hitting him but turns out you are quite the useful distraction to dogs. Now, I was told to deliver you alive to The Ravenous One’s door, and I like to keep my word. Though I’m not above cutting off a finger or two to get compliance. I’d actually prefer it.”

“Why are you working with her?” Lex asked as he took steps backward and tried to see a way he could get around the prince. “She won’t help you take over anything. She doesn’t bargain, she only consumes.”

Silas collapsed in the distance with a splash. Lex searched for any sign of movement, but his body was still among the ripples.

Please, breathe. Please, get up.

“She helped your boyfriend for years. I don’t see why she can’t help me,” he said with a laugh.

The words sounded so ridiculous that his mind rejected processing them entirely. It was as if Arden spoke pure gibberish.

“Aw, poor thing. Seems Silas didn’t value your life after all. If he did, he wouldn’t have put you right in the path of her wrath. The Ravenous One is so greedy she nearly swallowed the world. She was never going to share her lover.” Arden let out a smug laugh. “Well, you can ask her all about it yourself.” He opened his wings and shot toward him. The water under him bent at his speed.

Lex did the only thing he could think of and sprinted away. Every panicked step reminded him he was infuriatingly human with the compass tethered to his wrist.

I can’t get too far from Silas.

The sound of Arden’s wings and the slicing of water grew louder. Fingertips grazed the hood of his cloak, and he was sure he was caught. But the vise grip never came. Instead, a deafening scream rang out, causing Lex to stumble to a stop. He whirled around, hoping the sound hadn’t come from Silas. His mouth fell open in shock.

A creature he had never seen stood in the pool. It looked like a werewolf, yet he knew it wasn’t. It was similar in shape, but it was far too large. It loomed at twenty feet tall, its eyes were obsidian pools, and its fur was light-eating onyx as if it was clipped from the shadows between stars. Its teeth were matching black daggers. Six long, black tentacles protruded from its back. They were slick cords that thrashed about like angry whips and descended onto Arden, pinning him in the water. The creature lunged forward and bit down on Arden’s frantically flapping wings.

This thing will kill Silas next.Lex sloshed through the pool as fast as he could, searching for Silas.Where are you? Did you drown?

Then, the ground opened.

Cold water enveloped him. Helplessly, he watched the light from the watery surface fade away as he was sucked downward with such force, he was certain he was in a riptide.

He trashed wildly to get back to the air. To the light. To Silas. His lungs burned, and all the terror from his past flooded his mind, drowning out the part of him that knew where or when he was.

Not again. I can’t do this again.

The dark water above him morphed into the water-logged lid of his wooden coffin.

He parted his lips to scream, but mouthfuls of water choked him into agonizing silence.Please! I’m not a monster! Don’t leave me here!

Then, glorious air.

In a splash, the dark water spit him up into the middle murky pond. He sputtered as he took gulps of thick, muggy air. Desperately, he swam through the tangle of lily pads and seaweed that clung to him until he made it to the muddy shore.

After struggling to his feet, he looked around, disoriented. Tall, black rosebushes stretched high above his head and sprawled out as far as he could see. Their white blooms were brown and wilted. He swatted at mosquitos as he stood. He realized the sky above was off. The moon and stars rippled as if made of inky water. “Where in the world am I?”

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