Page 19 of Last Ride of the Umbra Fae

The magic slowly churned, its cerulean glow beaming across my face.

“So, what’s the news?” A deep, throaty rasp rumbled beneath a mouth full of meat. Fang sounded like I was interrupting something because it ended with a grunt.

“The ambush went as planned, and we are now on Journey’s Cliff,” I said.

“A small sacrifice for the greater good, rest those poor souls.” No remorse in his words. There was a long pause.

The way he slopped over his mug of wine made me want to puke. When a woman’s soft moan invaded the meeting, a shiver went down my back. I saw a hand move up his chest and link around his neck. Gross.

“And the girl?”

“She’s coming around.”

“How long until you’re in Donia?”

Trying to hide my disgust, I tilted my head from side to side and shrugged. “Less than a week.”

The asshole finally turned his head my way, and those beady little eyes bored into mine.

“Good. I can’t wait to get my hands on her.”

Before he could say another word, I willed the connection to sever, wishing it was the chords to his neck. Within a few breaths, his silhouette wavered into thin air.

“Ryder?” Vessa called, sending another chill down my back, but it swept through my veins like lava.

I played a few downward strokes, plucking each one as if I were tuning the guitar until I gently strummed up.

She walked through the passage faster than I’d expected, and I could see why when she found me standing in the middle of this cavern. The luminance of her ears, freckles, and hands radiated a glow. Not as bright as beneath the moon, but enough for her to quickly stride through. I inhaled a deep breath. That had been too fucking close.

“What are you doing way back here?” Her brow slightly arched.

“Well, ain’t it obvious?” I slyly grinned, emphasizing the next chord.

She laughed, but something caught my eye as it danced across her face. I looked up to find the glowworms casting a brighter light. She tilted her head back, gasping in sheer wonder.

“What are those?” She went into the center of the cavern and covered her mouth with her hands.

They were…gathering on the ceiling right above her head.

“Those are glowworms. Oddly, I think they’re attracted to you,” I observed.

She held her arms out, as if the light itself would wrap around her. She smiled as it danced along her skin like shimmering stars and her body was enveloped in it. Something in her must have seized because her breathing hitched.

“I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s…beautiful,” she said.

“It truly is.” I stood basking in her aura.

She caught my gaze. “Come on. You owe me a story.”

“You won the race.You get to decide whose story will be told. It doesn’t have to be mine if that’s not what you’re after,” I said. We sat in another part of the cave, in a cavern that gave us enough privacy from End’s Wrath. This was the perfect space to see how far I could unravel her.

“A choice?” I saw her chin lift in excitement. It seemed like letting her choose was a good start.

“I heard what Raven said, how your name was carved.” She observed me through a hooded look of curiosity. “Tell me what he meant.”

I scratched the back of my neck. Raven’s knowledge was considerably accurate. I suddenly felt like a mouse in a snake’s den, and the snake was staring right at me.

“You go straight for the punch, don’t you?” An uncomfortable and unexpected laugh escaped me. But I’d give her what she wanted. If telling her my story would pull her under my arm, it was a small sacrifice I could make.

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