Page 55 of Last Ride of the Umbra Fae

“I guess you’ll have to ask your wife and the rest of your village yourself.” Fang’s grin widened, satisfied to see the truthrake down my spine. A cold lick of sweat swept over me before heat coursed through my body. “The looks on your faces are as priceless as the blood in your veins, but now that I think of it, seeing your people die still takes the cake.”

There was nothing more to lose as we stood before the one who betrayed us.

Pa stalked forward, staking claim as he challenged Fang to a duel. The air was charged as the two faced off. Fang’s fingers twitched as they hovered above the holster while the other hand churned with power. I’d seen Pa in many showdowns but none that would avenge the years of grief and pent of rage we’d endured. The darkest shadows spun around his fingertips. I knew only one man would leave this room standing, and as Pa cracked his neck and squared his shoulders, my bet was on him. I felt his power surge. There was nothing that could quell the loss, only the vacant look in Pa’s moonlit eyes as End’s Wrath fully awakened.

I backed away, but Pa looked straight ahead with words that would forever haunt me. “Whatever you do, Vessa. Never look back.”

I paused, not realizing the effect it had on me until tears lined my lashes. The ground shook once more, causing the walls behind Fang to swell with water. Pa refused to look at me, but I caught sight of the anger brimming in his eyes as silence hung between us.

“Go,” he said, jaw fluttering as he darted a glance at Ryder, giving him a nod. I felt Ryder’s firm hold on my bicep as he pulled me away. I nearly stumbled, but my eyes remained on Pa, always on Pa, until the wall broke free behind Fang and he siphoned every drop to bend around him. Another quake shook the ground, and Pa sealed himself in. The rubble became an impenetrable wall as his silhouette disappeared into a cloud ofdust. We were back in the foyer, a room of ruin, save for the few statues of faces and limbs that had survived his wrath.

“I didn’t know Fang was responsible,” Ryder said, full of devastation.

Shock still consumed me as his words echoed. There was no time to process anything.

The sound of muscles and bones meshing together made me turn. I caught sight of a limb being torn off a man as Raven so effortlessly ripped it from its socket. His shirt was torn, exposing his left pectoral. His hair disheveled as the muscles in his forearms glistened beneath a fresh layer of blood. Somewhere amidst the chaos, he’d lost his hat, exposing a sliver of pointed ears. He was in his element. Blood coated his lips and the tip of his nose. I felt like I was seeing how he hunted for the first time but as a blood-lusted fae. As I looked behind him into the city, plumes of smoke rose from homes and buildings. The smell of gunpowder filled the air while shots rang out in the distance. My lips parted slightly, unable to grasp what was unfolding before my eyes.

“This can’t be,” I murmured, taking a few more steps toward the chaos. I saw Elemental Fae with no more chains of glamor. There were more pointed ears and powers than I had seen in years, and they were fighting back. “How?” I whispered.

“Apparently, we started a revolt against Fang’s reign. They kept saying, ‘The Umbra is here,’” Raven said.

I looked over my shoulder at the wall, knowing Pa was getting revenge on the other side. Raven placed knowing hands onto my shoulders, dragging his thumbs in comfort. Anger swept down Ryder’s spine, ricocheting through the bond where I’d shut him out. I could tie off the threads that bound us all I wanted, but the truth was, that shimmering light would keep bleeding through the cracks toward him.

“I told you your day would come. Now, what do you need?” Raven said, searching my eyes; my bond with him was different. Before I allowed my thoughts to roam over how the fuckthiswould work, I cleared my throat and took a deep breath.

“We need to find where Fang is holding the stone,” I said, turning my attention toward the long-haired, brute cowboy who still elicited a burning desire in me. I stabbed a finger into his chest. Ryder grinned in response, sensing the effect it brought. “And you’re the asshole who’s going to take me to it.”

The soundof a civil war muffled the cries of the Eternal stone. Between Ryder and me, I knew we would somehow find the way. He led us down a narrow hall that veined east of Fang’s palace. The muscles in Ryder’s neck and forearms pulled taut as he walked the halls. An awkward silence loomed while emotions from the three of us were left to fester. I didn’t realize how deep in thought we had all been until Ryder spoke.

“So are we going to talk about why Raven has a mouth rimmed with blood, or is it going to be something we never mention?”

I growled, quickening my pace as the sounds of gunfire faded behind us. I listened for the hum that felt like unspoken words, waiting for the gentle flutter along my arms to pull me into the Eternal’s unseen path. Whether it was fate or the stone itself, I listened. Ryder scratched the scruff of his beard as we came to a halt.

“Wait,” he said. I quickly turned, slamming my brows together, not realizing I had stepped into his space. “It won’t be long until more of Fang’s lawmen come after us. I know the stone could be in two areas, but we don’t have time to searchboth.” He looked down, searching my eyes as he pressed a hand on my arm—a plea in his gaze. With a subtle nod, I let him in. His end of the bond broke through those barriers, putting my thoughts at ease. I felt him, his voice, his aura, smooth and sultry as those piercing blue eyes stared back at me between a frame of wavy dark hair. He moved through my thoughts as wind, a warmth that settled over my body.

“You are connected to the Eternal as I am now with you. With my wind, the power of Nai will show its path,”he said through the bond.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Raven lean against the wall and look away, frustrated. I couldn’t go there now.

I gave Ryder a nod. He softly exhaled as he pressed a palm over my sternum where the mark was. The threads of our bond fused with power, creating a soft, glowing light between us. He closed his eyes as a rush of energy blew past us in a breeze. My shadows unfurled, giving sight to the wind glittering like the stars on the path to the Eternal stone. When he opened his eyes, a smile curved the corner of his mouth.

In a calm tone, he said, “Let’s go.”

It wasn’t long until it led us down a few more narrow halls. Around every turn, the ground gradually sloped deeper into the palace.

Ominously, the marble faded to old cobblestone walls as water dripped from the ceiling. Candles lit the path to a room with no doors. Through it, I heard the Eternal stone’s soft cry. I looked up at Ryder, whose stare remained on the entrance. Adrenaline coursed through me as I stepped forward, leaving the two men behind. Heat immediately wafted from the room, and I summoned shadows to curl around my hands. I kept my darkness at my fingertips, clenching my jaw as I stormed in.

Upon entering, the smell of fire filled the air, and the crackle of popping lava churned in a three-tier fountain made of lavastone. Its onyx structure encircled the palm-sized Eternal stone that was placed upon an altar. Behind it were three stained-glass windows depicting a man and a woman in medieval armor, warriors kneeling with swords for a dark-haired woman in the center. She was garbed in white and appeared to be in midair. Their eyes were closed with sullen expressions, magic etched into the glass above them with wind on one side and snow on the other. The windows looked out to an ocean view, indicating we were on the cliffside.

“What is this place?” I said, staring at the stone as something deep within my soul ached.

My jaw fell open.

“They are bleeding out the Eternal, keeping it under constant flame. This explains what the Fire Fae do for Fang. He’s been using them…for this,” Raven said.

“Fang mentioned the power was waning.” Ryder darted a look of concern my way as his lips slightly parted.

“It is…dying.” Anger stung my eyes. I looked at my hands, but the illness coursing through my body was always a constant ache.If I am connected to the stone, then…I gasped. “I am dying.” I took a few steps back as my eyes bounced between the Eternal stone and the two men with the same worried expression.

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