Page 38 of Claimed By Night

I don’t care that the angel’s shivering. She can be damned, for all the shits I give. As far as I’m concerned, she’s more witch than angel.

“You’ll be punished for what you’ve done,” I say to Dragan when I meet him beside the fire. Just being near the light and warmth revives me somewhat. My gaze is hard, and my voice matches the cold of the chilled air.

Slowly, Dragan turns his attention away from the fire and locks eyes with mine. The flames reflect back at me from within his irises and the hatred between us is thick and tense. I’m beyond livid. I feel the rage build, the palms of my hands electric in anticipation of magic. If provoked, I will magic him out of this plane and into another. I need only be triggered. And there’s a very large part of me that hopes Dragan rises to the occasion.

“We were out of time,” he explains casually.

The fury within me grows even stronger. “No.Youwere out of time.”

“My business is now your business,” he says matter-of-factly.

“No, it’s not.” I inhale deeply, subduing the need to pull my arm back and punch him right in the face. “I’m a king,” I start.

“Youwerea king,” he interrupts, his voice dripping with disdain. He crouches down in front of the fire, his large wings folded but tense behind him. It could be my imagination, but the flames appear to reach higher, their flickering tips lickingthe upper reaches of his shining eyes. Raw power emanates from him, but he doesn’t intimidate me. He never has.

I notice the girl; her face is weary, but her eyes are alert and intelligent. She watches us. The blue of her irises rattles me because there’s something more there than meets the eye. It’s almost as though she can see right through me and it’s not a feeling I appreciate. I force myself to turn again to Dragan.

“I’m still a king, in case you’ve forgotten. I command a legion of fae, all loyal to me. And all will be eager to have your head.”

“A legion of fae who can’t leave the fae realm,” Dragan chides.

“Regardless, I’m sure Variant will be very interested to know that two gargoyles abducted me.”

“Don’t threaten me with Variant,” Dragan says, his expression souring. “And as far as you’re concerned,faerie, we may need you now but as soon as you’re no longer necessary, you bet your ass I’ll have no problem returning you to your… quaint little village.”

Anger pulses through me, pushing the emotion to the forefront of my brain. “You’ll return me now!”

“No,” Dragan asserts and his eyes are narrow, angry.

I don’t have time for a war of words. Even the most logical argument will mean nothing to the thick-headed gargoyle. He’s so fucking stupid, I half-believe his mind is made of stone.

“Where are we?” I demand.

“Does it matter?” He loosens his attack-ready crouch and rocks back into a more neutral position beside the fire.

“Yes, it fucking matters!” I yell. “And I demand to know!”

“You’re not in a position to be demanding anything.”

I hear a small laugh, like the ringing of a bell, and notice the sprite perched on the angel’s knee. “Look, his royal highness is awake!”

My hands clench. If I hadn’t wanted to kill the bloody thing before, I do now.

“Where the fuck are we?” I repeat as I face Dragan, my voice deadly.

Dragan sighs like he’s completely uninterested in me and this conversation. “We’re in The Raven Forest, outside Grimreap.”

My face must reveal my surprise. Why we’ve come here, of all places, baffles me. Grimreap is a place so vile, it’s said it was born from death itself. Its very existence hinges on the tortured souls that sustain it. The city goes against the natural order, against life itself, and revels in the void. It’s not shadow nor mortal nor fae—it’s only horror and death. To bring me here is greater than any insult Dragan could throw my way.

“Grimreap?” I repeat, shaking my head. “What the fuck are you thinking?”

“I saved our lives.”

“Saved our lives?” I feel my mouth drop open. “Are you really that stupid?”

“Grimreap is the last place anyone would assume we’d go and it’s the best place for that reason alone,” he insists.

“But Variant—”

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