Page 48 of Court of Heathens

He shrinks back, his shadows receding into him. “Fine.” He pouts.

“Good, now that’s sorted, I need clothes.”

“Why? I like the cavewoman look you are—” I fly back into the wall, hit by her magic. Groaning, I get to my feet and snap my fingers, swiftly dressing her. “So rude to your rescuers.”

“So we are . . . accepting this creature?” Phrixius asks cordially.

Freya shrugs. “He’s harmless.”

“It is an entity of darkness and unnatural. It shouldn’t even exist. It feels ancient and wrong,” Phrixius admits, and we all stare at the creature who is busy rubbing against Freya’s leg like a house cat.

“Terrifying,” I comment drily.

“I want nothing but this woman, Freya.” It drags her name out to a hiss, and I don’t miss the way her cheeks heat, making me grin. My girl really does love to fuck monsters. God, she’s amazing, but I pretend to be put out.

“So now we are sharing three ways. There are only so many days in a week?—”

“Three ways?” Freya interrupts, looking at Phrixius, but he says nothing, and she rubs her head.

“You are all idiots.” She stalks past us, bursting from the cave. There’s nowhere for her to go, so I don’t worry, but I do step closer to the monster, letting my expression go cold and dead as I channel my power.

“If you hurt her, I don’t care how long it takes, I will find a way to rip you apart and scatter your soul across the world so you will suffer for eternity.” I blink then smile. “Welcome to the family, killer.”

“I have only killed some.” It frowns. “Are we not supposed to?”

“Oh yeah, you’ll fit right in.” I glance at Phrixius to see him watching the entrance anxiously. “What is it?”

“Did you feel that?” he whispers, his eyes widening as he looks at me. “That call?”

My heart stops and stutters. I was so focused on the creature, I didn’t feel it at first, but I do now.

Darkness and death.

It’s a scream, a call in the air.

We both rush from the cave to find Freya’s eyes completely black as she floats in the air before collapsing to the ground in a slump.

“Freya!” I scream in horror, dropping to my knees at her side and pulling her into my arms. “Little witch, wake up!” I demand, shaking her, but her eyelids don’t even flutter. “Freya, please!”

CHAPTER 26

My eyes snap open suddenly, and I blink at the complete darkness.

The last thing I remember is leaving the cave, needing space from all that testosterone, and then . . . something happened. Something was whispered into my ear, burrowing in my brain, and then . . . nothing.

What happened?

Did I pass out?

Frowning, I try to move, but it’s like I have no body or it’s frozen. I cannot even feel or see anything but darkness. Panic fills me, and I scream internally for someone, anybody.

Suddenly, flames burst to life, blinding me for a moment before they die down, and I can see. When I do, horror and fear explode through me. I’m not in my body nor anywhere I recognise. I’m in the dark someplace. It has to be underground, if the rock above and around us is anything to go by, but stretched below and before us is an entire underground city.

It’s dark and empty.

I say us because before and to the side of me are hundreds of unmoving zombies. They are lined up and waiting like soldiersready for battle. I want to scream, but I can’t. I’m trapped inside one, seeming to use their eyes to look out. Flames jump along the wall in a long line, illuminating more, but the darkness is so thick, most of it cannot be penetrated, and it leaves everything in an unnatural, shivering shadow.

From one of those shadows, a figure emerges, and I pray to the gods they cannot see me inside this zombie. They are tall, clearly male, and dressed in what looks to be ornate armour, which is black with spiked vines. Pale skin shines underneath, and I see black, bulging veins. I cannot see his face, however, which is covered by a mask.

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