Page 86 of Of Withering Dreams
Gavrel’s teeth were bared, a rumbling snarl carving into his mouth. His hand moved for the dagger strapped to his belt, but his fist clenched before reaching it. His burning emerald glare tore into her profile.
She rose—either oblivious or disinterested in Gavrel’s reaction—her nose mere inches from my body as she did so. My focus was entirely on her again, my muddled thoughts bouncing around their bony cage.
Her hot breath skittered over my skin, along with her rosy, smoky scent. She looked down at me, her refined chin a few inches above the crown of my skull.
Goosebumps swept over my arm, my right hand reaching for my hip—for a weapon that wasn’t there.
I rubbed my palm against my dress instead, the soft white material offering me comfort. The hard bump of my talisman nudged me through my pocket.
“Sit.” Melina circled me as I complied. A slinking cat toying with a mouse. “It’s a shame you haven’t a clue. The torment of yearning for someone can be so pleasurable in itself.” She sighed, behind me now, her fingers tracing my wild strands.
I swallowed, pushing down the dread rising within my throat, my mouth dry as the broken land in the Stygian Murk.
“My ember is quite effective, of course. Well, not with Gavie. It’s been quite frustrating not being able to see inside that naughty head of his.” She tugged a stray curl. “Nevertheless, at least you haven’t any recollection of how foolish you both were.”
Her hand left me, trailing along the back of the settee above my shoulder. “Our predicament is this: First, the commander is mine. He does as I command,” she purred, eyeing Gavrel as she moved to my side. “Has she even a clue of the things you’ve done? You’ve been quite the wicked boy—I doubt she’d want you if she knew, Gavie.”
His nostrils flared, scowling.
She poked a pointed tip into my upper arm and dragged it down my flesh. “Second, it’s a shame that you’re more useful alive. For now.”
My heart crashed inside me, matching the pace of my spiraling thoughts. I clamped my sweating hands onto my thighs, holding myself together—trying to alleviate the incessant scratching at the back of my mind.
She paused beside me, her claws digging into the cushioned sofa arm. “Maya Vawn. She also interested me. You see, it isn’t every day ember originating from the Perilous Bogs makes itself known. We are a rare breed, after all.”
I blinked rapidly at the swift change in topic, my head drawing back from the shock of her words as if she’d slapped me. My mouth was agape, my head shaking.
Melina was lashing me with information—none of it fitting into place. Her words were misshapen and disordered. My brain was unable to stack them neatly to make sense of anything.
Flashes of a distant memory prodded my awareness as my hands fell to my sides.
My mother had been whispering in the woods with Hestia. I was six turns old, hiding behind a grymwood, waiting to jump out. Giggles caught behind my hands as the words “bogs,” “scion,” and “fates” trembled through the night air.
The memory scampered into the shadows of my mind as Melina stepped in front of me, lifting her chin. “It’s the only explanation, pet. There are occasional exceptions, I’ll admit. Druiks can have mixed ember that’s distorted—its origin a mystery.” She tipped my face up with one sharp nail. “But alas, I can practically taste your ember. It calls to me, just like Maya’s. In the end, your mother denied it, and look where that got her. Too bad my ember couldn’t break through her mind. Would’ve been so much easier.”
Heat flared over my face. My aura surged over me, my fingernails digging into the slippery cushion. “What do you?—”
She whipped her hand up, closing her eyes, her smoky aura seething over her body. My mouth snapped closed. She opened her eyes, sparking metal piercing into the ice of my glare, now ignited with my bitter ember.
Her voice was barely above a whisper. “We are going to have a little fun, you and I.”
I didn’t like the sound of that. A barely perceptible growl vibrated through Gavrel. He shifted toward me, his shoulders widening as if bracing for an impact.
Melina snickered. “Ah, Commander. Settle yourself. We’ve discussed what will happen if you interfere. Her memory will be corrected in whatever way I see fit. Otherwise, she’ll meet a fate worse than a littlehistorical revision.”
“What?!” I yelped, no longer able to contain the muddled agitation within me. My aura vibrated along my skin, yearning to spill free.
He squared his jaw, the pulse in his neck thumping against the tanned skin. “I’ve kept my word to you and will keep my distance from her. She means nothing to me.” Bile coated my throat as he whispered, “Please, Melina.”
A healthy flush spread over the milky skin of Melina’s chest and neck. She ran one hand over her hip, biting her bottom lip and letting it slip from her teeth. “Since you asked so nicely, darling, I’ll only erase the important bits. She can handle it once more.” Her smile was the most feral thing I’d ever witnessed as she looked at me, holding her palms in front of her. “Her memories are a risk I can’t abide.”
Gavrel jerked forward, but oily black and yellow ropes of ember slithered over him, pulling him onto the settee and tightly fastening him.
My head whipped back, seeing a slinking Akridai male who had slipped into the room unnoticed. Bright glee lit up Balor Drent’s blunt features, his tongue running over the thin slash of his lips. His long, dark hair as limp and greasy as his aura.
“Thank you, Balor,” Melina purred and then looked at me. “Well, pet. This might hurt a little. But the fun part is seeing if you can stop me.”
Wild rage shot through me as I spun back to Melina, my ember ravenous and frantic.
