Page 11 of Of Blooming Embers
Melina sauntered toward us, and I positioned myself in front of Seryn. “Mistress, I was looking for you.”
“Melina,” she snapped.
She preferred that I call her by her name, forcing me to make our connection personal. Bitterness coated my tongue. “Melina,” I conceded. Anything to make her leave.
“Were you?” Her incisors glinted as she raised one eyebrow. “How fortunate I found you then. Who do we have here, Gavie Gav?”
Disgust rippled up my vertebrae at the moniker.
She knew who Seryn was.
But shewantedme to say it. Wanted to watch her prey while they squirmed.
The leaden words tumbled to the floor. “Seryn Vawn, my brother’s friend. Our neighbor.”
“Oh, how interesting.” Melina waved her hand for me to move aside, tilting her head to peek at Seryn. Like embedded stones, my feet wouldn’t budge. One hand rested on the pommel of the dagger attached to my side, itching to unsheathe it. Slowly, Melina slid her tongue over her top lip, looking at me from under her dark lashes. “Move, Commander.”
My fingers tensed, and I squared my jaw, shifting. Melina’s narrowed eyes slid down Seryn’s body, and Seryn smoothed her hand down her dress as if wanting to rid herself of the intrusion.
“Good day, Mistress,” Seryn murmured. “Gavrel was helping me put a book away.”
“Ah, she speaks. How chivalrous our Gavie is, is he not?” Melina purred, sidling closer.
Dread roiled within my stomach, and my breath hitched.
Seryn frowned, eyes darting between me and the Elder. Could she sense the impending threat? She stacked her spine, tucking her hair behind her ear. “He’s notmyGavrel, but I appreciated the help.”
“How clever you are, pet.” Melina grinned, inching closer now. She tapped one finger against her crimson lips. “Now, who do you remind me of?”
It was as if the air was sucked from the library. Everyone else had left; there was no one to witness what Melina would do next.
“Melina, I’d like to meet you in your study,” I said, noticing two Akridais situating themselves at either end of the aisle. Seryn’s chest rose and fell in shallow breaths.
Elder Harrow’s halo spilled around her, and my chest cracked open. “Commander, we’ll reconvene later. I do so enjoy our playtime, but I’m quite busy at the moment. Shall we have some fun, pet? It’s been a while since I took a trip down memory row.” Melina snapped her fingers, and her enforcers slunk closer.
Her ebony smoke slunk around Seryn, caressing her. Seryn swallowed, terror widening her eyes.
“I do so love reminiscing. Let’s see if there’s anything amusing in that head of yours, shall we, pet? Or will you be like Maya and Gavie? I must admit I’ve been curious about you and your sister over the turns, but youhaven’t piqued my interest until quite recently. What with how Gavie pays you attention.Helpsyou with yourbooks. Your mother was quite the challenge, but you … you seem rather … fragile.”
Seryn’s strangled response flew from her mouth as her hands fisted around the dark energy. “My mother?—”
Melina nodded, and a gust of oiled air knocked my body backward. “Run!” I roared, fighting hopelessly against my invisible fetters, knowing the demand was futile.
And it was. Melina’s power slithered into Seryn’s mouth and ears while she screamed and clutched at the sides of her head.
Horrified, I watched as Melina’s eyes fluttered, her body arching as she clawed her way through Seryn’s brain. She licked her lips, savoring whatever it was she saw. Whatever she was stealing from the woman I’d break for again and again.
Seryn’s head whipped from side to side, a look of anguish contorting her features. Her body trembled, and tears stained her dress.
“Ah, you have been a naughty … naughty boy, Commander,” Melina bit out, and her fingers jerked in front of her like the legs of a dying spider. “But don’t fret. A departed memory means it never existed at all. Doesn’t it?”
Damp air filled my lungs as the present resurfaced. Fury and anguish filled the empty spaces within me, shoving my shame and regret aside.
Melina would bloody well pay.
She wouldneverharm Seryn again.
We would show her the meaning of agony, of being nothing more than a memory to be erased. She would learn that the departed don’t always stay buried.
