Page 197 of Red Ruin

“Go,” I answer roughly.

Finally releasing my sleeve, Vhex skips off to do some jolly murder.

“Guides!” I shout. The harried Guides turn to me for a lifeline. “Isolate the death threads with your power and guide your Sentinel’s magic to destroy them. If you can’t purge the energy, just hold off the rampage. I’ll do the rest.”

I don’t wait to see if they listen.

Remy’s stillness chokes my heart.

I slide my pricked finger across his cold bottom lip.

My blood leaves a red stain.

Remy doesn’t respond.

I stare into his glassy eyes. Remy’s not home, but I sensesomethingstaring back.

My skin crawls.

“He’smine,” I hiss, lifting onto my toes.

I drag Remy in for a coppery kiss.

A rotting, yellow rope snakes through his central meridian, worming its way into the tangles that were already there.

My gasp sucks the breath from his lungs.

There’s no backlash like with Vhex’s fire-fight. The wisps of death are right at home in a vampire body where blood and shadow play.

The lich king doesn’t want Remy as a soldier.

That monster is trying to take Remy’s body as its own host.

A fist of anger squeezes my lungs.

Remy served a thousand thankless lives. Now this lich wants to fill Remy with its filthy soul and enslave him forever.

“Let. Him.Go,” I grit and attack the threads.

I can’t burn out the decay, but I can cut it down.

The shadows that can still move jump to follow my command. I sharpen them into blades and shred the bastard’s magic.

Its icy bite makes me want to throw up, but I’m too pissed to take this slow.

Give him back.

Remy is mine.

Vhex is mine.

I can’t stop the lich from claiming the dead, but every living Sentinel belongs to me until they find a better match.

Wisp by wisp, I cut off the lich’s power.

Remy softens.

With a groan, he licks my blood from his lip, then joins the kiss with his whole soul.

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