Page 36 of Unraveled
Ash’s brows wrinkle and he glares at me, like I’m the one who tore a hole through his chest, not the one to save him.
“My office is destroyed.” He waves at the surrounding mess. “You shouldn’t have left your room, Monster.”
Ungrateful bastard.
“A thank-you for saving your life would suffice...” I snarl, crossing my arms. How stupid would it be to get my necklace now? I could leave while he’s injured, but then again, whatever magic my amulet has, it’s what’s holding the dangerous lunargyre to the ground.
Ash is silent, and just when I think he won’t say a thing, he whispers, “Thank you.”
My heart rate doubles in speed when I meet his gaze. Now that the adrenaline pumping through my veins is gone, and the impending doom of a beast killing us has passed, I notice what he’s wearing.
A loose white shirt with puffed sleeves that gather around his wrists. He clutches his shoulder, and blood stains the fabric, spilling way too fast for comfort. Ash flicks his wings, as if he’s testing that he can still move them. Then he takes a tentative step toward the white beast.
“It’s not safe here right now. Go to my room. The beasts won’t enter. It’s the first door to the left. Wait for me there.” As he steps away, he leaves a trail of blood behind him.
And I shouldn’t care. If he dies, it will set me free of whatever has tethered me to him. I should celebrate on my way out of here.
I stare at the torn fabric where his shoulder meets the wide planes of his muscular chest, and I know I can’t. He’s hurt because ofme.
“You’re losing a lot of blood,” I say. “Do you need me to do anything?”
Being a librarian in Penumbra means dealing with magical books, which sometimes leads to accidental injuries. Basic healing skills are part of the coursework and some of the first lessons we go through.
Ash’s pale lips quirk into a half smile. His eyes dance with amusement. “Are you worried about me, Monster? It takes more than this to kill me.” I can see the clear pain in his features, even as he turns away from me and back to the white statue. He’s wearing black trousers that skim his toned legs, and his bare feet leave bloodied footprints over the polished marble floors. Feet,nottalons.
Perhaps he isn’t as injured as I thought.
“Is that statue spelled to protect your office? Because that seems a bit excessive if it hurts you as well...”
“She isn’t spelled by me.” There is clear annoyance in his tone, but I’m not sure whether it’s directed at me or someone else.
“Is she a lunargyre?” Her eyes are red. I shiver as I follow him when he kneels beside the beast. “But I thought they were bald and only went feral during the blood moon?”
“Not all lunargyres look the same, or hold the same patterns. Some snap back into a more coherent state during the day, even during the three days of the blood moon?—”
“Like Alaris?”
He nods. “Alaris usually comes to his senses during the day, though nothing is guaranteed.”
“But there are others who remain feral?”
“Yes.” His hand shakes as he touches the white statue’s stone cheek. A careful, loving gesture. “You almost became breakfast for one of them the other day.”
Oh, I remember that too well. “What about her?”
“She’s been stuck in a slumbering state for weeks now, since days before the blood moon arrived.”
There’s so much sorrow in his inflection that I hold my breath and swallow my other questions. Was this beast a lover? A friend? A sister?
“Why did you leave your room?”
I could say I knew about twilight, and that I was determined to escape him. That I thought the halls would be safer somehow, now that the blood moon is gone. But instead, I remain quiet.
His gold eyes pin me down. He looks far too pale and so unlike the strong fae from before. “A week ago, you talked about saving the people you love back in that dumpy city of yours. How are you going to save your sister from me if you’re dead?”
The lunargyre blinks rapidly, her milky irises slowly transitioning from red to a bright rose gold. They shine with the same unnatural intensity as his. “Ash?” The voice coming from her lips is sweet, and it quakes with panic. “Did I—hurt you?”
Chapter 14
