Page 44 of The Eternal Mirror

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“Follow me,” I murmur.

I scan the area one last time, just to be sure. All is quiet.

I head off at a tangent, keeping clear of the thoroughfare that leads from the Chamber to the city gates. We finally reach the wall, and I circle around.

We slip into the shadows of the outer wall and crouch low behind a hedge that smells like mint and metal. The others catch up, breathing hard. Even Grimlet is silent, pressed tight against my neck.

Killian wipes sweat from his brow. “So...now what?”

Now?

Now I find her.

Because I can feel her. Not just in the bond, but in my bones. She’s here, somewhere in that glittering monstrosity, and she’s hurting.

I close my eyes. And she’s there—rage, hurt, hunger, fear. Not words. Just feeling. Raw and tangled. Like she’s trying not to break. Or maybe already has.

My whole body tightens. The dragon inside me wants out. The bond pulses, tight and hot. It drags at my chest, my heart, my soul. I grit my teeth. I want to roar, to burn the place down until I find her.

But I don’t.

Not yet.

I need to think this through, not blunder blindly in, however much my whole being is screaming to get her—now.

“We need to find my cousin, Sheela,” I say. Brown had mentioned she was working with the rebels, so she’ll likely have contacts in the palace. First, we need to know what’s going on. She canalso possibly get me in touch with the Wolfpack, or what's left of it. I’m sure once they see I’m alive, they will follow me.

Killian snorts. “You have a plan?”

“Nope.” I glance toward the glowing city. “But I’ve got something better.”

“What’s that?”

“Motivation.”

Actually, I’ve got a pissed-off dragon, a talking gargoyle, and a bonded mate who might kill me when I find her.

I bare my teeth.

“Let’s go.”

Chapter 15

Another Midnight Meeting

Khaosti!

His name rips me out of sleep like a blade to the chest.

It echoes in my skull, rattling around behind my eyes like a bad dream with sharp teeth. My chest feels too tight, as if someone’s taken a blowtorch to my heart and is now prodding the coals.

The bond’s awake.

Burning.

Alive.

It’s a leash and a lifeline all in one. Gods, I hate it. And I crave it.

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