Page 87 of Dance of the Phoenix
A moment after I was done, Theorius and his friend took flight.
With an internal scream of pure fear, I threw the grappling hook.
And it latched onto the hem of Theorius’s pants.
Gripping my end of the rope as strongly as I could as I sat on my ass, I pulled my entire weight to my core, weighing myself down as much as possible.
At first, Theorius didn’t seem to realize what was wrong. He flapped his wings strongly, making my biceps groan in pain as I tightened my hold. When he realized something else was preventing him from flying away, he looked down.
His eyes met mine.
He shot downward, straight to me, and I let go of the rope and pushed my hands forward, palms up, just as he was about to crash into me.
His naked chest hit my palms.
And at the same time, I lowered my mental walls and opened my mind.
Chapter 47
Eliza
Everything disappeared as an invisible tether bound Seraph Theorius and me together, snapping into place tautly, creating a momentary connection.
My mind invaded his, and images came through, pouring into my head with an intensity that shook me to my core. There were so many images, so many memories and experiences this Seraph had gone through, it made me feel small and young.
Theorius had lived a very long life, and I now had to search for a tiny needle in this endless haystack.
Thankfully, I had already mastered my ability, so all I had to do was mentally whisperEuphorrey’s Relics, and every memory and all knowledge Theorius had that was associated with these two words streamed into my head through the channel I had opened. I let it pour, rushing in, knowing I would have time later, when I was safe, to sift through it all and find what I wanted.
When the last image entered my mind, I severed the link between Theorius and me with a simple mental slash. My vision returned just in time to see Theorius stumble back before he fell on the floor unconscious.
Normally, when I used my psychometry on humans or vampires, they were out for a good ten minutes, sometimes even longer, so their minds could rebuild their mental walls. But I’d never used it on a Seraph, one of the strongest creatures in all realms.
Meaning he could wake up in less than a minute for all I knew.
Which didn’t leave me much time to get out of here, but it would have to do.
Rising to my feet, I started to run.
I ran through the rows, not caring if I was seen now that no one was here, and reached the stairway hall. I then ricocheted down the stairs so fast I began feeling dizzy, thanks to the spiraling pattern, but eventually reached the second floor.
When I was making my way to the balcony I’d entered the palace through, I started hearing voices and the flapping of wings. My heart jumped out of my chest with the realization I was being chased now and that, like I predicted, Theorius had recovered faster than anyone else I’d ever used my powers on.
Just as I reached the balcony, I heard voices echoing right behind me, telling me they now had their sights on me. Which was less than ideal, yet I could do nothing about it.
All that mattered was that I got the hell out of there.
Forcing any hesitation away, I pulled myself up on the balustrade and jumped.
Feathers fell around me as my feet hit the grass, sending reverberating shocks up my calves. I swear I heard my leg’s bones crack.
Whether it was the truth or not, adrenaline took care of any pain I might’ve felt, and I started running toward the junglelike courtyard.
By now, the sounds of flapping wings and calling voices were all around me as I was pursued. I didn’t bother looking anywhere but straight ahead, though; all I needed was to get to the portal, and I would be in the clear.
I broke through the jungle and onto the plane of grass. Malachi started appearing in my vision, which told me I was close to beingcaught, but I refused to let it happen. Not now, when I’d gotten what I needed.
With my heart beating loudly and quickly in my chest, perspiration covering every inch of my skin, and breaths coming out of my throat short and raspy, I saw the area where the portal was, marked by a little ripple in the air unseen by the untrained eye.
