Page 104 of A Heart Of Bitter Poison
I take a step toward the closest one and reach out a tentative hand. It’s so far gone that I can’t tell what it once was until I lay my palm on its shoulder. All I can smell is decay and sorrow, and the faint trace of sulfur that clings to its wisps of white hair.
I close my eyes and see flashes of forest and patches of sunlight. Silver fur and glowing amber eyes reflecting on the surface of a glassy mountain lake. It was a werewolf once.
I lift my hand and we look at one another, the creature breathing hard and sniffing as though testing my scent.
“Go,” I whisper, and with just one blink they all turn and run back into the fog, all except the one I just touched. It backs away off the path as I pass by with slow steps. Its eyes never leave mine, not even as the Reapers walk by so close that the tip of Ashen’s sheathed sword brushes the creature’s leg.
I step up into the carriage and the Reapers join me, then we lumber on ahead into the fog. When I push the curtains back and look out the window, the crawler is still watching us, following next to the carriage for a distance down the road until we lose it in the ubiquitous fog.
I turn to face forward and meet Ashen’s assessing stare. “Well,” I say as I cross my arms across my chest. “That was interesting.”
Ashen’s eyes narrow at me but he says nothing before he turns his gaze away. I still don’t feel him beneath my skin. Those fingers of dread scratch at my spine.
The carriage takes us through the twilight shadows, and eventually the fog lifts a little as we reach the Bay of Souls. I look out across the oily black water, remembering the vision of Ashen swimming to the islands in the distance and Leander’s words about the depths beyond. When I glance at Ashen the muscle in his jaw is ticking, his gaze caught on the sea. His eyes flick to mine only once.
We roll along through the gates and stop at the entrance to the Kur. The soldiers are the first to disembark from the carriage, followed by Ashen. I slip my hand into his upturned palm and his fingers curl around mine as he helps me down. A subtle squeeze of pressure envelops my bones before he withdraws the warmth of his touch.
I have faith in you. I hold onto those words he said in the Resurrection Chamber as though they’re the only thing that will keep me from drowning in the fear crawling up my throat.I love you,my Lu.Do not forget it.
I take a deep breath as we walk into the imposing building. The feeling of dread fights with every effort I mount to keep calm. I glance toward the cauldrons where I made my escape with Cole and Ediye. My gaze catches on the spot where Ashen fell, hit by the blade I threw. I remember the way his hot blood coated the floor and the desperate sound of my name on his lips.
When we finally reach the other end of the building, the grand hall is filled with Reapers that stand lining either side of the tall room, creating an aisle that leads to the dais. I see a few familiar faces fromBit Akalum, including Imani and Tessa, and several others that watched Ashen and I dance with predatory desire in their eyes.
Imogen and Eshkar stand on the dais, looking much like they did the last time I saw them with ornate black robes draped over their shoulders. They’re flanked by twelve unfamiliar Reapers in equally formal attire. The Council, I assume.
Several guards stand along the edges of the dais, all of them watching me with dim flame in their eyes. I hear a sound behind us and look over my shoulder as soldiers in black armor close the gap of the aisle. I swallow a feeling of dread that’s as thick as a mace in my throat. No getting away this time, I guess.
“Master of War,” Eshkar says, stepping forward. The blunt end of his long spear thunks on the stone. “I placed other irons in the fire, and yet you are the one to return victorious, and your sister not at all.”
“I am the only one you needed.”
Eshkar lets out a huff of a laugh. “Yes. So it seems.” Eshkar’s eyes cut to me. “You bring us the vampire.”
“The hybrid,” Ashen corrects, taking a step toward the dais. “The weapon. Completed.”
“So your soldiers claim. How?”
“When the damage was corrected in her throat, her condition became more stable. She has since taken the wolf serum, and now has control over the hybrids as well as Semyon Abdulov’s pack of werewolves.”
Imogen takes a step forward, her gaze flowing down my robe, all the way to my bare feet. “How is this possible? How is she not attacking us?”
“I mated with her,” Ashen says, and my cheeks flush as hushed whispers swell around us. Eshkar raises a hand to calm the audience down. “I control her through blood and a shared mark. She is not mixed withanunnaki, but with me.”
I choke down an incredulous laugh as that cold wave of fear grips my spine. Fuck. Shit. Shit-fuck. I might have made the biggest mistake. The dumbest. One I can never worm my way out of.Fuck shit fuck. What if I filled in the gaps again? I might have just bound my life to my greatest enemy. The one who’s delivering me like a priced stag to a waiting bow. Oh man. That wind of fear is blowing hard, and all my sails are ready to speed me to the opposite end of wherever the fuck this is.
Just trust me. It will be hard. Really hard.
I try not to fidget under my crumbling confidence and the weight of the entire Council’s gaze.
“Bring her up here,” Eshkar says, and the glint of triumph shines in his eyes as he stares right into me.
I glance at Ashen. He gives me a nod and nothing more. Not even a glimmer of sparks in his eyes.
I look ahead.
I take a deep breath. I give myself nothing more than that breath and the heartbeats it contains. And then I make a choice.
It’s not him I need to trust this time. It’s me.
