Page 115 of To Ashes and Dust
“Is that really you talking Cole? Or someone else?” I barked.
His black eyes jerked to me, and a cruel grin spread across his face. “Hello to you, too, Cas. Miss me?” His expression shifted to one of inflated pity. “Damien keeping you company in my absence?”
I bit back the words bubbling up my throat, irritation causing my skin to heat. This wasn’t him. This wasn’t truly Cole.
Or was it?
That icy feeling crept over my skin, and my heart stuttered, but it was faint, the temperature not as cold. Thalia flew low, perching on the edge of a roof, her falcon eyes searching our surroundings.
“Darklings,” Barrett breathed as his gaze swept back and forth around us, turning to guard our backs. “But where are they?”
Thalia leapt off the roof, dark mist enveloping her as she landed on her feet beside me, pulling her dagger free from her chest holster.
“They can’t be far,” she said, back to mine as she scoured the city behind us.
A darkling’s shriek pierced the night sky, and our heads snapped in its direction.
I looked back to find Cole’s eyes locked on us, and his grin made my skin crawl. “You really need to improve your tracking.”
My heart sank. “What’re you talking about?”
A scream reached my ears, and conflict roiled through me as Cole took a few steps back, arms outstretched. “What will you do?” he asked, a coy grin on his face. “Will you go after me? Or go to their rescue?”
Damien growled, his fangs unsheathing as he locked gazes with Cole. “Fucking bastard.”
Cole glowered at him. “Oh, so feisty, Damien—oh, sorry.” He took a dramatic, low bow. “Your Majesty.”
Another cry rang out, and I looked to Damien. He drew a deep breath before his eyes passed over me to the direction of the darkling attack.
“Fuck,” he breathed and nodded to Barrett. His murderous gaze locked back on Cole. “I’ll find you again.”
Cole tilted his chin up, his black eyes meeting Damien’s. “I look forward to it, Lord of Shadows.”
41
CASSIE
My feet barely met asphalt as we ran, the road stretching on before us. Thalia’s large paws slammed into the pavement as she ran alongside me.
Her head tilted in my direction before glancing to her back. “Get on!”
She slid to a stop before me, and I looked across her back, unsure. Damien and Barrett stopped, brows raised.
“Go ahead! We’ll catch up!” I shouted, and they nodded before taking off again.
She was huge, her back reaching past my waist, thick muscle hidden by her dusty gray fur. Could she really carry me? I looked ahead at Damien and Barrett. There was no time for uncertainty. I reached out, grabbing hold of her fur, and threw my leg over her back. She absorbed my weight, her body barely reacting to me.
“Hold on!”
She took off, and I held on for dear life, her body rolling and shifting beneath me. Oh God, I was going to fall off. This was a horrible idea. My legs tightened against her sides, my heart thrumming, the asphalt a blur beneath us. I didn’t fall, though, and it was only a matter of seconds before we caught up with Damien and Barrett.
We cut through back streets to the edge of the forest, then up the lone road that snaked into the trees. The screams had stopped some time ago, and I feared the worst.
The cold presence against my skin receded, replaced with an even icier dread. Had the darklings left? Were we too late? I passed a nervous glance to Damien, who couldn’t meet my gaze. We reached a curve in the road, an unfamiliar house coming into view from behind the tree line, and my heart lurched as we came to a stop in the gravel driveway. Thalia lowered herself to let me down.
The house was dark, the shroud of silence deafening. Where there were once windows was nothing but shattered glass, the front door now a gaping splintered hole. Thalia stood between Barrett and me, her ears folding low as she dipped her head down, a painful whimper slipping from her throat.
“I know,Kelisa... I smell it too,” Barrett muttered, running a hand through her fur.
