Page 136 of The Shadow Fae Rhapsody
I think I like you as my instrument, caterpillar.
Fear seizes me over those words. I draw from the endless well of power within me to resist him.
“Let me go,” I demand.
His hold on me tightens to the point of pain.Why should I? You’re my perfect new weapon.
I thrash harder against the god’s cruel grip.
It’s frustrating—wielding so much power within me and yet feeling so utterly and completely powerless.
Being confined in his clutch reminds me of that time I hid in Landon’s dark wardrobe. Except now I’m helplessly trapped in it and forced to watch everything from the narrow slits on the door.
Something strange suddenly happens. The sun god’s eyes widen and his lips part. I can sense the surprise filtering through his mind.
He blinks, stunned and paralyzed. His power and his hold flicker out from me.
Hellios stares at me in disbelief.
What did you do?he asks, wrath darkening his features.
It wasn’t me. I shake my head. I’m stuck in my new form as his shiny new weapon on earth.
A harder invisible blow strikes his face, sending him several steps back. Blood trickles through his nose.
Pain.
The feeling is foreign to a god who has never experienced it in his entire existence. It scares him enough to throw me back into my body.
I awaken with a sharp gasp. Bouts of cough shudder through me. My lungs can’t decide if I have insufficient air or if I need to expel them out.
I find Shade cradling me in his arms.
“What happened?” I ask him.
“You scaring the living fuck out of me, that’s what happened,” he replies.
“Why does my cheek hurts?” I touch the tender, throbbing spot.
“Your hair was burning and there were flames in your eyes… so I slapped you,” he recounts without feeling.
“Oh…”
“You still didn’t wake up and that was when I had to punch you.”
Oh…
He clasps my cheek with his gloved hand, inspecting for damage. “I don’t think I broke any bones, but yeah… sorry about that.”
“Thank you, Shade,” I say, my shoulders sagging with relief. If it weren’t for him, I don’t know what Hellios would have done using my body. The thought alone is terrifying enough to make me shiver.
“Do I even want to know what that was?” The assassin quirks an eyebrow.
I shake my head and he doesn’t press on.
Stars obscure the edges of my vision. I try to sit up, but my head is still throbbing. The consequence of wielding twelve strings is taking its toll on my body.
“It’s fine, lay down,” he assures me, pulling me back to lie on his lap. “Take your time.”
