Page 145 of Dawn of Chaos and Fury
“It’s not the winds,” he growled, the breeze becoming gusty now. The water bottles blew over, rolling a few feet away, and Eviana snatched up the packs of food before they were carried away too.
“Lange, stop!” she snapped. “Where are you going?”
Because he was suddenly sprinting, and she didn’t understand what the fuck was happening.
“They found him, Eviana!” he yelled, nearly to the tree line. “Gods, how heartless are you? Can’t you hear him screaming? They’re killing him, and we’re just sitting here!”
“Lange, there’s nothing?—”
Godsdammit.
She pressed a palm to the dirt, the tree roots immediately responding and shooting up to snag Lange’s ankle wherever he was beyond the tree line. She’d just lost sight of him, but she heard him cursing as her power dragged him back.
“You planned this too, didn’t you?” he bellowed, clawing at the dirt.
“I didn’t?—”
But she didn’t get to finish because a violent burst of wind hit her square in the chest, sending her flying through the air. Her power tried to help her, branches and leaves reaching for her, but she still slammed into the trunk of a tree too hard. Her head snapped back as her spine collided with rough bark, andthen she dropped to the forest floor. On her hands and knees, she tried to suck in a breath after getting the air knocked out of her. The spots in her vision didn’t help, and she blinked rapidly, trying to dispel them.
“Corbin!” Lange bellowed, and he really needed to shut the fuck up. One Dread-Nymph was already here. He was calling more to a godsdamn feast.
“Lange,” she hissed, crawling forward and pushing to her feet. She swayed some but kept going, watching him wrap his power around the tree roots keeping him tethered. Then he released his grip on the wind, and it snapped the roots before twisting around Lange like a funnel and lifting him into the air.
Good gods. No wonder Valter had been in a good mood after receiving his files the night Theon had claimed the male. She knew he was powerful, but this was…
This was a godsdamn nightmare.
She couldn’t spend her time trying to reason with him. She needed to find the Dread-Nymph before he disappeared into the woods. They would never find him, but Corbin would never stop trying. Then she’d be alone—not that she cared—but survival was easier in the woods with others. She just needed them to help her get to the Serafina Estate and get away with the girl. Then they could all go their separate ways.
“Corbin!” Lange yelled. “I’m coming!” He looked down at Eviana, his expression cold and murderous. “I’m going to kill you for doing this again. Every time I think maybe you’re not a cold-hearted bitch, you prove just how wrong I am.”
The words sliced through her, and she hated it. Because words shouldn’t have any effect on her, but for some reason, those did. Those did, and she couldn’t let them.
“Where is it?” she whispered, crouching down to press her palms to the dirt once more. “Where is it? Where is it? Where is it?”
Then she felt the tiniest of flutters against her palm. She lifted one to find a sapling poking up from the ground. Another sprung up a few feet away. Then another. She stood following them, moving farther and farther away from the campsite. Away from Lange. All the while knowing he was going in the opposite direction, and wherewasCorbin? Couldn’t he hear all the commotion? What if something really was wrong?
What if?—
“Hello, my flower.”
She froze, his voice an icy chill that settled into her bones.
He stepped from behind a tree. His dark hair and deep emerald eyes. His shadows a swarm around him, trailing each step. His perfectly tailored suit.
No. He couldn’t be here.
She reached for her knife, wanting the pain to draw her out, but in her rush, she’d left it behind.
Shit.
Shit, shit, shit.
“I am so incredibly disappointed in you, Eve,” he sighed in mock dismay, but she knew better. There was little Valter enjoyed more than discipline andcorrectingbehavior. “Although you did make your punishment so much easier by bringing me all the way to the Serafina Kingdom, didn’t you?”
He was before her now, and she could do nothing. Clasping her hands in front of her like she’d done thousands of times, she dropped her eyes to the ground. But long fingers wrapped around her chin, forcing her face back up.
“None of that now, Eve,” he said coldly. “You thought you couldleaveme? You thought you couldhidefrom me?”
