Page 56 of Dark Sun (Wicked Lovely 6)

Then she was gone, vanishing inside a dingy building not fit for the queen she was. She might not want him to topple courts for her, but he’d build her a veritable queendom of her own. Raze small countries. Borrow the crown jewels. Whatever it took, Urian would make sure she was happy.

And that way she’ll never leave me.

Letting Katherine walk away, vanish into the building where he’d just been waiting for her for days, took more self-control that Urian was used to employing. It wasn’t that he was accustomed to always getting his way, but he wasn’t accustomed to caring terribly much if others had wants that weren’t his.

A few moments passed and then he saw Katherine at the window of her room, the room she was leaving tonight to go with him, and he lifted one hand to her.

She laughed and made ashoo-ing gesture.

Then the curtain dropped, blocking her from his gaze.

A horrible fear rolled over him, tugging him under a wave of terror the likes of which he hadn’t ever felt.

Run,the order reverberated through him.Do I need to smack you again?

“Callisto,” he said. “Where are you?”

Can’t explain. Now, run, Uri. Run like the hounds are chasing you.

“What do—”

Run. Or they’ll find her, too.

Whatever else Urian knew, he was certain that Callisto was his friend, an ill-mannered, dead-thing wearing, bloodthirsty maniac, but still, she was his friend.

Running without aid of a car was ludicrous, but he didn’t see another option just then. He felt as if the very ground had become the pulse of war drums. Threads of something wet seemed to be sliding along his spine, and if he wasn’t trying to run as fast as two legs could carry him, he might reach back to see if there was really something dripping down his skin.

Urian ran faster than he thought his body could go, but he felt hot puffs of something fetid. He felt creatures’ breaths brushing the backs of his legs.

Run.

He heard teeth gnashing close enough that he pushed himself even harder.

Safety was still possible. He saw Callisto in the distance, engine running, door open. He simply had to reach her.

Don’t look back. Run!

The hooves thundered over the ground like earthquakes, rattling his bones, making him think that the force of it would somehow slip under his skin. The ground was being carved by heel and talon, and he could taste the dirt that the creatures were slicing from the earth.

Despite all the willpower he possessed, Urian still looked back.

All that was behind him was a panting, heaving morass of violence. He couldn’t see much, but it was enough. He stumbled.

The copper tang of blood filled his nose. The dust coated him like a weight to slow him. His muscles screamed as they twisted and steered him away from Callisto, and he realized that there was no escape.

“Precious little hare,” a woman crooned.

Not a woman. Hound,Callisto said.I’m sorry. I had no idea they were sent for you.

It was one of the longest statements she’d ever made to him.

“The Hunt,” Urian said and the surge of monstrosity knocked him to the ground. “My father not willing to come see me? Has to send you to do his bid—”

“Irial did not send me.” The Hound looked down at him with laughter dancing in her eyes.

“Then who? His--”

“A pretty little ray of sunshine.” The woman patted her steed. “Vicious thing, Summer is.”

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