I opened my mouth and strained to scream. To make any noise to call her back. Nothing came out.
Panting, I stared after her until she disappeared from sight. My gaze drifted from the black sky to the view.
Barren nothingness for as far as my human eyes could see. There wasn’t a single earthly tree, blade of grass, or drift of snow in sight.
I gripped the stone sill, a poor attempt to anchor my whirling thoughts. Megan was a fury. Her job was to deliver wicked souls to Hell. The woman she’d arrived with hadn’t been some new, weird translucent creature. She’d been asoul.
Air wheezed out of my lungs, and my knees started to buckle. Turning, I sank to the floor under the window. The torches went out as spontaneously as they’d lit.
I was in so much trouble.
Hugging my legs to my chest, I set my head on my knees.
Gods, save me,I thought, struggling not to cry.Those fucking druids sent me to Hell.
CHAPTERFOUR
A nearby scrapeof noise fed my panic.
I was in Hell, and I wasn’t alone.
Hugging my knees harder, I fought to regain control of my runaway fear. Uncle Trammer’s rules tumbled from my lips soundlessly. Rules for Uttira. Rules for the monsters who lived on Earth. Did the same monsters even live in Hell? I had no idea, but focusing on the rules was better than fixating on the impossibility of my situation.
I was in Hell.
Eliana would never find me. No one would. Except maybe Megan. Why hadn’t she helped me? I knew I wasn’t wicked. I’d barely left my damn house for as long as I could remember unless it was as monster bait.
I started over with rule number one even as my mind screamed that none of this could be true.
“She’s not real,” a familiar, low voice said. “Look at her. She shakes and trembles. This isn’t real. Game, game, game. I hate games. No. No. Pain is better than nothing.”
At that moment, I felt I understood the man’s insanity a little better. How long had it taken him to lose his mind once he’d realized he was in Hell? How long did I have? Another fearful tremble rocked through me.
There was no scuff of noise to warn me that he’d moved closer until he exhaled heavily against my arm.
“She still smells like the sun.” He moaned as if it was both the best and worst thing ever.
I carefully lifted my head, keeping my gaze on my knees.
The world that lay outside the window was enough to dimly illuminate the man who knelt uncomfortably close before me. He held out his hand only inches from my arm like he wanted to touch me but couldn’t decide if he should.
However, his proximity and obvious intent were enough to cut through my fear. I stood smoothly and averted my gaze under the pretext of studying the alcove. He didn’t rise as I moved away from his still extended hand. But he didn’t bemoan his loss of chance, either.
The silence gave me a moment to collect my thoughts. If this guy had found me again, others could too. I needed to keep moving. I needed—
“I need to touch her once more,” he whispered. “I would give anything. All the light in the world for one more touch.”
I made my way toward the hall and tried not to frown at his words. Why would he say once more? I was sure he hadn’t ever touched me. If he had, he would already know I was real. He wasn’t making any sense, not that he ever had.
“Run, run, run. She always runs from me. And I always follow.” His chains rattled, conveying his agitation and proximity. “I’m a fool. A hopeless fool. That skin. I need. I burn. Pain is better than nothing.”
If he was a fool, so was I. I didn’t know where I was going, only that I had to keep moving, which wasn’t something I could do forever. I needed to find some place quiet and safe. Somewhere I could sit and think. I wasn’t yet ready to concede that I was stuck in Hell forever. There had to be a way for me to get back. I wasn’t supposed to be here in the first place.
Another thought hit me. What if the druid spell hadn’t moved me? What if the trio had accidentally killed me?
I stopped walking abruptly. The hand I had on the wall kept me upright while I breathed through my panic. Death would explain why I couldn’t make a sound even when gasping for air and on the verge of tears.
If I were dead, would I need to breathe, though? The soul Megan had delivered to Hell had been insubstantial and passed through the door with ease. I needed a key.
