“Their goal was simple—render the sinful useless. So they made me with the ability to knock someone unconscious with a shadowball. Clean. No blood. Just silence them.”
His unnerving tone felt like a warning, meant to intimidate us. His chilling words should’ve made my skin crawl. I should’ve wanted to run as far and fast as I could out of his shadows. Yet, his voicewavered the slightest bit, as if haunted by thetheywho created him or by his powers. I felt no fear—only a tightening in my chest.
“But knocking the sinful unconscious wasn’t enough,” he whispered. “They demanded blood. Pain. Power. So they made me with shadows that could touch, maim, and bleed the body.”
Someone grabbed hold of my chin, tilting it up. I stared into undulating darkness, searching for a spark of gold. I tried to grab his hand, feeling an urge to soothe his ghosts and ease the drop of bitterness in his voice. But he wasn’t there, only his shadows were.
“They designed them to absorb blood, infiltrate minds, and drown them in the darkness I ruled.” His voice slid through the air like a silk-wrapped blade—nowhere and everywhere at once. “So my victims felt the tampering of their minds as I shut off functions, burst blood vessels, and stopped their hearts.”
“Only if their shield isn’t strong enough,” Alexei said gently, as if he, too, picked up on the general’s nearly imperceptible shame.
“And they rarely are,” he uttered quietly.
“Ro—” Alexei started.
“You’ve seen the extent of our powers. Now, we’ll recreate the attack,” the general interrupted, his voice all business. “Alexei will be Ni, and he will be attempting to get the hellion over the border of the Veil Forest. Hellion, your goal is to either escape Alexei or knock him out. Oliver can help you, but Rune will sit this one out.”
I bit my lip, holding back the questions burning on my tongue. I wanted to know more about his past, but he likely didn’t want to confide in me—nor would he welcome the consoling touch itching in my fingers. So I let it go.
“Am I only allowed to use my Glory?”
“Yes. That’s what this training is about.”
“And your shadows?” I asked.
“Me and my shadows stay as they are, easier to protect you from Alexei’s lightning strikes,” he explained. “And easier to remove feeling from Oliver’s limbs when you misallocate your energy.”
“Excuse me?” I narrowed my eyes. “Why punish Oliver instead of me?”
“Because I’m well aware you’d risk your life without thinking,” he snapped. “This is an exercise in restraint, precision, and control. Understood?”
A shadow-hand tilted my chin up, lacking warmth and the rough texture of the general’s glove. I glared up into the wisps. “Understood.”
Warm breath tickled my cheek near my ear, spicy balsam hitting my nose.
“Good,” he whispered, his lips brushing my skin and the heat of his body warming my back. “Because you’re not fucking replaceable.” He stayed there a moment longer than necessary, his angry words hanging in the air.
My stomach fluttered at his nearness, only to be replaced by crushing guilt. I shouldn’t be affected by his scent or love the vehemence of his words. I shouldn’t want to press my back flush against his or feel the need to console him with my touch. I was just a job to him. His words didn’t mean he cared about me. He was right—I wasn’t replaceable. As the first and only Princess of Hell, he needed to keep me alive for my father. And just because he stood close didn’t mean he was drawn to me—craving my scent like I craved his. He most likely wanted to intimidate me. My frivolous attraction to him was shameful. Aspen was my priority.
I stepped away from the general, straightening my spine.
“Alexei!” he shouted. “Let’s begin.”
A flash of lightning split the sky. I latched onto Oliver’s arm, yanking him toward the Shard Field. The plan? I didn’t have one. I needed one.
“Do you have a plan?” I asked, bumping into the wall of icicles.
“I could try to touch him.”
“If you can catch me,” Alexei taunted from nearby.
Shit.
I dragged Oliver farther down the icy wall, cringing with each crunching footstep. A flash of lightning briefly lit our surroundings. Trees bordered the edge up ahead—cover. If we could make it there, we’d have more obstacles to hide behind.
“Beautiful, you do realize I’m taunting you, right?” Alexei called from our left, lighting up the sky. “I can hear your footsteps. I can see you.”
A bolt slammed into the path ahead, snow exploding into the air, proving his point. I gasped, freezing in place. Glory prickled beneath my skin—a good sign. I needed to use it. But if it surfaced, how could I stop Alexei without burning him alive? My heart pounded as I fought for a solution. But I didn’t have one.
