Fear—a deep, icy, visceral kind that I hadn’t felt since I stood at the Chambers of Nyktos and saw Casteel and Kieran fall—shot through me with the speed of an unleashed arrow. Blood roared in my ears, and my heart lurched so violently I thought it might actually break through my chest. He was going to crush my windpipe—
Nope.
Absolutely fucking nope.
My mind sped up as instinct took over. There wasn’t enough space between us for me to use my legs or hips to attempt to roll him. So, I went with the next best thing—or the worst.
Reaching down, I grabbed the thing between his legs. Gagging at the feel of him in my hand, I pulled and twisted.Hard.
The Ancient howled, stirring up the wind as he reared back and tore himself away from me.
I didn’t waste a second.
Scrambling to my feet, I started to turn—
A hand wrapped around my braid, jerking my head back. I stumbled. Fiery pain swept over my scalp as he spun me to the side and forced my neck back farther until sharp, stabbing pain shot down the sides.
“Rha lali mi,” the stranger’s voice boomed.
Let her go.
At least, Ithoughtthat’s what he said. But maybe I was wrong. Because the Ancient’s grip on my braid only tightened.
The air suddenly charged, and a crackling bolt of eather arced high. The Ancient twisted at the waist, throwing out his other hand. The churning mass of energy evaporated in a shower of sparks as the fragile bones in my neck ground together.
He was going to snap my neck!
The fear still trickling through my veins flared, reaching deep inside, but before it could sink its vicious claws into me again, rage rose in its place. And it wascold. Colder than the terror. I latched onto it, letting the fury wrap around me.
The taste of ash gathered in my mouth as I grabbed the Ancient’s arm. “I haven’t gone through everything I have only to have my neck broken.” Twisting against the vise-like hold to face him, I welcomed the agony radiating down my spine and let it join the rising fury and swelling eather. Shadows laced with gold and silver appeared under my skin. “By some naked, winged, and faceless motherfucker covered in dirt.”
The Ancient’s head snapped in my direction.
“Yeah,” I snarled. “I’m talking about you.”
Energy flooded the air, shaking the ground beneath my feet and pushing the clouds of dust and debris back as I slowly straightened, forcing the Ancient’s arm to bend. The scent of stale lilacs reached me as icy power filled my veins. My eyes met his as shadows poured from me, spilling across the ground and rising. The eather ramping up felt different than it had before. Harsher. More chaotic.
Final.
The essence rose at my sides, the streaks of silver growing vibrant as dark bands of crimson appeared.
Harnessing the essence of death, I twisted his arm sharply, smiling at the sound of the bone cracking. The being screamed, and my smile widened.
Thrusting my hand against his chest, I released all that raw energy and sent him flying—
His bone wings spread wide, halting his fall as the red and black streaks of eather swirled over his form. His arms flew out to the sides as the essence seeped into his skin, lighting up his veins as it began tearing his body apart—
Wait.
The smile slowly faded from my face as I quickly realized thatwasn’twhat was happening.
The Ancient was…absorbing the essence and taking it into himself, making it his. And itchangedhim.
Hair sprouted from his skull—a pale blond that bordered on white—growing until it tumbled down the center of his back. Tissue grew over the bones of his wings, thickening and filling out the appendages. From the membrane, dots of black appeared all over the wings, pushing through and unfurling, one after another, until the entire length was covered in glossy midnight…
I blinked and then squinted. “What in the…?”
I was looking at…
