“You’re not capable of that.”
“Want to bet?”
Several seconds of silence ticked by again. “No, not really,” she said, I heard a slight tremor in her voice.
I didn’t like that. My eyes narrowed on his back.
“I know she’s awake,” she said, clearing her throat. “I don’t know how to explain it or why I know she wasn’t sleeping normally before that. It’s just a feeling—and the gods know, I’ve had many weird feelings since I woke up. Look, that doesn’t matter. I’m just worried about her, and you not letting me into this chamber tells me that something is wrong,” she said, her next breath audible. “And that…gods, Casteel, that scares me.”
He tilted his head back, and my gaze fell to the fist at his side. His hand relaxed. “She’s okay,” the male admitted, so quietly I almost didn’t hear him. “But she’s…she’s having difficulty recalling things.”
“W-what?” she stuttered.
All the muscles in his back tensed again. “She’s not herself right now.”
I drew my knees to my chest again and rested my chin on them. Their conversation became nothing more than a hum as I started to sway. He was right. I…I wasn’t myself.
There was something wrong with me.
Something wrong with those whispers.
I thought it had been my instincts at first, but I no longer believed that to be true. The whispers weren’t mine, anditdidn’t like how I’d come to realize that.
And those whispers…they weren’t many. It was only one.Him.
The one who wantedin.
Death.
Hedidn’t like that I knew that.
Hewhispered for me to take out the male at the door and escape.Hewanted me to do that and then find the other who made me think of wolves so I could end him, too. Andhedidn’t want me to stop there.Hewanted me to lay waste to all who crossed my path, be they mortal, god, wolven, or draken.
There will be no more pain, he whispered.No more hunger. No more fear. You won’t be weak.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
Don’t you want that? Need that? I can do that for you, he whispered.You just need to give in. That’s all.
Then what?
Then you will come to me. We will be one, flesh and bone. You just need to give in to me, he lured. Enticed. Called. Sang.Give in to me. Give in.
His whispers sounded like a beautifully haunting song of mourning then, a beckoning that filled my mind with images. Blood-soaked ground and broken bones. Crimson skies and lakes of fire. The masses on their knees in worship. What I saw was terrible. What I saw felt…
Inevitable.
CASTEEL
I sat on the floor, watching Poppy. Less than an hour had passed since Tawny finally left the hall outside the chamber.
She would be back.
Rubbing a hand over my face, I had a feeling it would be harder to convince her to leave next time. The female gave off a weird aura. I couldn’t deny that. But man had she been pissed when I wouldn’t go into detail about Poppy’s current state. She also hadn’t been happy about me refusing to allow her into the cell. I could tell she was worried about Poppy. That was apparent in her voice.
But I didn’t entirely trust her.
Like I said, her aura was fucking weird. Off. And I couldn’t pick up any emotion from her when I tried to get a read on her. There was nothing there but emptiness.
