Did those girls deserve their fates?
Yes, I’d made an example out of them, wanting everyone to know what fate lurks for them should they decide to fuck with my mate. But my spirit had sensed something foul inside them as I wove my energy through their skin—a presence that didn’t belong.
One that reminded me of someone.
But who?
I glanced around, the hair rising on the back of my neck.
An essence had just joined mine. Subtle. Dark. Familiar again.
No one stood on the stairs. So where was it coming from?
I turned in a circle.
Nothing.
What is that?I crept upward, already reaching out to Cyrus with my mind. He wouldn’t answer me right away, would require time to find an appropriate location, but the subtle shimmer of his mind told me he’d received my message.
While I waited, I took in my surroundings once more.
That nagging energy of wrongness thickened. Was it all in my mind? A consequence of that gymnasium? Had I banished those girls wrongly?
No, they were awful beings. I knew that, had sensed it in their auras as I disintegrated their bonds to the elements—one of the worst punishments known to fae kind.
That had to be it. I just felt bad about hurting another, even though those women deserved it. The Spirit Kingdom would not be kind to them—a fate they more than warranted.
Exos?Cyrus whispered through my mind.Is everything all right?
I’m not sure,I answered him honestly.We discovered who was targeting Claire, but I have this odd feeling we accused the wrong fae.
How so?
I told him about the setup, how Elana used her magic to extract the truth—an exhausting form of spirit magic—and how I sensed a falsehood.Something isn’t right, Cyrus.
Do you need me?
I think…I trailed off as the dark essence grew around me. No one stood nearby. The sky remained clear. But Ifeltthe menacing presence like a scar against my back.Someone’s here.
Listening?
No.My mental walls were impossible to breach.But here with—
A flash in my vision sent me stumbling backward. Harsh. Strong. Quick.
The culprit moved too fast, too unexpectedly. My energy was exhausted after the gymnasium, not yet replete enough for defense. I threw up a wall, but he ghosted through it, startling me. Then struck me upside the head so hard my vision clouded behind a sea of black dots. A second strike forced me to my knees. And a third sent me face-first to the ground.
Exos!someone screamed. Maybe Cyrus. But it sounded mysteriously like my Claire…
Only then I did I realizewhohad joined me up here, the smoky figure taking corporeal form.
But it was too late.
The assailant’s name was but a mere whisper in my mind just as everything went dark.
Run, my Claire…
Run.
