I wonder where Crypt got that totem, anyway.
As if my thoughts summoned him, my pulse triples when that alluringly dark presence tickles at the edge of my awareness. I halt and turn around, expecting him to step out of Limbo any moment.
He doesn't, which makes me frown.Is he not in this hallway after all? Did I imagine it?
"Crypt?" I whisper.
A hand goes around my throat, and I'm slammed against the stone wall, the air knocking from my lungs. A vampire hireling hisses down at me, barely visible in this unlit hall.
"What's this? A student breaking curfew?" she asks, baring her fangs threateningly. "I'll be taking you straight to?—"
Before she can finish speaking, something blurs into existence beside us. There's a flash of silver, and the vampire vanishes before she can even cry out. I blink rapidly as I realize that the flash of silver was a blade of some kind because the vampire's handsdidn'tvanish. They fall away from my neck, flopping onto the marble floor.
My lips curl up.
That was the work of my Nightmare Prince. I still sense him nearby, so I just wait.
Finally, he emerges in front of me in the darkness, kicking the hands aside before reaching out to twist his fingers through the ends of my ponytail. I can't see him well because of how dark it is, but I'm beaming now.
"You're back."
"You're smiling," he rasps. "You've no idea how much I've missed your face, darling."
"Just my face?"
Crypt moves closer, and I feel his warm breath against my lips, but he's careful not to touch me. "All of you. Every beautifully broken piece that completes whatever is left of my soul. Tell me, were you harmed at all during my absence?"
I squint, trying to make out his face better. Is that…
"Do you have a black eye?"
He ignores my question and gently brushes aside some of my hair to check my neck, where the vampire's harsh grip probably left a mark. Of course, the darkness isn't impeding this incubus's vision like it is mine.
But who the fuck cares if my neck is bruised because now I'm positive that he's missing an ear.
Gritting my teeth, I risk the odds of another hireling finding us and raise my hand to call up a common magic light spell. As soon as I do, I swear viciously.
Cryptismissing an ear. Hedoeshave a black eye. In fact, he looks like he just went through hell. His clothes, including his leather jacket, are ripped and burnt, and bruises darken one side of his jaw and cheekbone. He's also hiding one hand behind his back, which means he's trying to hide another injury from me.
He's a siphon, and they have accelerated healing and regenerative abilities. That means if he looks like this now, he must have looked far worse earlier.
When I give him a silently furious look, he sighs and looks away.
"I was going to stay in Limbo and see you safely back to the apartment without you seeing me like this, but that vampire chose death by touching you."
Scowling, I reach behind him and pull his hand forward. His hand is extremely burnt, to the point that I can count bones. If he were human, it would probably need amputation—and it's healing far too slowly.
Why do my matches keep getting hurt?
I fuckinghateit.
I'm so mad I can't even form words as I put out the light spell and grab Crypt's unburned hand, marching toward the quintet apartment. He wisely says nothing, but I know we're both checking corners for any signs of more legacies patrolling for students.
As soon as we step through the front door, Baelfire leaps up from the couch, relief shining on his handsome face.
"Thank the fucking gods you're—oh, yikes. Crypt looks like shit."
"I noticed," I snap, the raw fury breaking my voice. Then I pause when I see Silas asleep on the couch in the nearby TV room. A blanket is haphazardly tossed over him. "Why is he sleeping here? I thought his paranoia prevented that."
