Part One
Nani always said that time heals all wounds.
Not this one.
This one will only be healed by vengeance.
Chapter 1
HE WAS MORE THAN A PRETTY SUIT
“Araz…” I woke with his name on my lips and turned to reach for him, my palm meeting cool sheets.
Memory came in a tidal wave, slamming into me, stealing my breath, and twisting my gut into intricate knots.
The primordial evil had Araz!
I leapt out of a bed that wasn’t mine, the scent of roses clinging to my senses as I took in the opulent gold and red décor surrounding me. My temples throbbed, and another memory surfaced—Chandra’s arms crushing me to him as he carried me, clawing and screaming, to this room.
Heat flared in my chest.
He’d brought me here against my will.
Locked me away.
The door opened, and my jailor strode in with a tray of food. “Ah, good, you’re awake. Maybe now we can?—”
I let out a battle cry and rushed him.
He vanished before I could reach him, and I barreled into the door, palms slapping wood. I grabbed for the door handle. Twisting. Heart swelling. I wanted out. Needed away from Chandra.
He snagged me around the waist and pulled me back against his chest, enveloping me in the scent of roses. “Calm down.”
I threw my head back, meeting air. Free once more but only for a moment before Chandra appeared in front of me in a blink and grabbed my arms, pinning them to my sides.
“I said calm down. There is nowhere to run. No point in fighting me. I amnotthe enemy.”
I squeezed my eyes shut for a beat, breathing in through my nose and out through my mouth for several seconds in which he continued to hold me. Smart guy. I wasn’t done going crazy just yet. The buzz of adrenaline, the impulse to lash out, to hurt someone, was still coursing through me. I needed a moment.
“You’re okay, Leela,” he said softly. “You’re safe here.”
Safe? My eyes heated, and I squeezed them tighter, willing the tears away before opening them to look up at him. “Where is he?” I was surprised by how calm I sounded. How…reasonable.
“Araz is gone, Leela.”
“Where did he go?”
He pressed his lips together before speaking. “You know what happened, Leela. You were there. You saw it. Now you must accept it.”
His smooth, calm tone made my skin itch. “You didn’t answer my question, Chandra. Where did Araz go?” He sighed, his eyes darkening with what I read to be pity, and my stomach clenched. “Don’t fucking look at me like that. Tell me where he is.”
“The primordial evil has incinerated Araz’s soul, using it to fuel its emergence. It has claimed Araz’s body as a vessel. Araz is gone, Leela. And he isn’t coming back. He’s dead.”
“No…” I shook my head, heat pricking my sore eyes. “No! You bring him back!” I twisted in his grip, trying to get free, but he held me tighter. “Bring him back to me!” He pulled me to his chest, wrapping me tight, one hand on the back of my headand the other around my waist, anchoring me to him. “Get off me. Get away from me. Araz! Araz…” My voice cracked and my throat tightened as my mind took me back to the labyrinth. No. I didn’t want to remember the details. Heat bloomed in my chest. “Let me fucking go!” My voice deepened, gruff and not my own.
Chandra pressed his lips to my temple. “Calm. Down.”
The heat ebbed. He was taking it from me. “Gah!”I lashed out, clawing at his ribs and punching his back. How dare he? How dare he steal my rage from me?
