It was nearly three o’clock in the morning, and the humid summer air thickened when I was underground.
Even though Arcadia and Terraguard shared the same plane of existence, it didn’t mean it was easy to travel between the two. The Goshen Kingdom had fallen somewhere near Ohio, so it took nearly seventeen hours by train to reach it from the underground speakeasy in New York, where I currently stayed with some human militia from my hybrid days. None of them seemed to know of my transformation, so I took advantage of their ignorance to crash out for the night before heading back to the Goshen Kingdom in the morning.
I figured I’d poke around a bit in hopes of discovering any whisperings of the Seraphite Stone. At the bar, I spoke to the new barkeep, feeling him out for any information while listening in to the militia soldiers around me. I kept hearing Hogan’s name mentioned here and there, as well as Orion’s, but nothing about a stone—yet. It was only a matter of time.
I lay on the cot within the speakeasy, reciting Lilliana’s letter in my head. The refined script scrawled on the aged paper was still imprinted in my brain. Before I turned Infernal, I’d read thecontents, but I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it then. Once I turned, her vague warning began to make more sense. Because of that, I’d held the letter hostage to ensure it didn’t land in anyone else’s hands.
Especiallyhers.
Except somehow, the old version of me had overpowered the Syphon Bond one morning, prompting me to return the damn thing to Gray. But knowing her, she hadn’t read it yet.
Unmitigated fury erupted from my chest. My ears rang, the anger blotting out the world around me.
Gray had the godsdamn letter now.
I launched from the bed and reached for the edge of the antique side table, tossing it across the small room with a clatter. I yelled, striking my fist clean through the moldy, underground drywall and the wood frame behind it. I heaved, not caring that I breathed in a cloud of plaster debris.
How the fuck could I have handed over the letter to her?
The sensation that always reminded me of a vibrating violin string reverberated in my chest, signaling Gray’s distress. I snatched my fist from the wall, wondering what had caused her to emit such a strong emotional signal. Our bond had faded daily since I became Infernal, but it still existed. Unreliable, but still very much present at the most random of times.
Rising to my feet, I grabbed my fraying cloaked hoodie, covering my hair and face as I left the room.
The crowd of humans had dispersed; only a few night owls sat at the bar, haggardly chatting as I passed. The bartender caught my eye, raising a brow, clearly suspicious to see me leaving in the middle of the night.
“I’ll be back,” I called out without slowing my stride toward the heavy metal doors that led to the underground tunnel. My nostrils flared from the dank smell of earthy humidity and sweat, even as I climbed the makeshift ladder topside.
Once I shut the ground door, I closed my eyes, focusing onGray’s panic waning in and out. I needed to get to her. Without her, I couldn’t—and wouldn’t—exist. I’d love her until my heart stopped beating…
No.I shook my head. I wasn’t capable of love anymore. She wasmine.
A cloud of shadows sifted from my body, swirling around me like a storm of dark ribbons, until it lifted me from the earth. Traveling like this felt like squeezing through a tiny crack between the realms, always leaving me in a pitch void. My shadows carried me along, following my intention. Thank fuck becoming Infernal allowed me this gift.
After several seconds, my feet met the ground again, dead leaves crinkling under my weight. I hid within my shadows to assess the scene. Too many lights were on within the Hollow for this time. Silhouetted figures rushed toward the barn I’d hidden Slate in just a few short months ago so he could deliver information from Arcadia. Immediately, I caught sight of Onyx’s orange currents in the night and a burly form that could only belong to Kodiak. Curious, I trailed the tree line to see what or who they held inside.
I focused on the bond again, in an attempt to read Gray’s emotions. With the withering bond, it grew harder to connect with her at will. Distantly, she seemed to be calmer—on alert—but her panic had subsided.
It wasn’t until I approached the barn that I noticed the wards had completely fallen, and the Hollow was fully exposed. That would explain her earlier panic.
I crept as close as possible, protected by my shadows so as not to be detected. I focused my hearing, straining to listen to what they said behind the decrepit wood panels.
“Who is he?” Orion’s voice sounded drained, lifeless.
Go to him. Let him know you’re okay.
I warred against the inner voice inside me. There was no place for emotions here.
“I don’t know. He claims to know Chrome. Says he wants him dead,” Gray said.
Gods, I missed that voice.
“What Kinetic doesn’t want him dead?”Void’s dry baritone sounded through the walls. He wasn’t wrong, always so blunt in his delivery.
“Onyx,”Gray ordered, “the bracelet.” Pride swelled in my chest at how she’d come into her role as the queen I’d always known her to be.
Footsteps shuffled. “There, that should—” Gray’s words were cut off by a blast that slammed into the barn, knocking a gaping hole in the side. “The wards are down!” she yelled amidst the falling debris. “They’ve found us! Alert the lodge! We fight!”
Everyone rushed from the barn, leaving the prisoner inside. After the first attack, blow after blow followed, sonic blasts rocking the grounds and vibrating beneath my feet.
