“I’ll be there. Now leave.” I couldn’t stand looking at his face one more moment.
Ubel hesitated, clearly wanting to say more, but he did as I asked. He recognized he’d pushed me as far as was wise today. He sped up his departure when one of my shadows wrapped around his neck like a noose.
I was pissed that I hadn’t been notified the moment she arrived. These little power plays of his and Selene’s were ridiculous. Was Hayes also back? Damien?
Reverie was beautiful; I’d expect nothing less from Adelaide's daughter. But it wasn’t her beauty that held me captive.
It was her fierceness in battle.
I could tell by looking at her that she’d been through some shit since she arrived here. Fresh bruises and cuts covered every exposed part of her skin. One cut on the side of her forehead looked deep enough to scar. For an Aurathion, the damage had to be severe to leave that kind of mark.
I’ll have to interrogate Ubel and find out who was responsible. I’d already decided that I alone was permitted to mark that beautiful body.
I turned my attention back to the battle as Reverie cut through the enemy as if she were born to do it. Every swing of her twin blades hit a spot on the body that would cause the most damage possible.
The two Gerendels she fought were huge, but she’d already incapacitated one. And it looked like she was going to dispatch the other in short order.
Almost as soon as I had the thought, Reverie vaulted off the body of the first monster and stabbed her remaining foe simultaneously in both eyes, killing him instantly. She landed in a crouch, then stood and wiped the blood from her face with the back of her hand.
A true Bellator. A warrior among warriors.
No expression whatsoever on her face, even as the crowd went wild.
Reverie Hawthorne fascinated me. I needed to get closer.
I sat up straight. I had a brilliant idea.
A grin spread across my face. I stood and leaned against a pillar on my private balcony, watching my warrior princess until she left the colosseum.
I had plans to make.
Prepare yourself, Reverie Hawthorne, because ready or not, here I come.
Chapter 1
Zeke
EIGHT MONTHS AR (AFTER REVERIE WAS TAKEN)
Isilently moved down the hallway, looking for my twin. The last time I saw him, he was questioning a prisoner we had captured during the recent battle outside Atlanta.
I pushed open the large door that led down to the dungeon.
Emberhold had rearranged itself since the attack on our world from the Dark Factions. A dungeon was just one of many changes. Every day, it seemed we woke up to more. Sometimes it felt like the academy was grieving my Treasures' absence, too.
When I reached the bottom of the long flight of stairs, I began to hear the screaming.
I smiled.
Since Reverie had been abducted, I’d become a different person. Every scream was like music to my ears, as it gave me hope that we were closer to finding a way to open a portal to reach her. I’d let my dark side take over, not trying to hide that part of myself anymore.
The awakening of my abilities helped with that. The monster inside and I would stop at nothing to get our Nexus back.
My smile faded when I thought back to the day Reverie disappeared; a day that would live in my memory forever. It went from extreme joy when Jet was marked, and our Factionwas complete, to extreme pain when suddenly we were attacked, and I felt Reverie leave this world.
The door had burst open, and several members of the DF (Dark Factions) entered, accompanied by some of the most fearsome creatures I’d ever seen.
Later, John informed us of what they were and emphasized the danger they represented: The Cryptfiends were towering, grey-skinned beings with long arms and clawed hands. He explained that they were restless corpses, cursed by their past misdeeds. Drawn to life’s warmth, they fed on more than just flesh—they consumed memories and breath, leaving victims hollow-eyed and soulless. They had lived in the dark corners of Aurathia, waiting to hunt any who were foolish enough to wander into their territory.
