The woman stands in front of me, hand to her mouth in disbelief.
And then, because she is no fool, she turns and flees again.
I fall face-first into the snow.
SIX
KSENIA
I don’t get very farbefore my conscience catches up with me.That animal would have killed you. Yes, I’m a trained killer.
I’m my father’s favorite assassin in a brutal bratva. And yet. . . The blue guy saved me and got attacked instead. Then I just ran away.Again. It’s not like I have any better idea where I’m going.
I stop, squeeze my eyes shut, and before I can think better of it, I sprint back to where the giant blue man with too many arms is slumped face-down in the snow.
I grab one of his arms to lift him, then immediately let go, jerking back from the touch. Obviously, it’s a useless endeavor anyway, he’s so heavy, but he lifts his head at my gesture, blood still gushing from the bite at his neck. I yank off my left glove and shove it over the wound as if that would do anything to stem the gruesome tide.
“You said you wouldn’t follow me!” I accuse.
He just shrugs his large shoulders, wincing. “I do not remember saying so. And I know what it is like out here. Thereis nothing for a hundred miles. It is why my brother was so suspicious. No one is meant to be on these lands. He wanted to see where you would go.”
“So you followed me?” I spit, furious for reasons I don’t understand. Am I mad because he said there is nothing for a hundred miles? Or that he’s now hurt because he followed me?
He shakes his head. “Those werehisreasons for following you.” He lifts one of his many hands up and points to the sky.
What the— I look up, and instead of only clouds, I can suddenly see the winged form of the other big man from the castle, the one with horns. I jolt and take several steps back.
“Can you make yourselves invisible?” I gasp, taking another step back and dropping the blood-soaked glove to the snow. “You were both following me?”
“Abaddon can cloak himself from sight and was following you. But I came because humans are fragile. I do not know how many more hours you can be out here without coming to harm.” He seems to not notice the back of his neck gushing blood as he stands up. Does it even hurt him?
“What did you do to me to bring me here? WhereamI? Is this even. . .” I look around at all the white. So many trees, up and down tree trunks, forever, every direction, on and on— “StillEarth?”
The large blue man frowns down at me. As ifI’mthe one who’s lost their mind. “Of course. How didyoucome to be here?”
“Whereishere?” I shout.
Right then, the other large man lands to our left. I scream and jump back. “If you don’t know, we certainly don’t plan on revealing our location to a potential enemy. As you learned back at the castle, I have interests to protect.”
The woman and baby? Did he. . . kidnap them? She certainly seemed happy enough there, but I can be bad at reading people.Great with a blade, better with a bullet, but terrible at reading people.
I want to stomp my foot again.
Just then, the big guy with wings walks over to the blue guy, sets his palm against the back of his neck, and his chest glows. The same way it did earlier with me.
My mouth drops open, but I don’t run away like I probably should. Instead, I watch in astonishment as?—
Holy shit, the deep bite from the lynx is completely healed. There’s just a small scar left. He picks up the lynx’s body and slings it over his shoulder, where it fits neatly between his neck and wings.
“It’s cold out here.” His strange cats eyes fall upon me. I avert my gaze. “And you’ve been walking in circles. So unless you have somewhere to go, the sun will set in an hour. You’ll die if you remain out here, coat or not. Come back and have dinner with us. My Hannah-wife will spice this nicely for us.”
He indicates the lynx over his shoulder. Hannah-wife? And they keep talking about a baby. I heard the baby crying.
I gulp at the thought of eating the wild game and sitting down to eat with the terrifying beast men. Well, and also his wife and baby. . .
I look out at the endless white. Without a plan, a map, and some serious provisions. . .Shit.They’re right. I wouldn’t make it out here even if Ididknow where I was going.
Still, I move closer to the blue one who took on the lynx for me and give in. “Okay. But just for tonight. Tomorrow, I go home.”
