I clench my jaw to rein in the whimper. Neither will I give these monsters the pleasure to hear me cry, nor will I reveal my alertness.
“Keep melting the snow before we’re buried alive in this cavern, you idiots!” Tavo must’ve turned away from me because his voice isn’t as brash. “And, Enrico, find a way to staunch the witch’s blood!”
“I’m trying, Generali. I’m trying.” Enrico sounds frantic.
“Try harder.” Footfalls crunch over what I assume must be snow and ice. “Have they found Rossi and Moriati?”
“Negative, Generali. Only the seer’s been retrieved.”
“Wakey, wakey, Aurora.” The smack of a palm echoes, just as the feel of one creeps onto my face.
I know, without cracking my lids up, that the hand belongs to Dante. His breath punches my nose, and though it no longer smells quite as foul as back in the tunnels, it turns my stomach.
Just like his touch.
How dare he lay a finger on me.
A whoosh followed by a shrill cry jostles my pulse.
“Aurora’s up,” Tavo singsongs. “Nothing like a little blast of fire to awaken the senses.”
Did the asshole just burn her with his fire?
I. Will. Eviscerate. Tavo Diotto. If Cian doesn’t beat me to it, but to beat me to it, I’d need to locate my mate so he can wake his shifters, and to locate my mate, I need to get off the floor, or wherever it is they laid me out.
“Would you like me to try blowing some fire on—”
“No.” Though grateful Dante shut down Tavo’s heinous idea, I’m fully aware his reply has nothing to do with mercy. He’s probably worried fire will kill me if Meriam’s wound doesn’t. “Come on, Fal.”
My whispered nickname scatters chills across my skin. Why does he even want me to wake up? What nefarious plan does he have in store for me now?
His hand finally drifts off my cheek, but sadly, not off my body. He dips two fingers into the crook of my neck, against my pulse point.
“The witch stopped bleeding,” that nervous soldier—Enrico—announces, relief tangible in the man’s tone.
Tavo expels a whoop that resonates against the ice. “How’s Fallon’s pulse?”
“Stronger,” Dante murmurs.
“If I were you, I’d pucker up and try Prince Charming’s method. See if her pulse jumps.”
Anger surges through me so fast that I fear it injects color into my cheeks. He better fucking not—
Lips meet mine—full, warm. Not. Lore’s.
Revulsion slams into me. Before I can iron out my disgust and fury, I twist my head to the side and spit.
“Look at that.” Tavo all but snickers. “It worked.”
My fingers ball into such tight fists that my veins strain against my skin, awakening aches and bruises everywhere. When my chest cramps with the desire to cry, I remind myself that I’m alive.
I survived. And I will keep on surviving.
To best play my hand, I need to understand the cards Fate has dealt me, so I open my eyes and take stock of my surroundings.
Blue ice shines beneath me, above me, beside me. Translucent stalactites adorn the lofty curves of the frozen ceiling, sparkling like a thousand glass swords. If it wasn’t for the freezing air, I could almost believe I was anchored to the ocean floor and not on some elevated slab of frozen water inside a mountain.
I stare down at my body next, at the coils of chains that wrap around me from neck to ankle. No vines this time. Does Dante not trust his soldiers or does he believe metal will give me a harder time than magic?
