He could do that?
My cough was strained and gasping as I drew in a full breath. I clutched my throat.
Alive. Not bleeding out.
The creature hissed, headless meat sack rising from the dirt.
My skin started to lightly radiate.
What is that?
I whirled toward Pogue. Through the faint glow, I could see he was still veiled in a cloak of black. Was he speaking to shadows? Maybe that’s what took him so long.
A chill rolled over my skin.
Then, the voices rushed in. They weren’t in my mind anymore. They were nearby—coming from a source.
Thewhip.
Help us!
Please…
Here! We’re in here! Trapped!
She’s come, our?—
A deep growl cut them off.
The hulking body bent, snatching the severed head off the ground. Then its hand rose, unleashing an inferno over Pogue’s shadowed form.
Flames exploded, torching through the forest, illuminating trees with violent fire.
“Show yourself!” it shrieked.
The fire continued to surge, engulfing Pogue entirely.
No!
No one could withstand a force like that. It was an immense, all-consuming power.
My stomach clenched, truth sinking in. He was dead . . . because he tried to save me.
A muffled sob escaped me, followed by a sharp, burning pain that flared up my leg. The whip tightened tenfold, causing a guttural scream to tear from my soul.
Enough!
Tears cascaded down my cheeks. Part pain, part rage.
It had been years since I’d faced death, and now here it was, stalking me again—dragging up every horrific memory I worked so hard to bury.
Death haunted me in my sleep. Swam through my anxieties. Tortured my thoughts. Slowly. Cruelly. Every damn day.
But not anymore.Enough.
I reached down to grab the spiny whip, trying to unwrap it, but it wouldn’t budge. The dagger-like vertebrae were deeply embedded into my flesh, scraping against bone.
Curling my hands around the spines, I closed my eyes, focusing.
