“Thank you,” I said, extending my hand.
He handed them to me and asked, “What will you do with the others?”
“Throw them away,” I said, kicking off my boots and shimmying out of my pants.
“I’ll keep them,” he said.
“Ew,” I said, shimmying out of my pants.
Samkiel laughed and leaned against the wall, his silver eyes sparking with heat as he watched me.
I kicked out, flinging my soaked panties toward him. “Get out of here, you pervert.” I loved to antagonize him as much as he did me.
“Burn them if you won’t keep them,” he said, his tone turning serious.
“Why?” I asked, cleaning up a bit before slipping into the clean thong and standing up to pull on my pants and boots.
“They carry your scent. As perverted as it sounds, if she has trackers, they’ll smell it.”
My face scrunched in disgust. “Okay, again, ew.” I waved toward the door. “Please, go check on the others while I wash my hands, and yes, I’ll burn them.”
“Okay.” He smiled and pressed a kiss to my temple, his hand tapping my ass before he left, closing the door behind him.
I shook my head and turned the water on, trying to erase the thought of some weird alien creature sniffing around and finding my underwear. The water emerged in spurts, the pipes groaning with wear and tear. I grabbed the terrible excuse for soap and washed my hands, drying them on what looked like napkins stacked on the corner of the sink.
I blew out a breath. This was ridiculous. I wondered if we had time to relocate this whole town to our city. This little tavern was obviously struggling under Nismera’s rule, just like every place we’d visited.
My internal rant died as I felt the hair at the back of my neck rise. Claws replaced nails as I spun, recognizing the energy that swelled behind me. It was the same as Samkiel’s, but not him. A massive hand caught my wrist, the frigid cold of his grip making my bones shriek in alarm. I gasped and looked up into the eyes of my father-in-law.
Unir.
“How?” I asked, staring at his very solid hand holding me without effort.
“I don’t have much time, and I am sorry for this.” He dropped my wrist, but his huge hands wrapped around my head before I could move.
Pain ripped through my skull, and I screamed, icy claws shredding my mind. I couldn’t tell if I was still standing. All I knew was that my world had narrowed to pure, blinding agony as I was ripped in two. The now familiar cavern of bones came rushing forward, the chalice of blood still sitting ominously upon the altar. Gathrriel turned toward me, glaring at me from beneath a lowered brow with deep orange and red eyes. His smile was slow but filled with satisfaction as Unir pulled harder on my mind.
There was another vicious flash of pain, and then it evaporated almost instantly. I stumbled, my body trembling as I tried to grasp onto this world.
“What was that?” I gasped. “What are you doing?”
“I need to speak to Gathrriel. I am sorry.”
Was that what he was doing? I tried to push him away, my body swaying with the effort. Footsteps pounded outside, heralding a power so intense that every hair on my body stood on end. Lightning struck repeatedly outside, and thunder ripped through the air, the weight of the dark storm settling heavily over the town. The door was hit so hard that it nearly disintegrated, the remains raining down as dust. Samkiel stood framed in the doorway, wrath blazing from his eyes as he looked between me, swaying on my feet, and his father standing so close.
Unir barely acknowledged the son he claimed to love before he grabbed my hand and yanked my ring from my finger. He tossed it to the floor, separating me from the one person who could stop him—my husband.
“Forgive me,” Unir said, finally looking at Samkiel.
Pure and blinding terror suffused Samkiel’s features, twisting them with desperation and anguish. He lunged forward, reaching for me, and I for him, but before our fingers could touch, the bathroom disappeared into a thick black mist.
27
KADEN
Beyond the door, there was no movement and no voices, creating a silent stillness that felt oppressive. In this massive hallway, there was no hint of the gold and cream theme Nismera insisted on in the rest of the palace. The gray stone that made up the floor, walls, and ceilings seemed almost utilitarian in comparison. Sconces filled with light gems flared to life, lighting our way as we moved deeper into the depths of the palace.
The hall opened into a large, circular, atrium-type room, with archways cut into the walls framing triangular windows. My steps slowed as a figure loomed out of the darkness. We stopped before the huge, masculine form at the center of the room. The statue’s head was bent, obscuring his face. He held a spear in his right hand, and dark shadows ebbed from his shoulders like a cloak. Isaiah stepped to my side, both of us reading the plate resting at his booted feet.
