No, not words…a message.
I’m getting impatient, Hellpet.
A shiver runs down my spine.
I step closer and reach out.
A hand clamps around my wrist, taking me to the side until I’m face-to-face with Creed.
“What the fuck did you just do?” he seethes, grip tightening.
“What?”
His hand jerks to the wall, his gaze even more accusing. “That! How the fuck are you doing that?!”
My brows jump and I look back at the words, only they’re gone. Nothing but the black veins slithering angrily along the stone.
Creed yanks me harder and their speed increases.
“I don’t think it likes when you touch me.”
“What—” He grips me with both hands now, his hold punishing but just as quickly, it goes lax. A sharp line forms between his brows. His head yanks toward his brothers, and his face morphs into horror.
Sinner grips his head. Knight struggles to hold on to London.
“Oh no,” I mutter, running to Legend, who looks even worse than he already did.
“Creed,” I breathe, leaning to Legend’s side. “The flowers. You removed them, right? Locked them away somewhere, at least? You know, with the bodies?”
“What do you mean?” Knight demands, even his voice sounds distant, fading at the edges.
“I mean…” I take a step toward them. “They were removed,right?”
“Haide.” London’s voice cracks. “What was the first symptom again?”
I don’t have to say it. They’re figuring it out now.
Her eyes widen. “But no one touched anything.”
I wince. “Yeeah… Did I forget to mention you don’t have totouchthem for them to infect you? That’s why they’re called the Isle’s Kiss. They infect the very air, just like the scent of salt water.”
“No,” Creed denies, but he’s already struggling to stay on his feet. “Our men were here. They came and took the bodies. Mental memories were created and stored for extraction. They all walked out just fine.”
“Because they were full.” They just keep staring. “Oh my gods.ListenRoyals, they are souleaters.Theyeatsouls. They had already eaten when they came to get the bodies, but now—”
“They’re hungry,” Creed mutters, head snapping toward the exit. “We have to move.”
All at once, everyone runs, but they make it only a few feet before they start to crumble.
“Fuck. A portal,” Sinner panics.
“But you said the dragons—”
“Shut the fuck up.” He throws his hands out but nothing happens, his eyes blowing wide. “Knight!”
Knight lurches forward with a sound torn straight from his diaphragm. With one hand braced against the wall, he uses the other to try to carve a portal. His magic fizzles uselessly at his fingertips, sparks scattering and dying before they even form.
London staggers next, her breath catching mid-step. Her pupils flare black, drowning in ink, then flicker back to normal in a frantic pulse that screamsloss of control.She reaches for Sinner but her fingers barely graze him before her knees giveout.
