“Then who the hell are you?”
She lifted her hand, analyzing her sharp, golden nails. “Let’s call me your guide.”
Her cocky confidence had my nostrils flaring.
“Guide? What kind of guide sends me to become a prisoner, then to be attacked by a witch!”
“You found your mom, didn’t you?”
A fierce pain shot through my chest. Purple and white light flared from my flickering ball of power. “Only for her to die!” I shot back. “You told me to remember. You wanted me to use Tsal-mawet. To go to the Tenebrous Kingdom. Why? Did you know she’d die? Did you know what Lilith would do to us?”
Her arm slowly extended, a single finger dipping into the darkness.
I frowned, sensing an odd pressure in my mind.
“Why indeed?” Her dagger-pointed nail struck, and I winced.
“Who are you?” I spat, clutching the physical manifestation of my head.
A haughty scoff slipped from her as she dropped her hand. “Let’s get a few facts straight. I’m a guide who has an agenda. I do and say certain things for my own purposes—ones I won’t be sharing with you. All you need to know is I’m here to push you in the right direction when needed.”
“Or you’re guiding me to my death.”
The cloaked female laughed.
I gritted my teeth, hating the noise.
Eventually, she cut it off and shook her head. “I don’t need you to trust me. Not yet. There are a few things you still need to learn before we get to that part.”
“Who the fuck are you?” I screamed, my temper short. All my emotions were.
Her cloak swished as she shrugged. “Someone who just saved your life.”
“How so?”
She hummed, mulling over the answer. “Unfortunately, that’s one of those questions I’m just not going to answer.”
“You haven’t answered any of them!”
“You’re right. You’d better get used to that,” she mused. “But I’ll give you some parting advice before I jet. Dark things are happening in Hell, and they’re only going to get worse. So while you’re using most of your energy to mourn mommy dearest, why don’t you save a smidge to focus on her parting words.”
I narrowed my eyes. “How?—”
“It’s just a wonder what secrets someone can find if they know where to look,” she said proudly before blipping out of existence.
I wrenched awake,slamming my forehead into Alexei.
“Heavenly fucking Weaver,” he groaned, clutching his bleeding nose. “Normally, I’m not assaulted for waking a lady up.”
“Sorry…” I trailed off, my breath a white cloud as I peered around my room, myguideand her strange words completely forgotten.
A thin film of frost coated every surface, from the dark wooden floorboards to the red decorative pillows pushed to the far side of my bed, up the floral wallpaper and to the glossy ceiling. Even the tips of Rune’s fur sparkled in the dim moonlight, attempting to pierce the frosted windowpanes. I pulled my icy comforter up to my chin, shivered, and turned to Alexei. His face said it all.
“It’s time,” I whispered, feeling like the cold grip of my father’s power reached down and gripped my heart.
Alexei nodded, one hand holding his nose, the other holding out a black bag. “Change into this, and we’ll go.”
I didn’t even notice he had something in his arms. Besides the blood oozing down his lips, I hadn’t noticed anything about him. I completely missed the expertly crafted velvet suit he wore. I wasn’t sure how—whether my grief only allowed me to focus on one thing or the meaning behind my frozen bedroom drained my ability to care. But I shouldn’t have missed his glowing embroidery. The silver feathers gleamed as if lit from within, shedding light on the midnight-blue velvet.
