Page 116 of Death Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Faith saw the shift and barked a laugh. “Oh. I like this version.”

Eve’s eyes widened slightly, then she gave me a quick nod, approval and urgency rolled into one.

Aurora’s grin flashed. “Get them.”

I pushed harder, driving the shells like a wave, forcing them to swarm Dagna and Drathar, biting, clawing, dragging. The spirits inside them were not loyal, they were just angry and hungry, and now they had targets who deserved it.

Dagna’s face twisted with rage. She grabbed Drathar’s sleeve. “We’re leaving.”

Drathar snarled something in a language that made the cave walls feel dirty, then slammed his palm down. Shadow rippled, a sudden burst of darkness that threw several shells back.

It bought them a second.

That was all they needed.

Dagna threw one last glare at me, eyes bright with hatred. “This isn’t over.”

Then she and Drathar vanished into the trees, slipping away like the forest swallowed them.

Eve moved immediately. “Nishi. With me.”

Nishi did not hesitate. She turned and sprinted after them, hunters following. Eve’s hellfire flashed as she ran, lighting the path in brief bursts.

Aurora started forward too, then stopped when I made a sound I couldn’t control.

Pain hit my chest like someone had shoved a red-hot blade under my ribs.

I gasped and staggered.

The egg bond flared wildly, not fear this time, panic, like the baby felt my body failing and screamed silently for stability.

I clutched my chest, breath ragged. It felt like my heart was on fire.

I took one step, then another, and my knees buckled.

I collapsed onto the cave floor.

Faith was on me instantly. Her hands caught my shoulders, keeping me from cracking my head on stone. “Salima. Hey. Look at me.”

Aurora dropped beside her, eyes fierce, hands already checking my pulse like she’d done this before. “What happened?”

I tried to breathe. It hurt. It burned.

The fire wasn’t from the relic. It was from inside me, spreading through my chest and down my arms in searing pulses.

My vision blurred. The cave ceiling swam.

Faith’s voice went tight. “Is it the egg?”

I shook my head weakly. “No. It’s… Lucinda.”

Faith froze. “What?”

The words tore out of me between breaths. “She cut me loose.”

Aurora’s brows drew together. “Cut you loose from what?”

My throat tightened. I swallowed hard, then forced the truth out. “The coven. She severed me.”