Page 69
She blinked, and it was night. Her skin was cool, but the air around her was hot and muggy. In an instant, she was alert, reaching out for Luka, but her hand only hit the ground on either side.
“Luka!” she yelled.
Their packs were gone, and so was he. She flipped one way, then the next, the space closing in around her with every failure to find him. She couldn’t sense his Flare, only the Serpent’s overpowering aura. A burst of wind filled her ears, threatening to push her over as she crouched to cover her head.
Her heart stopped all together when she caught the scent. Spicy, sweet, and revolting. She peeked her eyes open, and in front of her was a purple cloud—dark, angry, and enveloping a small body.
No… No! No! Her breathing hitched, and her stomach heaved. The sweet aroma of the aura enveloped her completely. She kept her eyes glued shut, and her breathing was without control, barely bringing in enough air to keep her body steady.
The wind died to a small breeze. Twigs snapped in the fresh air. Apprehensively, she opened her eyes to the light of late morning. She relaxed her arms from around her head to check for real tears and was surprised when her fingers came back dry.
A dream?
“Time’s up.”
Lily sprang from the ground to find Draven with his back against a tree, staring into the forest.
“You…” Lily put the pieces together as she returned to consciousness. That was an illusion? He forced a nightmare with her fear? But something still wasn’t right. Where was Luka?
She pushed to her knees, frantically searching but seeing no trace of him. Not only that, but their bags were gone. Lily’s sights fell back to Draven and the infuriating arrogance in his casual mannerisms.
The Wraith’s venom coursed hot in her hands.
Lily lunged. When her palms met bark, she growled and whipped around to find him standing behind her.
“Where is he!”
Though Draven’s lack of an answer only continued to boil her blood, she forced herself to analyze their surroundings. There were no unusual necro aura’s to be found. Not on Draven, the forest floor… And where were their belongings?
He leaned toward her, dropping his voice to a low hiss. “That was a threat.”
She couldn’t remember the last time, if there ever was one, she wanted the Wraith to eradicate an entire being to ash.
You need to calm down. Killing him isn’t going to fix anything.
Keeping her fists tight to her side, she took a long step back and called for Luka. After the longest silence of her existence, a quiet response carried from deeper in the woods.
Luka’s answer did little to calm her. If there was any indication she had a right to power and influence over Eizreth, she displayed it with her voice.
“Never do that to me again.”
Draven didn’t appear swayed, remaining stoic and still. “You’re in no position to make demands.”
“I will make as many as I damn well please! Luka is not negotiable! He remains unharmed, or Rimore will lose me for good! Take that back to the bitch you’re working for.”
In her rage, Lily hardly noticed there was life to Draven’s complexion beyond the veil of shadows.
His expression twisted, and his rich skin paled as darkness billowed around his frame. The change was alarming, but she didn’t let it affect her stance.
“Amalia’s convinced you’d abandon him when it’s convenient for you, and I can’t say I disagree with her.”
How’d he… Lily’s stomach pinched, the comment like a prick from a barbed thorn. It was for Reina’s safety, wasn’t it? No. He’s talking about… “You know nothing about me. She knows nothing about me.”
“I’ve heard enough to know you are a selfish, avoidant liar who will give up anything and anyone to get her way.”
Lily laughed out the guilt and moved straight into incensed amusement. “Don’t! You do not get to cast judgment on me, God Eater.”
Draven’s dark brows furrowed, lips sealing.
