Happy ending? Well, kinda.Trill and Owen and their Nona were long gone when we returned from Austria, though I wasn't surprised. At least I knew they were doing well and, if Trill's attitude was any indication, moving ahead with gathering the maji army.At least, I hoped that's what it meant. Because after the run-in I'd had with the Brotherhood, knowing now how deeply they were entrenched in Europe, it felt like we were very quickly running out of time.Quaid was slightly startled when I reached out to him and thanked him for watching over the Zornovs. Even said "You're welcome," without snark. We were okay then.Good info to have. Because, honestly, it was hard to know with him sometimes.I brought home the mummified form of Batsheva, with full intentions of putting her crazy ass out in the sun. But one look in her eyes took me back to the cave and Sebastian, to my own suffering. So, instead, I dragged her down to the basement, stuffed her in a corner.And forgot about her.D
Book Thirteen: Dark PromiseI sucked at packing. Didn't matter how much time I had to tackle the task, my clothes always ended up scrunched and squished and wrinkled. If I stuffed in one more useless sweater the zipper on my long-suffering suitcase would bust. And I still had a week before I had to leave for Harvard.Restless, I went through my closet again, just in case I forgot something important. The sound of laughter from the living room downstairs drifted up and through my open bedroom door, enticing, but not enough to keep my slightly fractured attention. I could have gone down and sat with Gram and Meira. Sprawled for Sass to sit on my stomach. Privately giggled at how stiff and formal Charlotte held herself even when relaxing in front of a movie, but I just couldn't make myself sit still.The nightmares and sleeplessness weren't helping. I felt as though something lived under my skin, crawling around at the least opportune moments, giving me nuclear goosebumps at the mere t
No. This couldn't be happening. Ahbi was immortal. But even as I stared down at the hot wetness on my trembling hands, I heard her groan, her body trembling ever so slightly, pulling my attention from the life leaking from her to pool on the floor."Grandmother!" My life with her flashed through my head, the short and tempestuous relationship we'd shared. How she'd manipulated me, my sister. My father. Forced me to stay on Demonicon and fight for status, all to create a situation where Dad would have no choice but to accept Second Seat. Her powerful will, pure political soul, all of it.Forgotten. Animosity fled, anger, all that had gone on between us prior to this moment. I reached for her yet again as I rolled her sideways, my world in a slow motion horror film of desperation, until she collapsed on her back, face turning toward me. The light of four moons shone through the window, lighting her eyes, though the life in them faded fast. Her fire died even as I watched, my hands sear
I paced in my tiny cell, buried at the bottom of the Seat, deep under the mountain while my mind whirled and argued and fought for focus.Pagomaris hadn't given me even a second to explain. "How could you?" She gasped as I reached for her with Grandmother's magic, wanting her to understand I had nothing to do with her beloved Ruler's death.But Pagomaris took the touch the wrong way."How despicable," she hissed, hovering over the body as though I tried to take Ahbi's physical form away from her adoring aide. "Murdering your own blood and stealing her power for your own. You disgust me. Guards!" I trembled as I tried to put two words together, heart screaming "No!" while my lips opened and closed in silence even as a pair of giant demons in uniforms grabbed me and clamped stone shackles around my hands.The moment the restraints closed over my skin my whole magical world went dark. Every bit of it. No power. Where was my power? I fought them at last, screaming wordlessly, body twis
Again, it seemed like forever went by while I discarded urge after urge to break out of my cell and go hunting. I only succeeded in keeping my demon in check thanks to the combined power of my vampire, Shaylee and my witch magic, even as the urgency of the imposed oath slowly built in pressure until I felt certain my chest would explode.More voices behind the door spun me around, eagerly reaching for Dad, lurching to the exit. Only to find myself clutching, not at my father, but the sadly smiling Theridialis."Sydlynn, dear girl," he said as he hugged me to his portly body while the door closed on us. "How are you holding up?"How was I holding-?!? He was lucky I had a firm grasp on my demon or he'd be prone on the floor and likely unconscious for a very long time."I take it that means you're not here to let me out." Clenched teeth served me well yet again. At this rate, I'd be wearing dentures by the age of twenty-five from all the grinding I'd done over the years."I'm afraid
I should have been expecting an attack. After what Theridialis told me about the hostile environment above, not to mention my previous experience on Demonicon, an attempt on my life was an obvious thing, wasn't it? But, like a doofus, I wasted a precious moment on "huh?" while the three Guards, the closed cell door now shutting out the rest of the world, gathered their power and pounced.Not for the first time and certainly not for the last, I was grateful for the presence and vigilance of the other powers living with me. Without them, I know my life, as invincible as I might have been, would have likely ended that night.As it was, my vampire threw out a shining silver shield only just in time to block the first blast of golden fire even as Shaylee's earth magic dove deep under the rock and burst forth, turning the ground beneath the hulking Guards to rubble, driving them to their knees. My demon reacted next, a massive lash of magic whipping through the trio as they howled in pain.
The transport, magical support gone, fell like a very bulky and badly shaped stone, the bubble overhead flickering as the last of the power running through the vehicle finally ran out. Freezing wind tackled me as the shield collapsed, sending me backward into what had been a bench seat, now just an empty space, to impact the low lip of the edge of the transport. I was very lucky the side wasn't flat, and that I'd been crouching at the time. Had I been standing, there was no way I would have managed to stay on board. The knee-high ridge barely caught me as it was. Stiff material I could only compare to plastic bruising my ribs, all the air rushing out of me as the non-existent nose of the craft turned down toward the ground.The two demons slid at me, the boy from the market diving headfirst, hands outstretched to save his head from impacting the edge of the vehicle while his companion grabbed for the only thing he could reach on the way by.Me.Hands off, jerktard. Get yourself kill
The soft, shifting ,sandy ground heated quickly, catching the warmth of the rising suns to the point I hopped an undignified, hissing gait punctuated with "ah!" and "ooh!" as the bottoms of my feet stung. Ram finally stopped with a heavy sigh, turning to glare at me while I dug my toes in and glared my fury.Instead of commenting, though I was sure he wanted to from the irritated but amused look on his handsome (stop it right there, Sydlynn Hayle) face, he knelt at my feet with a murmured, "Your Highness." With two quick jabs of a sharp rock, he cut off two strips of fabric from each leg of my pajama pants.My favorite pajama pants. He'd pay. Oh yes indeedy doodle. He'd pay.Ram looked up at me, eyes twinkling. "If you would allow me?"Like I had a choice. I lifted one red-tinted foot, wincing at the state of my black toenails, wondering if Ram thought they were ugly. Yeah, cut that thought off at the pass. Not that I was usually worried about a pedi, but demon toes weren't all tha