Page 5

She was the night, itself.

Something struck her face,hard.

Air spewed from her lungs as her teeth clacked together, and she tasted blood. Her shadows writhed, stunned, but they didn’t yield. Something struck her across the opposite cheek, snapping her head in the other direction.

She managed to catch herself before her face collided with the ground.

As though a bubble had popped, the agony she’d been drowning in faded to the back of her mind.

It was still there. But her pain, her thoughts, were hers once more.

“Did you just hit me?” Arabella managed, spitting blood as her eyes narrowed on Brynne.

“You’re welcome.” Brynne dusted her hands, a vein ticking in her jaw. “Seemed the most efficient way to bring you back.”

“I’ve never seen anything like that. The shadows… They were alive,” Cora said from where she sat on the ground a few feet away.

When had Cora gotten on the ground? Arabella vaguely recalled Cora and Jessamine coming to kneel before her. Had Brynne pushed them out of the way to get to Arabella?

It was then she looked around.

Chunks of stones were scattered across the entryway. Some of the stones on the stairway had broken free, and sections of the railing were missing. Farther up, there were pebbles acrossthe landing—the very same place Elias had pinned her down and nearly fucked her. That felt like an eternity ago.

With a sigh, she accepted Brynne’s outstretched hand and rose to her feet.

At once, Brynne, Cora, and Jessamine surrounded Arabella, their hands on her shoulders. Their gazes felt like the warmth of morning sunshine in the heart of winter.

Her family. They were here. They were safe.

They hadn’t abandoned her once they’d learned she’d fallen for a demon.

“We’re going to get him back,” Jessamine said, determination filling her eyes. “We won’t stop until we do.”

“You’re not alone,” Cora added.

“And you’re no use to anyone dead or out of control,” said Brynne, her tone matter-of-fact.

“I missed you all, too,” Arabella said, new tears filling her eyes.

For several long moments, they just stood in the hallway.

If she let herself, she could pretend they were back in the Quarter, the headquarters and home of the enchantresses in Shadowbank, holding each other close after a long day of training.

So much had changed since Arabella had offered herself to the Devourer.

Now, she had two homes to protect.

“Do I want to know what that shadowy shit was?” Brynne asked as she, Jessamine, and Cora stood before her once more.

Awaiting orders.

Once, Arabella had been the second-in-command to the head enchantress. The enchantresses had looked to her for direction and obeyed her command. But even when she was no longer in Shadowbank, these women prepared to follow her wherever she may lead.

It had something twisting in Arabella’s chest.

“I’ll explain about my magic later,” she promised to Brynne and the others. Then she turned to Breckett, a thought occurring to her. “Vorkle and the other goblins. Where are they?”

Breckett crossed his arms. “Most left the moment Elias did. They know what comes next, even with the repaired ward.”