Page 114

The girl I had been with for weeks stood before me, capturing my full attention as I watched her hair and skin blend into the darkness, her teeth sharp as razors, coordinating with the ones on her back. I waited to see her fully shift, to become what I knew she was. Her form stayed human, but somehow even more frightening and formidable.

“Ty che, blyad?!”What the fuck?Nikolay yelped, backpedaling and almost tripping up the stairs, his gun firing at Raven. “Kill her!” he ordered his men as he escaped after Eve.

A bullet grazed Raven’s arm. Her lips parted, a growl rumbling through the cave, stopping the beat of my heart for a moment.

The gang of men shouted, shooting at her, their terror thickening the air, making them more reckless while they ran for the escape.

A shot sank into Raven’s arm.

“Raven!” I cried out, trying to push myself up, my wound hitching me over with a gasp, my teeth gritting. When I peered up again, she was gone.

A horrified scream came from the other side of the room.

It was her eyes, the glint of the blades on her back, her claws I saw through the dark. Red flames burned bright in her eyes before blood sprayed and a man’s throat tore open. Death barely registered in his eyes before his body dropped.

“Run,” another man cried out, pounding up the steps. The men shrieked in fear, racing up, their weapons firing back at her.

What the fuck?Nothing hit her, as if she was in some protective field.

My lids blinked through the darkness, noticing her lips moving, a sheen of energy circling her, repelling the bullets. Her magic was protecting her.

I could feel a unique energy; the power lacing through her muttered voice was not fae, though her body was. I couldn’t fully hear what she was saying, but the few words I caught sounded similar to ancient Latin.

Like Druid spells.

Two men stalled before reaching the steps, their bodies going stiff. They turned to face her, dropping their weapons.

It was a moment before I understood—she was controlling them.

My attention went to her, her lips moving, her eyes glazed over as if she was no longer there. Thick liquid pooled from her nose and eyes.

Blackblood.

Fear took over, pushing me to my feet and overriding the pain in my gut. “Raven?”

She did not respond. Her mouth moved in a continuous chant, the men’s figures vibrating, a deep horror on their faces as blood started leaking from one of their eyes.

“Noooo! Please!” he screamed. A pop sounded, and his body dropped, red liquid gushing out of his ears, his eyes open, staring blankly. Dead.

The tracks of blood pooling from her nose oozed in heavy droplets, splattering to the ground. I could feel her energy draining as if her own power was killing her as well.

“Raven!” I bellowed, my hand reaching for hers. Magic slapped against my skin like a whip, wanting to shove me out. Gritting my teeth together, I forced it through the barrier she had around herself. “Raven, stop!” My fingers wrapped around hers. A bolt shot into my nerves, and my muscles quaked at the contact, feeling like fire was burning through me.

“Dziubus!” My hand squeezed hers.

Her head snapped to me, her flaming red eyes narrowing. For a moment, I expected her wrath to strike out at me, adding me to the bloody mess of bodies strewn about. Her nose flared as if she smelled me, and in a blink, the flames in her eyes glimmered green, her features altering back to normal.

“Ash,” she croaked, her eyes watering with blood. The bubble around her popped, her body crashing to the ground. The other man she controlled fell to the ground in a lifeless heap next to his buddy.

“Raven!” I dropped down next to her, ignoring the pain ripping through my gut, blood still leaking from my wound, adding to the slick mess on the ground. The moment I touched her, I sucked in sharply, sensing the hollowness in her, the absence of any magic. Even with the goblin metal, I could still feel magic within Raven. But now I felt none. She was an empty vessel. Magicless.

“Raven?” I swallowed, my voice shaking when I touched her again, rolling her over. A hiss of breath came from my lungs. Her body and face were back to normal, but black blood continued to leak from her nose and eyes, her skin so ashen I had to double check her pulse. A knot of dread formed in my throat when she didn’t move, her chest barely rising.

“Raven?” I touched her face, feeling her sweaty skin cooling. She had no response to me. What if I lost her? What if she died here? All because I forced her to come. “Raven, wake up.” No response. “Gods dammit, Raven,” I roared. “You can’t die on me now. Wake up!”

Her lids popped open, eyes burning red for a second before they dissipated into green, her lungs heaving in air. She blinked at me a few times, as if she didn’t know where she was. She started to sit up, and I grabbed her, helping her. Her head twisted around, noticing the bloody, torn carcasses around us.

“Oh gods…” Her words were barely audible, her muscles quaking. “I killed them.”