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I followed his imprint back to him as one of the Gyrms swung its sword on Perry. I noticed.

Maybe they recognize you.

Maybe they did, but that wasn’t stopping them from attacking the others…or coming at me. Two Gyrms started toward me, blades at their sides. The eather vibrated, pressing against my skin. I opened my senses, but like with the other Gyrms, I felt nothing but emptiness—cold hollowness.

Kieran shoved a Gyrm back against a tree. “More are coming.” He thrust his blade through a creature’s chest with a snarl. “About another dozen.”

“Of course.” I stalked forward.

“At least, they’re not coming out of the ground this time,” Vonetta pointed out as she thrust her blade through a chest.

“There is that,” Naill agreed, swinging his sword through the air.

A Gyrm to the left made a move as if he sought to get behind me. “I don’t think so.”

Turning sharply, I kicked the creature in the chest. It stumbled back. I twisted, swinging the wolven dagger down on another Gyrm’s forearm. The bloodstone, ever so sharp, sliced through the papery-thin skin and hollow bone, severing the arm. The pale fingers spasmed open, releasing the shadowstone sword it clutched. Catching it by the handle, I swung the sword high and wide, cutting through the other Gyrm’s neck, meeting utterly no resistance. The shadowstone sword collapsed in my hand, disappearing as Casteel struck down the one it belonged to.

I pouted. “I kind of liked that sword.”

Kieran shot me a look as he pushed another Gyrm back. “Too bad.”

“You’re no fun.” I firmed my grip on the dagger. “You know that, right? No fun—”

“Holy shit,” Emil exclaimed, stumbling back. “Their mouths. Holy shit. Their mouths.”

“Is he just now realizing they’re stitched closed?” Casteel shoved his sword through the back and into the heart of a Gyrm.

“Told you it was disturbing.” I knocked a Gyrm’s hand aside. “Touching without permission is not okay.”

The Gyrm’s head tilted, and then it smiled. Or tried to. The stitches stretched and then popped, tearing free. The mouth dropped open as something black and shiny wiggled out—

“Why does it have to be snakes?” I jumped back, stomach churning with horror as the serpent slithered forward, quickly blending in with the dark ground. “Snakes. I hate snakes.”

“I warned you all.” Emil slammed his sword into the ground and the sound the serpent made when he struck it was not right. It was so wrong. It was an ear-piercing shriek.

“What the fuck?” Malik hopped onto a low wall.

“You did not give details!” Vonetta shouted, dancing back as Sage pawed at the ground, sending a snake flying through the air. “Once again, you failed to give details!”

“All you said was ‘their mouths.’” I gasped, scanning the ground, having lost sight of the little wiggling bastard. “Why? Why are there snakes?”

“Most Gyrms have them inside,” Reaver said, slamming his sword into a serpent.

I couldn’t even process that utter…fuckery. A Gyrm prowled forward, another disgusting creature spilling from its mouth. I backed into a boulder. Scrambling off the ground, I rose to my knees on the rock. “Nope. Nope. Nope. Will eather work on these things?” I asked Reaver.

“From you?” His lip curled in disgust as he stabbed a serpent. “Yes, only because you’re a Primal about to finish the Culling.”

Casteel spun toward me as a grin tugged at his lips. “Are you hiding on a boulder?”

“Yep.”

“You’re adorable.”

“Shut up.” The eather pulsed violently in my chest as Casteel chuckled. I let the energy come to the surface. A silvery glow washed across the ground—oh, gods, there was more than one serpent. Three. Seven—

Kieran snapped forward, slamming his boot down on one. The sound. The stain. Bile clogged my throat.

Six. I saw six snakes. There were probably more, and I was so not going to sleep for the next ten years. The Primal essence answered my will as it spread out from me as a network of shimmering, silvery-white light laced with churning shadows. It washed over the ground, sparking when it hit a snake and then igniting. The ropey nightmares screamed, blistering my ears as they went up in smoke.

The remaining Gyrms spun toward me. Like with those skeleton soldiers in Iliseeum, the essence drew them like a Craven to spilled blood. Stitches tore, mouths opened, and serpents spilled onto the ground, racing toward the boulder.

“Maybe it’s time for you to go all Primal on these creeps,” Malik called from his wall.

My skin and hands tingled, warming as the corners of my vision turned silvery-white. Power rushed through my veins. Essence erupted from my hands in silver flames from where I knelt.

The eather crackled and spat, darting between Perry and Delano and striking the Gyrm behind them as the fiery essence licked and rolled across the ground, burning through the newest batch of snakes. I turned, eyes narrowing as I saw the remaining Grym stalking the wolven. It was gone in a flash of silver.