Page 155 of A Vow of Shadow and Blood

An unexpected laugh falls from my lips as our eyes meet. Whatever concoction Finn brewed to turn himself invisible made me completely forget he was even here—and honestly, I’ve never been happier to see him.

He studies the group for a minute before he cocks his head to the side and grins.

“Ok… let's address the shadow elephant in the room. I may be better at this magic thing than those of you who were actually born with it.”

Ajax lets out an amused sigh. “You’re good, I’ll give you that, Curls, but let’s not push our luck now.”

“I think he’s flirting with me,” Finn says, and I smile. “Fighting for the good side isn’t so bad after all.”

He winks, and even Kaia smiles.

“Adina.”

The voice makes the entire world stop, and when I turn to see Willow, I cry out before I bound over to her. I slam into her chest and throw my arms around her.

“I thought I’d never see you again,” she whispers against my chest.

“I would have ripped this world apart to find you, Willow.”

She squeezes me tighter, and I feel her body wrack as the sobs start to escape her, and I can’t help the tears that fall from my own eyes. My attention falls over her shoulder to where Karius now stands, and I find him watching us. An unsettling gnawing has my stomach churning, and I know without question that he feels it too.

“You ok?” I mime, and he nods. I don’t understand how Julian was able to overpower him, but I can’t think about that right now. I finally have Willow, and I won’t allow him to steal this moment from us.

“Where am I?” The words come from one of the impures, except they’re not impure anymore.She’s human.The dark eyes and veins have faded to nothing.

Willow and I step apart as I look over the group.

“He really was controlling them,” Ajax says.

“Was he the creature that the gods locked up?” Piper asks, and I shake my head.

“No, but I believe he was the one created to free it. Killing him must have released them all,” I say.

“Then perhaps it’s over. Maybe Julian was the demon's only way of being freed,” Piper says hopefully.

It’s Kaia who speaks next. “I don’t think we stopped it, but I do think we delayed it. The only question is for how long.”

The thought makes me shiver.

“How about we get out of here and have this little discussion in the safety of the palace,” Finn says.

I turn to see Karius staring down at Julian’s corpse, his gaze intense, and I know without a doubt he feels the same as I do—because the feeling coming down the bond, that this isn’t over, isn’t coming from me. It’s coming from him.

The journey back to the palace is silent. Too much has happened over the last twenty-four hours, and though we all fought side by side, I don’t know if things will ever be the same again. I try not to focus on the fact that Karius chose to ride back with Ivana and Kaia or that his relief at finding me safe quickly morphed into anger.

I clutch onto Willow as she sleeps soundly at my side. She looks exhausted, and as much as I wanted to ask her a million questions as soon as we found her, I knew that she needed the rest. I gently wake her as the carriage comes to a stop outside the palace.

“We’re here,” I whisper.

She stirs before stretching her arms out and sitting up. Dark patches color the skin beneath her eyes, and her gaze carries a sadness that I’m too afraid to ask about.

I try to ignore the icy wind that sweeps over me as I help Willow out of the carriage. Thin fingers wrap around mine, and I plaster a fake smile on my face to hide the worried expression from her. She looks like she’s been starved, while I’ve been indulging in all the luxuries the palace has to offer. I feel sick. Anger surges through me, and I search for Athriel’s presence, but once again, he’s quiet.

My attention is taken by the sight of Karius standing cross-armed outside of our carriage, his face emotionless as he watches me. Ivana stands beside him, her predatory gaze lingering on us both as two guards stand statuesque behind them. I stop for a moment, a funny feeling sending goosebumps skittering up my arms. Something feels off.

“Now,” Karius says flatly.

In a flash, Ivana moves toward us, grabbing Willow in her grasp. Before I can react, she throws open a portal and drags her through it. I move so fast that the world around me disappears, but I’m too slow, finding myself falling through the air as the black mass evaporates into nothing. I steady myself and whip my attention in Karius’s direction, but his back is already to me as he moves up the entrance stairs.