Page 122 of Crave Me

“No. I’ve not heard the name before either. But Klas never let me meet any of his friends.” It was a soft statement, one filled with loneliness and heartache.

“I sense him,” Slater confirmed quietly from the top of the stairs, his black feathers ruffling in agitation. “And I can smell the death magic, too.” His nose crinkled with the words, his gaze narrowing.

Kaspian entered first with Slater moving in behind him.

Which placed me behind his big black wings.

Well, mostly black. Three white feathers stood out among the sea of inky plumes, making me wonder if they served some sort of purpose or were a marker of some kind.

But I didn’t ask.

Because the moment we reached the tunnel floor, I couldfeelVesperus.

I phased ahead of the group, my night energy ready tokill.

I’d never been one for violence, but I would be tasting Klas’s blood tonight.

Vesperus’s aura called to me, his presence a beacon in my mind that I followed without looking back.

Mine, mine, mine,my heart beat.

Kill, kill, kill,my soul demanded.

I kept phasing forward, chasing Vesperus’s essence, his chocolatey scent curling around me in warm welcome.

A bullet fired, one my stardust caught in an instant shield, my powers ready and alert and prepared toannihilate.

Someone cursed. I wasn’t sure if it came from behind me or in front of me. I didn’t care. I was singularly focused on finding Vesperus.

There, I thought, catching sight of his crumpled form and immediately hitting him with a blast of stardust.

More gunfire started to rain down upon me, along with someone whispering a chant.

I sent a tidal wave of power in their direction, the energy whistling like a whip and taking them all down.

Six men.

Three women.

I only recognized Paxton.

But they were all armed and shooting at me.

“I have had enough of your toys,” I seethed, hitting them with another blast of my power. “All you beings have done since the moment I arrived is try to kill me. And you know what? I think it’s time I return the favor.”

CHAPTERTWENTY-NINE

VESPERUS

Fire licked across my senses.

Hot. Intense. Flames.

It made my nose twitch, the scent intoxicating in nature.

Because it’s underlined with a sweet, citrusy undertone,I marveled.Nyx.

Vesperus,she replied, the relieved quality of her voice making me frown.