Page 138 of Dissection of Immortal Hearts

Presiyan wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her against him. “Something, babe?”

Her eyes widened even further. “I don’t know what it is, butit’s big, and it’s coming through the air.”

The necklace on Amelia’s neck started to burn. She looked down at her hands – and the black energy emanating from the tips of her fingers.

“Are you all right?” Callan asked, having moved closer to her without her noticing. She nodded.

“They’re coming for the Sacreds. Maybe we should hide them,” Mikhail said.

Callan tilted his chin towards the necklace. “The Sacreds are safest with their owners. Where’s the watch?”

Amelia glanced at the wide-open door. The others had already left. “Hidden in my room, but…”

“Take it with you.”

“And then stay with Viktor and Alex, whom I’ll send to guard the back door of the cabin. Be ready to run if things go south,” Mikhail said, rushing towards the door.

“Mikhail, I can help!” Amelia raised her voice to stop him.

A second before he went through the door, he turned to her. “Go to Viktor!”

***

Zacharia

“A thousand fucking devils!” Zacharia shouted.

Dark wings, as black as shadows, filled the sky. From a distance, they resembled a vast flock of crows, but even before he outlined them, Zacharia was sure they weren’t ordinary birds. He watched from the first line of trees as the enormous black mass moved in unison, conquering the clouds, drawing closer to their shelter.

Only when his unusual stupor passed did he focus on the reptilian – Kathrine. He was responsible for her while the others decided how and where to evacuate. The sky invasion, however,changed the plan.

Kathrine remained motionless, her gaze fixed on the seamless transition from daylight to dusk above.

“Let me guess, you don’t have a bloody clue what the hell that is?” Zacharia asked.

She faced him. Her eyes were black pupils with thin purple rings around the edges. “I know what they are, but I never suspected there would be so many. Nor… that they could actually fly. These are harpies. The Queen created them.”

His muscles tensed.

“Give me a weapon!” Kathrine shouted.

He hesitated. Could he arm a woman who might as well be a Trojan horse?

“They outnumber you! You’ll need all the help you can get!” she said.

Zacharia glanced around for Alex, even though he’d long since ordered her to head for the cabin’s shelter. Damn it. Was he seeking moral support from an inexperienced, new-generation lycanthrope to arm Kathrine?

“I can help!” she shouted. “I’ve been trained to kill.”

He drew his gun and threw it at her. “Make sure you kill the right creatures, then!”

She nodded, determination written all over her features.

“We need to warn the others,” Zacharia said, rushing towards the cabin, with the reptilian following behind.

And then the screams started.

***