Page 58 of The Primal of Blood and Bone (Blood and Ash #6)

“We need to leave,” the stranger said, gripping my arm. “Now.”

Energy passed between us as a crackling line of hissing, silver energy appeared. The realm began to split open as the Ancient’s chin dropped. His jaw stretched unnaturally wide, and he let out a guttural howl that rose until sharp pain pierced my eardrums.

He released a shockwave of energy with a thunderous boom that shook my bones and warped the air under its sheer force. It barreled toward us, rolling over the tear in the realm, snuffing it out—

The blast of power crashed into us, and it was like being struck by lightning. My senses shorted out as the eather flickered wildly around me. I only had a distant impression of being airborne—

Air punched from my lungs as I hit the ground hard.

Pain shot up and down the length of my body, stunning me.

Every limb twitched. No organ seemed to be working right.

My lungs were frozen. My heart stopped as years of Vikter’s training yelled at me to get up.

Move. But my body seemed to be doing its own thing.

Arms and legs spasming, I managed to roll half an inch as I felt the ground vibrating in a pattern of heavy steps.

Get up. Get up.

A shadow fell over me just as my lungs inflated, and my heart stuttered into an erratic pace.

Move. Move.

Grinding my teeth, I forced my quivering muscles to work. I sat up—

A gust slammed into me, knocking me flat onto my back as bony wings slammed into the ground on either side of my head.

The Ancient hovered above me, our faces close—like about five million inches too close.

He had no distinct features. It was just skin stretched over bone.

But there was a discoloration—no, it was the pattern of vines I’d seen on the stranger, similar to the color of Kieran’s wolven.

They were longer than the stranger’s, traveling up the sides of his face, over his temples, and down his throat.

It was kind of pretty.

The featureless face, however, was pure nightmare fuel.

A dim ray of sunlight glinted off his skull as he… sniffed me. My muscles, no longer twitching, tensed up as white dust clouds drifted overhead. The churning colors of his eyes bled together.

Essence swelled as I shoved my hands against his chest—

Multiple things happened at once. The contact of my skin against his sent an intense charge of energy coursing through me, flattening me as a flash of crackling light bloomed. His hiss scorched the air, and he rose several feet into it.

Static dancing over my skin, I shot to my feet. The Ancient straightened as he lowered himself to the ground. I was nothing but pure instinct as I summoned the eather. No longer chained, it responded in a heated rush, spiraling down my right arm as I lifted it—

He was right in front of me, catching my arm by the wrist. The contact sent a rush of energy over my skin, lifting the tiny hairs on my arms as his other hand clamped down on my throat.

Fingers dug into the delicate column as he lifted me until my feet dangled in the air, several feet above the ground.

I gripped the forearm of the hand at my neck, ignoring another surge of tingling energy as I stamped out the spark of fear threatening to ignite.

It would be far too easy for him to crush my throat, and I knew giving in to my panic wouldn’t help.

I’d been in more precarious positions—okay, maybe not more precarious than this, but I could hold my own. And I—

Kha thren loru ?

My eyes widened at the rough whisper. His lips hadn’t moved, but I’d heard him speak. Even more shocking was how the words spoken in an unfamiliar language suddenly made sense.

What are you?

“You’re asking me that?” I forced out in a scratchy rasp.

His lips moved this time, and when he spoke, my insides turned cold. “Asking…me…?” He spoke each syllable slowly and deliberately, his voice reverberating with…

Whispers.

A shiver of dread curled down my spine. There were faint whispers under each word. Or in them.

I wanted to be far, far away from that sound. From him.

“What are…you?” he asked.

Swinging my legs up, I kicked out with every ounce of strength I had, ramming both feet into his chest. The impact rattled the bones of my legs and hips, but the Ancient…

He didn’t budge. Not even an inch. Nor did he grunt. That kick would’ve caved in a mortal’s chest.

The Ancient looked down at my feet, still planted against his chest, and then raised his gaze. Swirling eyes locked onto mine.

My chest hollowed out as I smiled weakly. “Sorry?”

His head cocked to the side, the taut skin at the corners of his eyes creasing. I didn’t even see his arm move. I only felt the brutal swipe of his forearm against my legs, knocking them down.

Oh, that would leave a bruise.

The Ancient jerked me toward him, my legs dangling like one of those creepy dolls with a porcelain head but nothing but cotton and wool for limbs. His head lowered, and he breathed in deeply.

Was he… sniffing me again?

Tilting his head, the bridge of his nose grazed the underside of my jaw, sending a shudder of revulsion through me as he inhaled once more.

“For the love of the gods.” I swung my arm around, hand closed into a fist. “Stop smelling me!”

He caught my wrist without even looking at me.

Oh, shit.

A loud boom sounded not too far off, and the sensation of being thrust downward froze my heart. I landed hard, the back of my head cracking off the ground.

The realm disappeared for a moment, and then everything was a flashing, intense white. I blinked rapidly, trying to clear the starbursts as I lay there, my brain feeling scrambled. Sensation was slow to return, starting with a dull ache in my back and moving downward—

The Ancient’s bony fingers dug into my throat, pressing the fragile bones there. I could feel them start to crack, to give way.

Fear—a deep, icy, visceral kind that I hadn’t felt since I stood at the Chambers of Nyktos and saw Casteel and Kieran fall—shot through me with the speed of an unleashed arrow.

Blood roared in my ears, and my heart lurched so violently I thought it might actually break through my chest. He was going to crush my windpipe—

Nope.

Absolutely fucking nope.

My mind sped up as instinct took over. There wasn’t enough space between us for me to use my legs or hips to attempt to roll him. So, I went with the next best thing—or the worst.

Reaching down, I grabbed the thing between his legs. Gagging at the feel of him in my hand, I pulled and twisted. Hard .

The Ancient howled, stirring up the wind as he reared back and tore himself away from me.

I didn’t waste a second.

Scrambling to my feet, I started to turn—

A hand wrapped around my braid, jerking my head back. I stumbled. Fiery pain swept over my scalp as he spun me to the side and forced my neck back farther until sharp, stabbing pain shot down the sides.

“ Rha lali mi ,” the stranger’s voice boomed.

Let her go .

At least, I thought that’s what he said. But maybe I was wrong. Because the Ancient’s grip on my braid only tightened.

The air suddenly charged, and a crackling bolt of eather arced high. The Ancient twisted at the waist, throwing out his other hand. The churning mass of energy evaporated in a shower of sparks as the fragile bones in my neck ground together.

He was going to snap my neck!

The fear still trickling through my veins flared, reaching deep inside, but before it could sink its vicious claws into me again, rage rose in its place. And it was cold . Colder than the terror. I latched onto it, letting the fury wrap around me.

The taste of ash gathered in my mouth as I grabbed the Ancient’s arm.

“I haven’t gone through everything I have only to have my neck broken.

” Twisting against the vise-like hold to face him, I welcomed the agony radiating down my spine and let it join the rising fury and swelling eather.

Shadows laced with gold and silver appeared under my skin.

“By some naked, winged, and faceless motherfucker covered in dirt.”

The Ancient’s head snapped in my direction.

“Yeah,” I snarled. “I’m talking about you.”

Energy flooded the air, shaking the ground beneath my feet and pushing the clouds of dust and debris back as I slowly straightened, forcing the Ancient’s arm to bend.

The scent of stale lilacs reached me as icy power filled my veins.

My eyes met his as shadows poured from me, spilling across the ground and rising.

The eather ramping up felt different than it had before. Harsher. More chaotic.

Final.

The essence rose at my sides, the streaks of silver growing vibrant as dark bands of crimson appeared.

Harnessing the essence of death, I twisted his arm sharply, smiling at the sound of the bone cracking. The being screamed, and my smile widened.

Thrusting my hand against his chest, I released all that raw energy and sent him flying—

His bone wings spread wide, halting his fall as the red and black streaks of eather swirled over his form. His arms flew out to the sides as the essence seeped into his skin, lighting up his veins as it began tearing his body apart—

Wait.

The smile slowly faded from my face as I quickly realized that wasn’t what was happening.

The Ancient was…absorbing the essence and taking it into himself, making it his. And it changed him.

Hair sprouted from his skull—a pale blond that bordered on white—growing until it tumbled down the center of his back.

Tissue grew over the bones of his wings, thickening and filling out the appendages.

From the membrane, dots of black appeared all over the wings, pushing through and unfurling, one after another, until the entire length was covered in glossy midnight…

I blinked and then squinted. “What in the…?”

I was looking at…

Feathers.

Actual feathers , as black as a raven.

As the last of the essence flickered out, I saw features forming. A straight nose. Sharp cheekbones, thin lips—