Page 4

Darkness enveloped me, its cold embrace consuming me.

I was weightless, floating. It felt timeless, like there was no meaning to anything . . . a void. Then I was on a cold stone floor, dry heaving. My stomach churned, and my head spun.

“Stand, mortal,” he ordered, and I was dragged to my feet by the hold on my wrists. I staggered after him, my eyes wide and wild as I scanned the pathway. Torches lined the top edge of the wall all the way down to a wooden door, and he was pulling me toward it.

I had no time to think, much less act, and then we reached the destination.

“Here we are.” He gripped the back of my neck with his freezing hand. The door creaked open. “Your temporary home.”

He threw me inside so hard my ankle twisted, and I landed in a pile.

The iron-framed wood door slammed shut with a resounding thud.

Shakily, I stood and leaned against the wall to scan the room.

Floor-to-ceiling wooden . . . pantries? They lined the furthest side of the wall, but my focus returned to the door.

I carefully stepped on my foot, and the barest twinge went up my shin.

I limped, trying to keep weight off it on my way to the door.

I banged the side of my wrist against the surface, but nothing happened, so I tried again and again until a burn started up in my shoulder.

By the twelfth pound, my efforts felt stupid.

I shuddered with a dry sob. Pressing my palm to my mouth, I slumped against the door and slid to the floor. My ankle didn’t like the movement, but the pain wasn’t enough to rip me out of the agony in my chest.

Why had he taken me?

If he was Satan, or a demonic entity, I hadn’t done anything that would merit this . A shudder wracked through my body, and I hugged myself.

Something moved in the dark corner of the room.

For a split second, I expected the usual shadows, but there was a woman slumped against the wall, her face turned away from me.

Her shoulders moved in a disjointed pattern, as if she were in pain.

Slowly, I stood and hurried over, dropping to my knees next to her.

Her head lifted from where she leaned against the stone surface.

I froze, my breath stalling in my lungs.

She had an odd face, her features off and eerie.

The bridge of her nose was flatter, and her ears were pointed, poking out through her brown hair.

Very similar to the creature that dragged me here, her skin coloring looked inhuman, and hers gave the impression of granite marbling.

A jagged bit of rock lay to her side, and her arms were stretched out over her legs, allowing me a clear view of the bright red blood leaking from her arms. She’d cut herself from the start of her wrist to the dip of the inner side of her elbow.

Just one look at the flayed skin and I knew she needed help as soon as possible. She’d bleed out.

What was she? What were they ? A cough rattled from her chest. She hadn’t attacked me, only watched me from lowered eyelids.

As different as she looked, I couldn’t let her suffer.

The gurgled sound spurred me into action.

“We need to get you help,” I muttered, my hands hovering over her. I was scared of touching her . . .

“Leave me to my death,” she wheezed, and her head drooped as if the muscles in her neck gave up.

“Help,” I screamed. Her hand lashed out just as I was about to get up from the floor.

“The Lord of Shadows will not help.” Her voice was soft and slightly hissing. Lord of Shadows?

Her eyes slowly opened, and I saw they were thin like a snake’s. A single sliver of a pupil. I gasped and tried to pull out of her grip.

She groaned, and I froze.

“I do not want to evoke his anger. I want to end this.”

“What?” I croaked.

Her lips twitched at the corners, and she peeked at me.

“Human, you must be here for Novareth.”

I sucked in a breath. She knew why I was here.

“Novareth?”

She groaned, her head thumping back against the wall.

Her lips twitched, her eyes fluttered shut. Blood stained the tip of my sneaker.

She was dying.

“Help!” Once on my feet, I limped to the door, going directly for the latch. I could have sworn it wasn’t unlocked when he dumped me in here, but I didn’t waste time when the door opened under my hand. The hall came into view.

The endless, deep, dark hall. I didn’t know how long I’d end up wandering its depths, and she didn’t have time.

“Help,” I screamed again, taking a halting step forward. There had to be a way to get him here, to summon him, or something .

I ran my hands through my hair.

Lord of Shadows . He’d been using them to watch me through them. I narrowed my eyes at the inky darkness clinging to the walls.

“I know you’re watching. Come, please!”

Nothing happened. I expected something! I scrubbed my fingers through my long hair, exhaling sharply.

“What will you do for me?”

With a scream, I whirled to look at him, already standing inside the freezing room. He stood with his hands behind him. He stretched his wings out, and they fluttered.

“She’s dying,” I whispered, jerking my chin toward her.

He cocked his head and lazily looked at the woman.

“And?” I could only gawk in shock. For the life of me, I didn’t know why his callous response shocked me. This was a monster. “Her life means nothing to me.”

“Wait!” If I didn’t stop him, those shadows whipping around him would make him disappear. “I-I will give . . . you something.”

He stiffened, and his wings twitched. I could tell I’d caught his attention.

“A bargain?”

“Yes, a bargain,” I blurted.

He waved his hand, and the shadows began to gather.

“And what do you offer?” He cocked his head.

Her chest rattled with a ragged breath. I clasped my cross. She would die if she didn’t get medical attention. She needed help. There was no hope for me, and if I could save a life, then it was worthwhile.

“Anything. Just help her.” There was no magical glitter explosion with my declaration.

In two strides, he was at her side.

“Please no, don’t?—”

Just as quickly, his shadows dragged her upright and he sliced his claws through her arm, ripping the flesh to the bone all the way down to the palm of her hand with the ease of a hot knife slicing into butter.

She screamed in a way I’d never heard anyone scream before. I staggered back and leaned against the wall, nausea making me weak.

“Stop,” I wheezed. She thudded on the ground, flayed arm flopping to the side, the edges of her ripped skin jiggling.

He cocked his head, onyx eyes on me.

“She will bleed faster now.”

He flicked his claws and blood splattered across my cheek. The room spun and my knees gave out until I landed on my butt. She whimpered, her blood dripping on the ground with a rhythmic plop.

“She’s in pain,” I screamed. “Stop it.”

He bared his teeth in a macabre mimic of a grin. Suddenly, his shadows enveloped her. The sounds of wheezing reached my ears.

Her body emerged, emaciated, and shriveled. A husk of its former self. She was dead. The creature shivered like he’d thrown back a shot of tequila.

“You . . . killed . . . her.” My lips felt so numb, it was difficult to speak.

“Yes. I helped her.” His head tilted to the side. “As you asked.”

I could only gawk as he strode out of the chamber, and the knot in my throat thickened. Nothing would save me.