Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 109477 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 547(@200wpm)___ 438(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109477 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 547(@200wpm)___ 438(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
He glanced up, brow furrowed.
“Hurry!” She made a circle in the air with her finger. “Celestials are coming. We gotta get—”
She cut off in surprise as he darted toward her and ripped her through the window. He looked at the sky before shoving her on.
“Go. Front door. Follow normal human protocol.” He dropped the chalice on the ground as he hurried with her.
“I didn’t know they flew.” Her voice jiggled as she ran. She reached the front door and jerked it open. “None of the books said they had wings.”
“They’re the only ones who fly.” He kept his hand on her shoulder. “It’s fine. They can sense fae magic and scent their kind, but no fae entered that apartment. They won’t know to look there. They won’t know we’re connected to it.”
She grimaced as they reached the stairwell, then gripped the handle and took the steps two at a time.
“About that…” On the second-floor landing, she swung around toward the next set of stairs. “I met one of them. He pinned me to the wall with his magic. He took the item I’d grabbed from the apartment. It wasn’t a chalice. I didn’t know he might want it—”
Zorn’s firm grip on her arm stopped her before she could descend to the next level.
“What?” It was as close as she’d ever heard him sound to panicked.
She stilled even though everything in her wanted to sprint down the next set of stairs. She stared up into those hard gray eyes and saw his worry for what it was. That gaze dropped, finding the nick from the dagger.
“It’s fine. He didn’t hurt me.” The opposite, in fact, as shameful as that was to admit. “He took the thing I’d grabbed and, after he noticed the Celestials, told me to run. It sounded like he wasn’t supposed to be in this realm. He snuck past them but didn’t escape their notice, however that might work.”
His threat from all those years ago hung heavy within her, though she wasn’t quite sure if it still applied.
Shh, little dove. It must remain our secret, or it will become your group that I must silence.
For some reason—fear, most likely—she worried about divulging too much information.
“What you grabbed…” Zorn swore softly. “He used his magic on you?”
“To pin me.”
“Did he touch you?” The growl was ferocious. This man would battle a fae, regardless of if he’d lose the fight, if that creature had crossed a line with her in any way. Zorn was the same breed of loyal as she, and just as desperate for vengeance if his family was wronged.
The warmth in her heart was a stark contrast to the chill in her blood at what was coming. At the danger they might be in because of her chance meeting.
“Only to get that…rock thing, whatever it was. When I stabbed him, he said it was with the wrong weapon. I lodged my throwing knife in him and slashed him with my dagger, and he was barely fazed. Though those wounds wouldn’t have slowed you down, either. Maybe just not enough holes in his body.”
His gaze was conflicted. He looked skyward, as though seeing through the ceiling to the coming danger.
“Okay. Go. Hurry! Maybe we can get to the car before they descend.” He marshaled her on, staying right behind her as she hurried down the steps.
At the bottom level, she slowed to a walk. It was never good to draw attention to oneself by rushing. Once she was through the ramshackle lobby and outside, she picked up the pace just a bit. She barely stopped herself from looking at the sky. Zorn would do it much less obviously. Besides, if she caught sight of them again, she might stare. She’d barely viewed them from a distance, but the pretty sparkle on those dawn-like wings, even in the moonlight, had been a sight to behold.
“It wasn’t a chalice?” Zorn asked so quietly she barely heard.
“No. It wasn’t anything. Just…like…a rock, kinda.” She explained what it had looked like as they walked. What it had felt like and the momentary illusion of it glowing.
“Why’d you grab it?” He took her arm and kept her from turning the corner. Instead they walked straight on, toward the nearest fence and the fastest way away from the building.
“I wanted to ask you about it. It was weird but…cool. It had this neat…hum. I knew it was magical in some way, and since it wasn’t a chalice, I figured it wouldn’t matter. I grabbed a watch, too.” She showed him her wrist. “He didn’t care about that at all. Didn’t even notice it.”
“They aren’t looking for chalices, then,” he said, reaching the fence. He threaded his fingers together and dropped them low to cradle her foot.
He was taking care of his protégée and pseudo-niece, which was cute, but they didn’t have the time. She jumped, grabbed the top of the fence, and quickly hauled herself over.