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“Oh, my god…” Kari sounds every bit as horrified as I feel.
What the hell is that thing? It’s not magical or human. It’s…other.
“Magic won’t work on them. Know any human combat techniques?” Caden barks beside me.
“None.” In fact, I barely know how to fight like a wizard. I devoted decades to carnal pursuits. Now, I regret that like mad.
“The Anarki—the cold, robed, half-rotted figures—are dead humans minus their souls. They’re immune to magic.”
“Like an untouchable?” But that doesn’t make sense. No one has seen or heard of a single untouchable in a thousand years or more. They’re almost an urban legend these days. How could Mathias suddenly make dozens of them?
“No. These beings aren’t special, just husks, susceptible to a good stab wound.” Caden slips a long, wicked blade into my hand, its serrated edge promising maximum injury. “Jab this into the chest or belly, then stand back while they bleed.”
A moment later, Caden demonstrates. The creature oozes what looks like crude oil before collapsing to the ground, unmoving.
What the devil? They bleed black? And to kill one of these Anarki, I’ll have to get unnervingly close. Which means Kari will be close as well.
My every instinct as her mate refuses.
Two more of the creatures creep my way while Rhea eyes Kari with malevolence. “You can’t protect her, whelp. She’ll make a tasty little sacrifice to Mathias’s pleasures.”
“Like hell.” Tucking my wand away and holding Kari close, I toss the knife into my dominant hand and advance on the first of the two Anarki. “Stay close, love.”
The first creature bares its teeth, then leaps on me, icy skin threatening to freeze me altogether before I plunge my knife into its chest. The other rounds on me, grabbing tight, its gaze fixed squarely on Kari. I twist and surge to get free, but the creature is alarmingly strong. The deep freeze of its body temperature holds me immobile.
From my peripheral vision, I watch another creature lurch closer to Kari. She recoils, shivering as she plasters herself against me. My heart stops. She’s afraid. I can smell her fear.
She needs me, and I can’t fucking move.
“Ronan!” Kari screams.
I redouble my efforts to get free and protect her. If I don’t, she’ll die.
Damn it all! Has my affection galvanized the Wolvsey curse, putting her in mortal danger?
Or were Shock and Kari right, that no one is assured a long life?
“I’m frozen.” I hate it, but I owe Kari the truth.
The second zombie reaches out a hand of rotting flesh. Though my belly burns with fear and regret, a second blast of cold roots me even deeper in place.
As the monster extends its decaying hand toward Kari’s hair, she ducks between my legs, grabbing frantically at the blade in my icy fist. The moment she pries it free, the creature in front of me encircles my neck with its decomposing fingers and squeezes hard, cutting off my oxygen.
I try to fight, coughing and sputtering, thrashing to regain control of my body and struggle to wrench free. To no avail. The creature’s hold is chilling and absolute.
The edges of my vision begin to gray. My hope fades as I reach out to Raiden through our twin bond.
But I feel nothing except the zombie behind me clawing its way down my back, deep-freezing my blood and slowing my heart under a layer of ice.
It stops beating completely when the fiend grabs Kari’s hair and looms over her with malevolent glee, bony teeth bared. But she refuses to surrender.
“Die, you bloody bastard!” She shoves the knife into the monster’s belly.
It staggers away, black sludge oozing from the open wound.
The beast still choking me snarls, then tightens its grip. My world narrows to a pinpoint with Kari at the center as I fall to my knees.
I’ve been too depleted of energy for too long and not skilled enough in human combat to fight back. My end has come. But if I can distract the Anarki long enough to let Kari escape, I can die in peace.
