Feathers.
Actualfeathers, as black as a raven.
As the last of the essence flickered out, I saw features forming. A straight nose. Sharp cheekbones, thin lips—
The ground rumbled with a deep, resonant growl as the land began to break away all around us. It was deafening—the shrieking steel and cascading stone as large sections of theground lifted. Pockets of smoke and white, ashy clouds rose across the horizon.
A spray of mud and rocks flew up from the sunken riverbed as a bony hand punched through the surface.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I groaned as it tore itself free, its chest heaving as it stood and walked toward the shore.
The feathered one roared, shaking my bones.
“Time for us to go.” The stranger was at my side again, his hand wrapped firmly around mine. I barely felt the shock of energy as a silvery tear opened in the air.
The being’s wings swept back with such force they sent a gust of wind rushing over the ruined land. He flew toward the one below him as fast as a draken—faster. They crashed into each other, the impact sending out a shockwave that rolled in every direction and erupted the ground below them. Chunks of earth and large rocks hurled toward us as a harsh, acrid scent blew back, bringing a searing heat.
Something slammed into me—a rock, a piece of a structure? I wasn’t sure, but whatever it was, ithurt. It knocked the air out of me and snapped my head back. I heard a grunt as I was pulled toward the opening, my body suddenly feeling like it could no longer function.
Darkness closed in at the corners of my eyes as the ground beneath us collapsed, giving way to flames.
CASTEEL
“Are you ready to behave as if you don’t wish for today to be your very last?”
The entire length of my body vibrated with rage as I glared at the motherfucker with the tattooed face.
The son of a bitch had strolled out of the very same opening in the realm Poppy had left through seconds earlier.
I had no idea who he was. We didn’t make it to the introductions, considering he’d lifted a hand and sent me skidding across the chamber floor as the portal closed, sealing me off from wherever Poppy had gone.
I’d lost my shit. Plain and simple. Part of it was due to how easily he’d gotten the upper hand. I wasn’t used to that. But absolute terror—for Poppy—fueled my fury. I had no idea where she’d gone. All I knew was that it couldn’t be good based on what she’d been picking up. And she’d just woken from stasis. I didn’t think she had taken enough blood. She hadn’t eaten. And I wasn’t sure she fully remembered everything. She was out there somewhere, without me to back her up, facing only the gods knew what. So, yeah, I lost my shit. I launched myself at him, starting to shift without any real conscious effort. That’s how far gone I was.
The fucker put a real quick stop to it, though. He sent me one look with eyes eerily familiar that not only held me completely immobile but also kept my ass suspended with a fine dusting of gold-spotted black fur covering every inch of my flesh, claws protruding from the tips of my now-shortened fingers, and significantly longer canines.
A rough, guttural growl rumbled from my throat as I pushed against his invisible hold. The essence pulsed inside me and then just…sputtered out.
“I guess not,” the pierced-nipple fucker replied with a bored tone, knocking back brown hair as long as Poppy’s from his face. Turning away, he looked at the dining table. “What is it about thewomen of the Mierel bloodline that attracts such reckless men with so little regard for their lives?” Lifting a lid from a covered dish, he smiled at the array. “Oh! Cheese.” He reached for one of the cheeses I knew Kieran had prepared because it was sliced into small, bite-sized cubes.
“Where is Poppy?” I demanded.
“Not here.”
My chest vibrated with a growl that crawled its way out. “No shit.”
He paused for a moment, his fingers hovering over the cheese before picking up not one, not two, butthreecubes.
“That food is not meant for you.”
“No shit,” he parroted.
I pushed harder against the invisible hold. “I’m going to ask you one more time. Where is Penellaphe?”
“Or what?” He tossed the cheese into his mouth.
“Release your hold on me and find out.” I held his stare. “Unless you’re afraid.”
He chewed slowly, his expression giving nothing away. I didn’t pick up anything from him either. “You make such threats because you have no idea what I am. Nyktos, on the other hand, did. But he still ran his mouth.”
