Before anyone can respond, something shatters on the second floor. Something big.
“What in the devil’sbleedingarsehole was that?” Jude asks.
“I think we canDdetermine withCcertainty…” Drae closes his eyes, cursing under his breath. “Thatwas a nightstand being thrown through the guest room window.”
Chapter Sixteen
WESTLYN
The climb down from the second-story bedroom—while much less intimidating than a leap from the bell tower—is a lot harder than it looks. Doesn’t help that I’ve only got one shoe, but there’s nowayI’m turning back now. I didn’t stab a demon at the altar just to end up a captive in this house of horrors, no matter how seductive Jude may be.
Lesson one from my wedding-gone-sideways? Appearances can be quite deceiving. Like when a cute guy makes you an almond joy latte, then gives you a ring made of human bone. And fine,yes, I’m still wearing it, but that’s only because I wanted a souvenir. A reminder of the moment I decided to strip off the blindfold.
Yeah, keep telling yourself that, girl…
I finally reach the ground, dropping into the grass with a soft thud. Ditching my useless shoe, I take off at a run in what I hope is the direction of the road, but I’m met with nothing but deep, dark forest as far as the eye can see.
Fresh blood soaks through my bandage, the cut stinging like a bitch, but I don’t have time to worry about that right now. I just need to find my way to civilization. A town. A tavern. Anything.
I scan the property again, doing a full three-sixty as I take in what appears to be a sprawling estate. The main house looks like a renovated gothic mansion, complete with turrets and gargoyles not unlike the ones at the cathedral. I came out on the back side, the windows completely dark but for the bedroom I just escaped. A large barn and a few other outbuildings dot the property, and there’s some kind of orchard on one side and what looks like a vegetable garden on the other, a thick patch of corn stalks swaying in the night breeze.
Beyond it, nothing but forest and mist, the trees climbing up steep hills that stretch far past the property, hemming us in.
I’m about to try my luck around the front of the house when I spot a dark smudge darting across the sky, then spiraling down before me and finally landing in the grass.
“Lucinda!” I crouch down and tap my shoulder, and she hops up, nuzzling my neck. “Goddess, I’m so happy to see you. I knew you’d find me.”
Tears of relief sting my eyes, and I get to my feet, once again taking in my surroundings. The trees. The mist. The endless darkness and the—
Oh, no.
A deep dread rolls through me, making my stomach twist.
Shadows. So many of them, I can’t take more than a few steps without landing in one. Now that I’m on the run, every shadow is another threat—another way for the Archmage and Eloise to get to me.
A shadow is a shadowmancer’s best ally. It’s how they spy, how they astral travel, how they trap their prey.
How they kill.
They can’t manipulate shadow energy inside properties they don’t own, but public and outdoor spaces are fair game.
“Shit,” I hiss. “Shit!”
The only thing I’ve got going for me is I’m pretty sure they don’t know where I am, so they don’t know where to start searching. But how long will that last? What if Jude’s working with them and he’s already told them my location?
What if he’s trying to keep me here until they arrive?
The bleak reality of my situation hits me all over again. Even if I could avoid the shadowsandfind a roadandmake my way to a town, then what? Just waltz into the local sheriff’s office, explain how I’m fleeing the violent, monstrous criminals who somehow rescued me from my even more monstrous family who—by the way—just tried to sell me to a demon?
A laugh bubbles out, startling poor Lucinda into flight, and I stand motionless in the middle of the cold, wet grass contemplating my next move.
But then those damnable shadows come to life, sweeping over me in a dark wave.
I close my eyes, biting back a scream of frustration.
I broke the cardinal rule. I hesitated. I fuckinghesitated. I’m the horror movie girl who goes down in the first act because she insisted on heading into the basement to investigate the strange noise instead of calling the cops.
And in that brief little space of time—barely a few heartbeats—I lost.
