Page 83 of Queen of Tempests and Sin

‘I thought your shadows could kill everything they touched!’ I shouted, sidestepping a swipe of its claws.

‘Organisms!’ Sephy yelled back. ‘Living things! Not stone! And you’re welcome!’ she added, her grin manic.

‘Stop gabbing and bind it!’ Bronte snapped, voice sharp as a whip.

I staggered back, clutching my throbbing hand, watching as my friends turned into something out of a nightmare and a miracle all at once.

The gargoyle bucked against the bindings, wings beating the air into a hurricane. Bronte’s light flared, Sephy’s shadows yanked tighter, and still it howled, stone teeth gnashing for blood.

Bronte’s lips curled into a feral grin as she dug her heels in. ‘Hold him steady, Sephy—I’m sending this ugly bastard back where he belongs.’ Then Bronte’s eyes cut to me, sharp and wicked, even as sweat beaded her brow. ‘Oh, by the way, Cordie… did I forget to mention this one has a special hatred for redheads?’

My stomach bottomed out. ‘You what?’

‘Relax, I needed you. Our stony friend doesn’t crawl out unless he smells blood he likes. Congrats, doll.’ Bronte’s grin was pure devilry as Sephy’s shadows tightened around the gargoyle’s throat. ‘You were the bait.’

The creature thrashed harder, its burning eyes locked squarely on me.

‘Bronte!’ I shrieked, but she just winked, lips curling around a spell.

With a flash of golden fire, both witch and monster vanished in a crack of displaced air—leaving Sephy and me staring at the empty graveyard, breathless.

Sephy bent over, hands on her knees, wheezing with laughter. ‘I told you she was an asshole.’

I was too busy trying not to vomit. ‘She used me as bait,’ I croaked. ‘Actual, living, red-haired bait. Bloody bitch.’

I was still glaring at the patch of air Bronte had disappeared through when the space above a cracked tombstone split open with a hiss.

Out she came—hair frazzled, coat singed at the hem, one eyebrow scorched halfway off—but still grinning like the devil’s own cheerleader.

‘Well,’ she announced, dusting ash off her sleeve as if she’d just come back from a spa day, ‘that was fun.’

‘Fun?’ I shrieked, voice breaking like a pre-teen boy’s. ‘You almost fed me to a gargoyle!’

Bronte tilted her head, lips twitching. ‘Bait. Important distinction. Plus, there’s no way I’d let you die, I like you too much.’ My feeling of betrayal eased a tad, until she carried on talking. ‘And might I say… ten out of ten, doll. That thing wanted your fiery little head more than a dieter wants chocolate cake at a Weight Watchers meeting.’

Sephy wheezed so hard she nearly toppled over.

I jabbed a finger at Bronte. ‘You’re insane. Certifiable. The next time you need bait, find yourself someone else!’

‘Relax,’ Bronte drawled, smoothing down her ruined hair with exaggerated care. ‘You survived. You screamed like a banshee, but you survived. Honestly, you should be thanking me. Like I said, it builds character.’

‘Builds ulcers,’ I snapped, pressing a hand to my chest.

Bronte grinned, singed but smug, eyes glinting with mischief.

‘You’re right, Sephy.’ I told the goddess. ‘She’s a complete asshole.’

At that, Sephy and Bronte burst into laughter, and despite myself, I couldn’t help laughing with them.

CHAPTER 28

POSEIDON

Ireturned from Genesion with one goal: find Hades and catch up on the rumours of an impending auction—one whispered to be selling the infamous dragon’s teeth of the Spartoi. Each tooth was capable of summoning soldiers from the soil—an army that never truly died… warriors who fought until nothing remained but blood and ash.

But the moment I stepped into his office, I knew something was off.

‘What is it?’ I pressed, narrowing my eyes. For once in all my dealings with him, Hades actually looked… uncomfortable.