Page 189 of Veil of Blood and Bone

“Look out!”

Icy claws puncture through metal and curve, pushing the vehicle onto its side and sending us toppling together. Glass cracks and sends chunks of diamond into the car. I throw myself over Audra in blind horror, our arms and legs tangling with luggage and crutches.

The car rights itself and bounces on bald tires, tossing us haphazardly back toward the creature. Bitter cold air jets straight inside.

“Helene.” Audra sobs my name.

I wrap the scarf around my forearm, pulling the knot tight with my teeth to stifle the bleeding gash.

I’m not my mother. I stayed. I got stronger instead of weaker until the nightmares held no sway over me.

What had I done with the troll? No thought. No plan. Only action.

My body knew what to do, and I let my mind step aside to give it room to move, to attack. The only difference now is the snow. And Audra, trapped with me. Nowhere to run. In the way.

They came. That’s different.

My arm gives a low throb at the tightness of the makeshift tourniquet.

“Are you all right?” I cup Audra’s face in mine, her lips turning blue.

She’s fine, for now. She has to be.

Her gaze snags on something over my shoulder but this is worse than the scream. She makes no sound.

Something frozen scrapes the back of my neck. I meet her eyes, my chest tightening painfully before a claw hooks my coat and hauls me toward the broken window.

Heart lurching into my throat, I push Audra away from me, grasping at the twisted frame of the car to stay inside.

Desperation, a terrible resignation, and there. A tiny point of something familiar.

Rage.

Because fuck this guy.

The creature pulls to get me out of the car, and outside its interior, Wren, shouts at Nicholas. Where is Forest?

My joints protest the harder it yanks at me, and I lock my elbows and knees to keep from being pulled free.

“Try the handle, Audra!” My words come out in a horrible rasp.

Tears freeze on her cheeks. “What are you going to do? Hel⁠—”

“Get out of here!” I cut her off. “Get out now before it crushes us!”

Another wrenching screech sounds from overhead, and the dent in the roof caves closer. She swallows her gasp, a low chuckle from outside filling us both with terror.

The thing gives another yank at half strength, toying with me, toying with all of us. I grimace against the pain.

It’s going to snap me in two.

“I’m not leaving you!” She reaches out to grab my hips and pull me away from the window.

If this is a game of tug of war, I’m losing. It’s guaranteed.

My mind spins in useless circles for a solution. What the hell do I do? A third tug has me clenching my jaw, the ache in my core and knees enough to have me seeing spots.

I wasn’t thinking with the troll attacks. Either one of them.