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The whispers rose, sharp, hissing from the dark recesses of my mind and slid through my whole being. I clamped my palms over my ears and moaned.
Dagda hurried toward me.
“Stay away from me!” I released my griffin between us. It let out a screeching cry and reared up in a flash of feathers and claws.
Dagda froze. Raising his hands, he inched backward. “We have little time.”
The whispers became louder. Somehow I stumbled over to my griffin and pulled myself onto my faerie guardian’s back. I wrapped my arms around its neck, and its long wings spread, launching us up into the night.
The cold air stung my eyes, making them water. The whispers pulled at me, threatening to consume me. I fought them, but they caused an anger to build inside me. A ferocity that wanted to see Dagda dead, that urged me to go back and use my griffin to end his life. It would be so sweet, the talons ripping into his flesh, exposing muscle and bone, the fluids flowing uncontrolled from his body. I’d bask in his blood. Then all my problems would be solved.
A cry rose up inside. What waswrongwith me?
The wall surrounding the house where I lived came into view. My human father had spared no expense in constructing the wall that surrounded the simple suburban home. A large, wrought-iron gate that could only be opened by remote control and stood twice as high as my head blocked the short drive.
It was only a mile between the park and my house, and shouts came as I sailed over the wall, landing in the driveway. I dropped to the pavement and shoved my face into the softness of my griffin, sucking in the soothing familiar scent of fur and sky.
“Chels?” Mina called.
I straightened and pulled my faerie guardian onto my arm. I turned to see Mina and Nellie rushing down the front walk to get to me. Nellie’s hair was still wet from her shower. For a moment, everything felt lighter. Until I saw the outrage on Mina's face.
I tensed.
“Where have you been?” she demanded, her movements held a barely contained fury.“How could you be so irresponsible as to take off in the middle of the night without telling anyone? Without any protection?” She threw up her hands.
The whispers returned with a vengeance.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, okay?” The whispers pried at me, words moving by in a blur, but I was going to say this. “I’m sorry I’m not perfect!”
I gripped my head and moaned. Escape. I needed to escape. I needed to get off this pavement and back into nature.
Suddenly Nellie was next to me, taking my arm. “Are you alright?” she asked gently. I shook my head, sinking to the ground.
A shrieking sound caused all of us to jerk toward the front gate.
Metal bent and twisted under the touch of the molten man made of fire and magma, standing almost the height of the gate. A wave of heat blasted over us. The bars sizzled and dripped to the cement with a crackling hiss. The whole gate groaned and curved inward with a horrible lurch. Then it crashed onto the driveway.
The sheer shock of it drove the whispers back. I trembled at the sight beyond.
Dagda stood next to the horrible fiery beast. Sweat coated his hair and glistened on his clenched, square jaw. He drew in deep breaths, the corded muscles standing out on his neck as he crossed over the fallen, misshapen gate, a fierce determination lacing his movements.
His dark, raging gaze swept over us, stopping on me. “I’ve come for my wife.”
His wife.
Guards popped out of the woodwork, guns trained on Dagda’s chest.
Everything was spinning out of control. “Don’t shoot him!” I shrieked.
Dagda’s eyes widened. My outburst surprised even me. The whispers intensified.
The guards held their guns on Dagda. Mina and Nellie stared at Dagda in shock, clearly uncertain what to do.
“Morrigan,” he said to me, taking slow, deliberate steps. “You must come with me to the Otherworld. You are in danger.” He reached to take my arm. “Our time is short—”
“I’mnevergoing with you.” Despite the whispers increasing, I rose on trembling legs and backed away.
He stepped forward, reaching into his pocket, pulling out what looked like a round ceramic ball. “You are unwell. I can help you. I can explain.”
