Page 14 of Wicked Warlock
“You’ve been around?” I looked him up and down. “You’ve been dead before?”
“Red, I’ve done things you can’t even imagine.” His crystal eyes glinted.
“You’re not the least bit worried that we haven’t seen Ashryn yet? She could be lost in the underworld with nowhere to go and no one to help her.”
“We don’t need help. My sister is more than capable. She will find us, I’m sure of this.”
“How do you know?”
I looked out over the railing as the boat leveled out and was taken aback by how vast the underworld really was. In the distance to my left was a bright burning mountain with thick rivulets of lava flowing down it and around the base. A huge hand busted through the top of the mountain, reaching for the sky. All at once, a flurry of winged creatures erupted from within. They reminded me of the lava fairy, Bridget, from when we crossed into Cindalore to get to Unseelie. Their fiery wings glowed brightly against the dark sky of the underworld as they soared around the hand, looping strands of lava around. They dragged it back down to Earth. The sound of crumbling rock filled the air as the mountain grew over the hand once more and an ear-piercing bellow rocked the entire underworld. Boulders tumbled down the side of the volcano and splashed into the pools of lava. Though it was so far away, I took a small step back. I did not want any part of whatever the hell that was.
I froze and felt like I was covered in something, something warm and slimy.
“Um, Astrid?”
“Beckett?” I looked up and he was hunched over me. I was inside of him! His entire body covered mine and I jumped forward. “Shit.”
“Well, that’s the first time anyone has been inside me…” He chuckled and I couldn’t help but return his smile.
“Glad it was me who popped your cherry.”
He leaned in and whispered, “Likewise.”
If ghosts could blush, I would have. Instead, I chose to swat his arm, only I didn’t get the desired effect I wanted when my hand went right through him. Being dead took a lot of getting used to. I sighed and turned away from him. Maybe the old Beckett was back? Maybe I was just being too paranoid?
Logan shuffled to the edge of the ship and stood there with his hand folded and resting on the railing. I glanced over my shoulder toward Beckett to see if he was going to make a move to go talk to him, yet he seemed more preoccupied talking to Kylian so I walked toward him.
“Penny for your thoughts?”
He barely spared me a glance. “I’m too young to die. I’ve barely lived.”
Pang. And just like that, I nearly doubled over with guilt. “Logan, I’m sorry. We just didn’t have any other—”
“Choice.” He finished for me. “I know, and I don’t blame you.”
“That’s a relief,” I muttered.
“I just always thought when I died it’d be more like that.” He pointed to a golden field in the distance. Each time the wind blew, it looked like swaying wheat in the sunlight, even though there was no sun here or very much light of any kind. Yet there it was. “Did you hear that?”
I held very still, listening. There, drifting on the wind, was the sweetest music I’d ever heard. “Yes, I hear it.”
“That’s what I thought death would be like.” He ran his hand over the stubble on his chin. “Not this wild ride. We don’t even know where we’re going.”
“I think Kylian does.”
Logan scoffed. “Kylian can’t be trusted. He lives his life in the darkness. That guy is just as bad as Cross or Maze.”
“I don’t know who those two guys are.” Kylian cleared his throat, getting our attention. “But Red, I’m worse.”
I opened my mouth to ask him how did he know he was worse? How could he be so sure? But he cut off my words when he pointed over the front of the boat. “I think we were expected.”
The boat dipped downward and I heard the air rush by us. We were gaining speed, dropping like a rocket falling back to Earth. Except we weren’t going to crash into the ocean; no, this time we were going to hit a huge black castle. A castle so tall and imposing that I thought perhaps the Fallen would live there. Instead, this black marble monstrosity sat in the middle of the underworld and could only belong to one person—the person standing on the front steps with Nova by his side and Ashryn dangling from his outstretched arm.
Kylian growled low in his throat.
“Oh, there’s that brotherly love I was looking for earlier.”
“She will be fine. Once I’m through with him…”
