Page 69 of A Court of Bones & Sorrow

I tore my gaze away from Vail. “No, I wasn’t sure how much we’d be riding at night and I didn’t want to risk her.”

Relief flickered through Ary’s face. Apparently, the idea of riding my hot-tempered mare was more intimidating than traveling in the wilds of Lunaria at night.

As the horses came into view, concern flared in my chest. Draven wasn’t there.

“Where’s the prince?” Nyx asked.

Moons fucking damn it all. I slid one of my throwing daggers free from my thigh sheath as I searched the trees around us but saw no signs of Draven anywhere. Was this the moment he betrayed us?

My heart said Draven would never hurt me, but my brain offered up a myriad of ways that he could. I shifted on my feet as the forest around us took on a more ominous tone.

Ary’s light violet eyes shone brightly even in the dark. He glanced at all of us before asking, “Are we going to search for him or . . .”

“You’re welcome to look,” Vail replied, “but we’re getting the fuck out of here.”

I balked when Vail and the rangers moved in the direction of the horses. What if Draven had gone to investigate something and had been attacked? What if he wasn’t betraying us but was actually out in the woods injured?

“Samara,” Vail growled, “you promised you would leave when I told you to.”

“I know, but?—”

“Don’t make me force you to leave him.”

My fingers tightened around the blade as I focused on taking steady breaths. I couldn’t fight Vail. He’d just laugh atmy attempt and throw me over his shoulder. Plus, I didn’t want to argue with him. I had promised to follow his orders, and I knew he was right, but . . . I anxiously scanned the woods again for Draven but saw nothing.

“Alright,” I said weakly and stepped forward only to be shoved back by Emil.

Three wraiths materialized around us, one between me and the others and two on either side of Vail. They’d clearly determined him to be the biggest threat, because neither of them wasted any time in their attack.

I screamed as their shadows stretched into towering, beastly forms, resembling nothing that had ever walked this land and only existed in nightmares. At least, that’s where they belonged. The two wraiths struck out at Vail, letting the foot-long talons that tipped their monstrous hands materialize for a brief second.

Nyx moved faster than I could track and struck at the wraith on the left. Their gold and silver blade sliced through the wraith’s wrist, and it screamed as the magic within the sword burned through its momentarily corporeal flesh.

I didn’t see if Vail had managed to block the attack from the other wraith because the one in front of me snapped into the shadowy form of a serpent and lunged forward.

Another scream ripped from my throat as I slashed at the wraith, but my blade passed harmlessly through its shadow before hot, fiery pain tore through my shoulder as the wraith bit down.

Even through the pain, I still managed to stab at its eyes with my dagger, but my strike had been too slow, and the wraith was already nothing more than shadows again.

“Samara!” Nyx screamed from where they were still battling one of the other wraiths. Emil had joined them, and Ary was helping Vail.

Which meant I was on my own.

Twin rivers of blood coursed their way down my shoulder. I blocked out the pain before carefully gauging how much mobility I had, finding I could still move it easily. For the second time tonight, I’d gotten lucky. The snake’s fangs had only punctured me, which meant, while it was painful, it was still a relatively minor wound.

The wraith shrank down into an amorphous form before becoming something more humanoid, the shape sharpening enough for me to make out delicate features . . . and tapered ears.

Fae.

A masculine chuckle filled the air as he raised his hand to his lips. The blood on my shoulder felt hotter as I watched him draw his fingers away and study them before looking at me. Then he cocked his head and smiled.

“Din tros.”The words slithered into my ear, and the breath I’d just taken froze in my throat.

The words were mangled and corrupted by shadows, but I’d understood them well enough. He’d just called meforgotten queenin Seelie.

The wraiths weren’t the Unseelie. They were the Seelie.

More whispered words flowed from the wraith’s mouth faster than I could process, then his form stretched upward until he was once again a serpent, this time with a crown of horns extending from behind his head.

---