Page 79 of Dragon Unleashed
There should be a trench in the middle of my living room for how long I’ve been pacing back and forth.
Aries is gone.
He’s not in the library.
Or anywhere in this apartment.
And the passageway in my closet is wide open.
Every time I look at it, my heart thuds heavier against my ribs. Fear is a clawed hand clutching at my throat. Last night, Aries promised me we had a future. This morning, he’s decided to take off into some creeper tunnel that leads to who-knows-where and get himself possibly killed before that future can even start.
If he’s not back in the next ten seconds, I’m going in after him. And if he’s not dead, I’ll kill him myself.
A noise makes me turn from where I’m wearing the path toward my bedroom. I whirl just as a body flies out of the open passageway and crashes to the living room floor. I cry out in surprise then freeze at the sight of a bloodied, naked Aries sprawled out on my floor. Panic races through my veins as I sprint and fall to my knees beside him.
“Aries?”
No answer.
“Aries, you better not be dead, or I’ll kill you.”
He groans and rolls over so he’s face up, and I go limp with relief. Then panic crowds in again as I take in the extensive amount of blood coating his body.
“What the hell happened?” I screech. My hands flutter toward the gashes in his chest, but then I stop, unsure what the hell I can possibly do for him. I’m tempted to rush into the bathroom for the usual hydrogen peroxide and bandage routine, but even I know it won’t work.
Not when there’s this much blood.
It coats his entire body, and there are so many lacerations on his chest and legs that I can’t even tell where the hell it’s all coming from.
“Aries,” I scream when he doesn’t respond.
He cracks open an eye and stares up at me. “How was your morning?”
“You asshole!” Without thinking, I slam my fist into his shoulder, and he groans again. “Shit. Sorry. What happened? Where have you been? You can’t leave me like that!”
Aries fumbles around beneath his back then lifts a leather-bound book and offers it to me. My fingers brush the smooth cover as I read the title.Constantine The Great.
“Where did you get it?”
“Constantine... is Morris,” he manages.
“Holy shit.” My eyes widen as I stare down at Aries, who looks way too calm considering his beat-up body. “That asshole was from a book.”
Aries nods.
“And these wounds?” I ask, fury building as I think of Morris-slash-Constantine hurting the man I love.
“He brought some friends from their books, too,” he says, gesturing to—well—all of him.
“We need to get you to Hoc. He needs to—”
Aries coughs and rolls to the side. He curls in on himself and heaves, bile dripping from his mouth.
And then I see the twin fang marks on his back. Each one the size of a drink coaster, they’re oozing black with dark lines of venom snaking up through Aries’s blood-slicked skin.
“Oh no.” Fear claws at my gut as I stumble to my feet. I grab my phone and tap on Hoc’s contact information then, as it rings, rush forward and slam the passageway door closed.
“Paige? I’m ready when you are to—”
