Page 138 of Stone Seduction
Wow, he was good.
My power tingled in my fingertips, almost here.
The human slipped the ring onto the statue’s ring finger, its obsidian eyes igniting with tiny fires. Its mouth opened, black smoke billowing out.
Oh. My. God.
Seth unlocked the collar, holding it in place to sell the lie.
The statue stopped smoking and sank into the floor, revealing an opening. Incredible heat wafted out, the glow of fire spilling across the floor. From my position, I saw the lava cavern, and a figure striding toward us.
My hate blazed with the deadliness of her lava lake.
Ember wasn’t charred now. A naked woman with long, blood-red hair covering her breasts, the rest of her on full display. She was healed, her eyes golden storms.
“Any second now, Luke,”Seth said.
I tensed, preparing to destroy her.
The humans moved. One of them slit Luna’s throat, throwing me off my game. Seth dropped his hands, yelling something as Billy got hit with a charm. It chimed against his stone skin, sending him hurtling out of the cave.
Seth slipped in Luna’s blood, so much of it gushing from her twitching body. I went to help him, but he shoved me off.
“Kill her!” he roared.
Ember stepped through the opening and blew Seth a kiss. A glowing orb hit him in the chest. He staggered backwards, tearing open his fur coat. Fiery fissures burned across his chest, quickly spreading.
“Luke…”he rasped in my head.“Kill her.”
I went to, but a human stabbed me in the torso with a cold blade. I fell to my knees, my body temperature dropping rapidly.
Seth collapsed to his knees too, smoke spewing from every orifice. Parts of his skin blistered, flames igniting across his arms.
“Luke… I’m… I’m sorry…”
He kept his eyes on me as his face melted off his skull, globules of liquid skin rolling down his chest like melted wax.
“Seth…”
He’d tried pulling a double cross and failed spectacularly. His body collapsed, liquefying into a puddle of lava. Bubbles formed on the glowing surface, popping.
Dead. He was dead.
Meanwhile, my temperature continued to plunge.
Ember crouched before me as I shivered. “At last, we meet in the flesh. Briefly.”
“What… What…”
“What have I done?” She stroked her chin, mocking me. “I’ve made a correction, Luke. You’re going to face the consequences of what you did to poor Finn.”
With what little strength remained, I clapped back with, “Keep his…his name…out of…your mouth.”
“You’re turning blue, Luke. So, so cold. But you’re not dying. Death is not your destiny.” She touched the side of my face. “Your brother will get his chance in the spotlight. As it should be.” She raked her hot nails across my skin, searing my flesh. “Swap.”
My body jolted, her scratch cooling.
Here and there.
