Page 171 of A Dagger of Ice and Intrigue
I could have told a thousand different tales with that sharp tongue of mine.
He wouldn’t have bought them, though. Maybe he would have pretended, but that lie would have stayed between us, slowly eroding what little trust we’d managed to build so far.
And I didn’t want that.
“A light,” I began, unsure of every word.Please don’t think I’m insane. “A purple light flashed right next to my palm and it scared me. I know it sounds crazy, but that’s what I saw. Honestly.”
For the first time, I saw pure shock on his face. Eyes wide, forehead wrinkled, mouth open shock.
The change was jarring, especially since he’d looked like a damn fierce statue only moments before.
“Solkar’s spear,” he cursed at the ceiling. “It’s not crazy. It’simpossible.”
“Can’t be impossible if I saw it, can it?” I said with some bite. “You mean it’sreal?”
He nodded solemnly.
“If it’s real…” And I still wasn’t all that convinced. “..why is it chasing me?”
“Chasing you?” his voice slashed through the tension.
“Yes. It keeps showing up when I least expect it, ever since I came here. It tried to stop me when I ran away.”
Ryker cursed agains and pushed himself away from the wall, pacing, his frantic energy bouncing all over the room and delving inside of me.
Only then did I become truly worried. Becausehewas worried.
“What does this mean?” I asked, not moving from the wall.
“I don’t know,” he said quickly, stern gaze trying to bore holes into the floor in tune with his thundering steps. “This shouldn’t be possible.”
“At least I didn’t hear the hum this time,” I said, trying to ease the heavy air.
Ryker froze mid-stride. His head turned slowly toward me, as if afraid of what he’d might see there. “What did it tell you?”
Tell me? “Nothing, it’s just a bunch of gibberish. Like a thousand voices trying to rip me to shreds all at once.”
Goosebumps erupted all over my skin as the memory of the hum clawed its way back into my ears. A thousand screams that will haunt me forever.
Before I could blink, Ryker was upon me again, palms planted on either side of my head. He was breathing deeply, his chest barely grazing mine with each sharp inhale.
“I need you to tell meeverythingyou know,” he said calmly, but I heard the command vibrating behind the words.
And that pissed me off.
“Me? A minute ago, I thought I was imagining things,” I countered. “You’re the one who knows what in the bleeding stars that light is, you tell me.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Why did you bring up the Ashrift Clan, today of all days?”
“You just told me your name.”
“You never asked for it before.”
“I didn’t care before!”
I regretted the words as soon as they left my mouth. I saw the crack of dejection in his impenetrable mask. Then he blinked and that shred of vulnerability was gone, even as his eyes turned icier.
But it was nothing compared to the chill in his voice. “Good to know.”
