Page 178 of Whispers of Wisteria
Finn told me that mindset was the problem.
But this… this I had no problem focusing on.
The dark stone seemed to shimmer with silver flecks that, as I watched, changed patterns. The tight coil in my chest began to loosen.
It was so pretty.
Where could I get one of these?
I traced my pointer finger over the patterns, and the surface seemed to hum under my touch.
Then, I blinked and everything changed.
A shadow moved across the stone, the light pink of my nail polish contrasting with the smoky dark surface, and the last of the world fell from around me.
My pain vanished, as did awareness, and I was alone, falling through the dark.
I wasn’t alone for long.
A deep, reverberating voice cut through the night, asking, “Who are you?” before the darkness turned to light.
I squeezed my eyes shut as my bare feet touched uneven ground. The wind picked up, and my hair whipped through the hot, dry air.
“What are you doing in my domain?”
This time, the question came from directly behind me. I jumped and turned.
A tall man—even bigger than Titus—with messy, short jet-black hair and pale skin was frowning down at me. His features were sharp and pointed, and he had sanguine eyes under thick lashes. He was wearing torn jeans and a black leather jacket, with fingerless gloves covering his thin, elegant-looking hands.
He held a sword in his right hand, which was loosely pointed behind him into the red dirt.
My breath strangled as my every internal alarm screamed at me.
He blinked, then grinned in the most unnerving way. “Mu… finally,” he said in a voice that made me shiver.
The way he looked at me, appraising and possessive, made my throat go dry.
“I’ve been waiting.”
I wanted to scream, but somehow controlled myself, and this time when I opened my mouth, I could speak. “Who—who are you?”
I should know him. But how?
The man blinked, his bright grin dimming. “My name is Belial.”
Belial…
I’d once caught Damen talking to himself while looking into a mirror. Finn had said that he was arguing with an Overseer—someone named Belial who resided in the Underworld.
They didn’t get along.
But I was in Damen’s—not his—domain? “Am I in hell?”
“No.” He cocked his head and lifted his sword, resting the back of his blade across his round shoulder. “Not quite yet. This is purgatory, little fae. Now, I doubt you sought me out of obligation. So tell me, why are you disturbing my work?”
Work…
My thoughts remained blank as the hot ache in my bones grew stronger. The winds shifted, and dirt and sand lifted into the air around us.
