Page 96 of Villains and Vengeance
CHAPTER21
JULES
When I come back to myself, I’m alone. I don’t know how long it’s been. I don’t even know the time.
It doesn’t matter.
I take stock of my body, low-key wondering if anything’smissingbut besides the arm and the cuts I know about, there’s not much else that hurts. I guess he stopped soon after he found the conjure.
I feel for the magick, wondering if it’s still there doing its job, more out of curiosity than anything else. It’s not like it matters if anyone sees the mark now, I guess. Maybe it’ll even protect me a little if they know who I belong to, I think bitterly.
There’s a noise across the room and I strain to cast my sight down far enough to see where it’s coming from without being able to move the rest of me.
But I can’t make out anything at all.
I hear it again, more clearly now and I perk up.
I know that sound!
My eyes fly upwards, and I see movement.
It’s Siggy!
She’s trying to get to me! How did she even fit in the shaft? I see another flash of fuzzy leg and my eyes follow where she’s going. She won’t be able to fit through any of these holes, but there are one or two in the throne room that might work.
I lose her for a minute, my eyes moving too slowly as I frantically search for her.
I see a silk line dangle down near the entrance into the next room, but it disappears, and I look towards the door, willing her to scuttle through and take me out of here.
A minute later she does and my eyes swim with tears of relief that I try to blink away so I can see properly again.
She moves around the room quickly, looking for me and I see the exact moment she notices me in the bed.
She’s suddenly in my face, her pedipalps running over me and I want to laugh and hug her, but of course I can’t.
She doesn’t waste any time, picking me up gently and weaving a sack around me, turning me around and around so, by the time she’s done, I feel like my eyes are rattling around in my skull and I can only just see through the mesh.
She picks me up with her pedipalps.
‘I knew you’d come eventually, arania.’
Dante’s demonic voice has me searching my field of view, but I can’t see where he is.
Siggy turns and skitters across the room with me.
I hear a sword clang against stone and Siggy starts climbing up the wall.
I’m turned and am hanging upside down when I see him. He’s alone and in demon form, a sword in each massive hand.
As I watch, he throws one at Siggy, catching her on the side, but it’s a glancing blow.
It seems to put her into a fury though, because she jumps down to the ground and puts me on the floor before she turns and attacks Dante.
She has him pinned, her shining black fangs unsheathed as she tries to sink them into him. He holds her back, using his swords in an X in front of him as a shield.
I want to go to her, help her kill the demon fuck. The desire is overwhelming, and I feel my body shudder.
That shouldn’t be possible yet. It hasn’t been anywhere near enough time. But my body moved, I’m sure of it.
