Page 54 of Claim Me
If she replies, I can’t hear her.
Fuck.I crumple onto the couch, my knees touching my chest as I curl into a tight ball.Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!
My world begins to swim, the air resembling ripples of water that shouldn’t exist.
No. Not water.Mist.
I shake my head, trying to clear it, but that blaring alarm only rings louder.
My eyes squeeze closed, my body shivering from the torment of blistering sound waves pulsating through my mind.
What’s happening? What is that fucking noise?
I feel dizzy.
Unnerved.
Lost.
My hands tremble, my nails digging into my skin, but that resounding screech remains.
Until suddenly it all stops.
And silence unlike any I’ve ever experienced settles around me in a sea of chilly mist. The icy water droplets kiss my skin, reminding me of death’s plane.
Issy?I whisper.
Silence.
Swallowing, I try to peek at my surroundings, hoping with all my heart that I’m still in the living area of Kaspian’s guest suite.
But I know before my lashes even begin to lift that I’m not.
I’m at death’s door again.
Only this time, I’m not alone.
I’m surrounded by other souls.
The patriarchs, I realize, recognizing their hooded forms. All seven of them are here.
They vowed to drag my spirit into perpetual torment if I denied their edict, and it seems they’ve carried out that threat.
Because I’m not just lingering in the afterlife—I’m chained to an obsidian death stone.
And the positioning of the patriarchs tells me I’m about to be sentenced.
Fuck.
CHAPTERTHIRTEEN
KASPIAN
A FEW MINUTES EARLIER
These two wantto take Fallon on a playdate?Outsideof the palace? “Absolutely fucking not.”
Nox sighs. “Come on, Kas. She’s been locked up for over a year. We’re asking for one afternoon. A single outing. What’s the worst that can happen?”
