Page 314 of Never Kiss a Fae
“She’s coming,” it repeated, singsonging in my thoughts. Inky wisps of smoke twirled along my nostrils, leaving behind an acrid stench. “She’s not alone.”
Another tendril wrapped around me, bathing me in the scent of the dead.
“We’re coming,” an echo taunted. “Run, run, while you can. We’re coming foryou.”
I flew upright on a scream, my body drenched in sweat. “She’s coming!” I shouted, sounding like the remnants of my nightmare.
But it wasn’t a nightmare.
I knew deep down it was very real.
Those creepy-crawlythingswere on their way here.
A hot arm wrapped around me, eliciting another shout from my lips, my fight instincts roaring to life.
“It’s me!” Sol said, jolting away from the flames flashing across my body. “Shit.”
He waved his hand around, the skin burned from my carelessness. I immediately soothed it with water and spirit, mending his wound without even realizing my intention. He gaped at it in shock. “How did—”
Exos threw open the door, Cyrus right beside him. “What the hell is going on?” my spirit mate demanded.
“She’s coming,” I said urgently, apparently unable to say anything else.
“Elana?” Cyrus asked.
Vox and Titus appeared behind them, looking half-asleep.
Which, yeah, it was the middle of the night. But… “We need to prepare. Right now.”
They all shared a glance, and I knew what they were thinking:How do you know it’s not just a dream?Well, Iknew. I couldn’t say how. I justknew.
“Trust me,” I urged. “Please. We need to prepare the grounds. She’s bringing the dead with her.” I couldn’t explain how I knew that either. Or what those things would look like. But their stench still lingered in my nostrils.
Real.
Lethal.
Things.
My mates nodded as one, choosing to believe my instincts. “Right,” Cyrus said first. “We all know what to do. Let’s sound the bells. See you all on the main grounds.”
And so it began.
The beginning of the end.
I felt it in every fiber of my being.
Tonight was the night.
I’m ready.
Chapter37
Cyrus
The moon blurred beneath an uncustomary cloud, confirming Claire’s claims. The elements were warning us of the future lurking beyond the horizon. Death drifted in the air, the earth uncharacteristically silent.
“Soon,” I whispered to Vox, aware of the currents lingering around my mouth, awaiting my command.
