19. Willow #2
I try to take a step back, but my ankle rolls, and I wind up falling hard to the icy ground.
Bracing my palms against the floor, I gaze up at Cin in horror, my muscles locked in place, forcing me to watch as all the bones in his face shift, filling the air with stomach-churning cracks and groans.
It’s not just the ones in his face, either—Cin’s entire body seems to be going through a similarly horrifying transformation.
In moments, he’s grown to a height well over ten feet, and his muscle mass has doubled, making him appear even more formidable than he was before.
His beautiful gray eyes have darkened to a color that’s near black, matching the hue of his enlarged horns, and they shine with a predatory gleam as he stares at the racing pulse point on my neck.
“Serafyn,” he growls in a voice I don’t recognize. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“I-I’m sorry,” I stammer. “I didn’t think you’d mind. I just wanted to—”
“Why are you here?” he demands, as if he didn’t hear me. “You shouldn’t be here.”
I swallow hard. “Are you, um, working on a special project? I promise I didn’t see anything.”
“No!” He releases a powerful roar, causing me to flinch back. “Why did you come here?”
“I just… wanted to see you...”
In response, a terrifying growl explodes from Cin’s throat, causing every hair on my body to stand on end. What is it that you’re supposed to do when you come across an angry predator in the woods? Back away slowly? Yell? Curl in a ball and hope for it to be over quickly?
I hold my hands up in a defensive posture, hoping this will defuse some of the tension. “Clearly, I caught you at a bad time, so I’ll just get out of your hair. Sound good?”
When he doesn’t respond, I try to rise to my feet, but a blast of powerful magic sends me crashing back to the floor.
“You shouldn’t have come,” Cin repeats in that same distorted tone. “They know you’re here.”
“Who does?” A chill creeps down my spine. “Is that bad?”
“They’ll never let you go,” he continues. “Not now. Not when they’ve been waiting so long for a taste of you.”
Okay, that definitely sounds bad. “Who’s ‘they’? Are you talking about Rhune and Nyx?”
“You shouldn’t have come.” He drops his chin to his chest, his body shuddering violently.
“You were never supposed to be here.” His head snaps to the side, glowing eyes locking on the wall of pulsing welwig roots.
“It’s horrible… the things they want me to do to you.
I can’t escape their voices. Whispering.
Gnawing. They won’t let me rest. Not until…
not until…” He shivers, his hands curling into fists.
Blue-black blood dribbles to the floor at his feet as his claws puncture deep into the flesh of his palm, but he doesn’t seem to notice it.
“Not until what, Cin?”
“Not until I kill you.” Slowly, Cin turns back to me, and the madness in his gaze sends an icy chill down my spine. “They’re right, you know… It would be for the best…”
Okay, I think it’s time to get the hell out of here.
I try to dash toward the exit, but another blast of invisible magic hits me from the side, sending me slamming into the far wall. Before I can try to run for the exit again, Cin corners me, his wings flaring, skin shuddering with a strange, dark energy.
“Dravik!” I scream, not caring how desperate my voice sounds—I am desperate. “Help me! Please!”
Cin slams his fist into the wall inches from my head, and I curl my arms around my torso as a paralyzing terror rips through me. “Dravik! Nyx! Help me, plea—”
My words are cut off as Cin’s clawed hand curls around my throat, crushing my windpipe. He lifts me clear off the ground, holding me high above his head like I weigh less than nothing, his eyes wide and full of madness.
Darkness creeps in from all sides, slowly consuming my sight. I try to hold on, desperately clawing at the hand holding me aloft, kicking at his chest, and anything else I can think of—but all my efforts amount to nothing. He’s too strong. I’m going to suffocate.
I aim one last feeble kick to his chest, but my toe barely brushes his sternum before falling limp.
Unable to speak, I stare directly into Cin’s eyes, my mouth moving around a silent “please.” For a moment, his gaze flashes with clarity, and his grip loosens.
But Cin—or whatever thing is possessing him—takes hold in the next moment, and his fingers curl tighter than they were before.
Darkness blocks my vision completely, and all the fight leaves my veins as my heart slows, giving up in the face of certain death. This is it. This is the end.
There’s a furious roar way off in the distance, barely registering in my addled mind. I’m not sure what it means, or if it’s even real, but in the next moment, the crushing weight on my windpipe lessens, and my body falls limp to the floor.
I’m vaguely aware of a pair of brawny arms curling around my limp body, catching me just before I slam into the cold ice, but I’m having a difficult time focusing on anything.
Things seem to be moving in slow motion and too fast all at once, and I’m starting to wonder if I’ve already died, and this is what the afterlife feels like.
“Stay with me, Willow. Try to hold on just a little longer.”
I try to speak, to tell him I’m fine—but all I manage is a pained wheezing sound that makes my throat feel like it’s been set on fire.
“Shh. Don’t speak just yet. We have to heal you.”
Heal me?
Warmth floods my veins, slowly moving through my body with a familiar, tingling sensation, and after a few minutes, I regain enough strength to open my eyes.
I blink slowly, clearing the fog of darkness and revealing Nyx’s face. His expression is creased in worry, his lips pressed into a thin line and eyes narrowed, focused intently on my aching throat.
“There she is.” His mouth tips in the smallest grin before dropping again. “Don’t say anything just yet. I’m not as good at healing as Rhune is, and your throat is still in pretty bad shape.”
I nod, showing him I understand before allowing my eyes to close. I focus on the pleasant warmth still rushing through my veins, the slow ease of pain as Nyx’s magic works to mend the damage Cin caused.
Soft footsteps sound near the exit, and Dravik’s voice fills the room, his words laced with anguish as he asks, “How is she?”
“Could be better.” Nyx’s voice is scarily measured, almost as if he’s holding back his rage. “I may need your help. Her throat was damaged a lot worse than I thought, and I’m running out of steam.”
“I’ll do my best.” Dravik steps to my side, crouching down and placing a hand on my chest right next to Nyx’s. Even though I almost died, I can’t help but think about how their fingers are dangerously close to brushing my nipples, and a different kind of warmth fills my veins.
Stupid hormones. They’re trying to save me, not feel me up.
“Willow? How do you feel?”
I open my eyes, finding Dravik’s eyes locked squarely on mine. Not trusting my throat, I give him a wobbly smile and a thumbs-up. However, this only makes his frown deepen.
“Nyx? What is she doing?”
“Hmm?” He raises his gaze, and a grin pulls at his mouth when he sees my gesture. “I think she’s feeling better.”
“I am,” I whisper, surprised to find my throat doesn’t hurt at all. “Whoah. My throat feels better than before.”
Nyx chuckles, pulling his hand off my chest. The slight movement causes his upper body to sway, and he nearly topples over as he loses his balance.
“You okay, Nyx?” Dravik asks.
“Sure. Just a little tired… It took a lot out of me.” He straightens with a forced grin. “Nothing a little rest won’t fix. I’m just happy you’re feeling better Willow.”