Exclusive Excerpt
“You’re quiet, Kari,” Raven said, ripping her out of her memories. “Are you lost in the past again? Is your body cold with fear and shame, remembering the things I’ve done to you? To him?”
Kari bared her teeth. Raven was a mimicry of the woman who’d terrorized them. Now, she was trapped here, helpless as Ari had been. It should’ve made their return sweeter, yet two weeks had passed, and it was as if Raven loomed over them every moment.
“I want you to answer my questions.”
Smiling, Raven leaned against the wall, far too comfortable. “Ask away. It isn’t as if I’m going anywhere.”
Zina’s snort was followed by the clinking of vials and bowls.
Kari made herself move closer and knelt. “You know I’m here for Ari.”
Raven leaned closer. “Ah, yes. How is the lightless lord doing?” Her grin glinted with malicious knowing. “I’m told that was what really cracked him, when my shadows dug deep. Has he told you about it? I saw the glint go out of his eyes—”
“Shut up!” Kari roared.
Raven chuckled. “Alright. What exactly is it you’d like to ask? I showed you when I broke his bones, but I could fill your day telling you how I earned his first scream. Oh, no. I bet you want to ask why. You loved questioning my morality when we were together. Go on, Kari—ask.”
Kari fought back her anger. “Why did you kill Lord Alton?”
Zina’s movements quieted.
Raven’s grin faded and her brow cocked. “Lord…”
Something near her hand shifted. Raven glanced down at the stone floor, and though nothing was there to be seen, she snickered.
“What?” Kari demanded. “Why are you laughing?”
“It seems my shadows have an answer for you, Kari. Would you like to hear it?”
The clatter of a bowl being dropped preceded Zina’s hurried footsteps.
“Absolutely not—”
Kari threw an arm out to silence her. “Tell me.”
Raven planted her hands flat on the floor and leaned as close to the bars as she could without grimacing. The light reflected in her dark eyes.
“I will even give you this one for free,” she muttered, glancing at Zina. “I did not kill Lord Alton. That was the doing of a man, my…mentor. His name is Asuri. He is first of the Shadow Pact.”
Zina drew breath, an inconsequential noise to Kari’s whirring thoughts.
Asuri. Was he the man Ari saw?
“What was the purpose? Why did Asuri do it?”
“That,” Raven exhaled, “is not free to give.” She slumped back, leaning her head against the wall. “Tell your lover, Kari. Lord Alton was his father, no? Tell him he knows where to find us if he desires true revenge.”
1 comment:
Fascinating cover
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