Total pages in book: 401
Estimated words: 390373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1952(@200wpm)___ 1561(@250wpm)___ 1301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 390373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1952(@200wpm)___ 1561(@250wpm)___ 1301(@300wpm)
It was kind of pretty.
The featureless face, however, was pure nightmare fuel.
A dim ray of sunlight glinted off his skull as he…sniffed me. My muscles, no longer twitching, tensed up as white dust clouds drifted overhead. The churning colors of his eyes bled together.
Essence swelled as I shoved my hands against his chest—
Multiple things happened at once. The contact of my skin against his sent an intense charge of energy coursing through me, flattening me as a flash of crackling light bloomed. His hiss scorched the air, and he rose several feet into it.
Static dancing over my skin, I shot to my feet. The Ancient straightened as he lowered himself to the ground. I was nothing but pure instinct as I summoned the eather. No longer chained, it responded in a heated rush, spiraling down my right arm as I lifted it—
He was right in front of me, catching my arm by the wrist. The contact sent a rush of energy over my skin, lifting the tiny hairs on my arms as his other hand clamped down on my throat. Fingers dug into the delicate column as he lifted me until my feet dangled in the air, several feet above the ground. I gripped the forearm of the hand at my neck, ignoring another surge of tingling energy as I stamped out the spark of fear threatening to ignite. It would be far too easy for him to crush my throat, and I knew giving in to my panic wouldn’t help. I’d been in more precarious positions—okay, maybe not more precarious than this, but I could hold my own. And I—
Kha thren loru?
My eyes widened at the rough whisper. His lips hadn’t moved, but I’d heard him speak. Even more shocking was how the words spoken in an unfamiliar language suddenly made sense.
What are you?
“You’re asking me that?” I forced out in a scratchy rasp.
His lips moved this time, and when he spoke, my insides turned cold. “Asking…me…?” He spoke each syllable slowly and deliberately, his voice reverberating with…
Whispers.
A shiver of dread curled down my spine. There were faint whispers under each word. Or in them.
I wanted to be far, far away from that sound. From him.
“What are…you?” he asked.
Swinging my legs up, I kicked out with every ounce of strength I had, ramming both feet into his chest. The impact rattled the bones of my legs and hips, but the Ancient…
He didn’t budge. Not even an inch. Nor did he grunt. That kick would’ve caved in a mortal’s chest.
The Ancient looked down at my feet, still planted against his chest, and then raised his gaze. Swirling eyes locked onto mine.
My chest hollowed out as I smiled weakly. “Sorry?”
His head cocked to the side, the taut skin at the corners of his eyes creasing. I didn’t even see his arm move. I only felt the brutal swipe of his forearm against my legs, knocking them down.
Oh, that would leave a bruise.
The Ancient jerked me toward him, my legs dangling like one of those creepy dolls with a porcelain head but nothing but cotton and wool for limbs. His head lowered, and he breathed in deeply.
Was he…sniffing me again?
Tilting his head, the bridge of his nose grazed the underside of my jaw, sending a shudder of revulsion through me as he inhaled once more.
“For the love of the gods.” I swung my arm around, hand closed into a fist. “Stop smelling me!”
He caught my wrist without even looking at me.
Oh, shit.
A loud boom sounded not too far off, and the sensation of being thrust downward froze my heart. I landed hard, the back of my head cracking off the ground.
The realm disappeared for a moment, and then everything was a flashing, intense white. I blinked rapidly, trying to clear the starbursts as I lay there, my brain feeling scrambled. Sensation was slow to return, starting with a dull ache in my back and moving downward—
The Ancient’s bony fingers dug into my throat, pressing the fragile bones there. I could feel them start to crack, to give way.
Fear—a deep, icy, visceral kind that I hadn’t felt since I stood at the Chambers of Nyktos and saw Casteel and Kieran fall—shot through me with the speed of an unleashed arrow. Blood roared in my ears, and my heart lurched so violently I thought it might actually break through my chest. He was going to crush my windpipe—
Nope.
Absolutely fucking nope.
My mind sped up as instinct took over. There wasn’t enough space between us for me to use my legs or hips to attempt to roll him. So, I went with the next best thing—or the worst.
Reaching down, I grabbed the thing between his legs. Gagging at the feel of him in my hand, I pulled and twisted. Hard.
The Ancient howled, stirring up the wind as he reared back and tore himself away from me.