Total pages in book: 155
Estimated words: 147891 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 739(@200wpm)___ 592(@250wpm)___ 493(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 147891 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 739(@200wpm)___ 592(@250wpm)___ 493(@300wpm)
My heart beats so hard and fast, I can hardly hear a thing. But I see it all. Something has taken them.
Rowan points the gun in the direction his family were taken, but it’s too late. The dark figure behind her shoots into the air with her locked in its arms, and her scream carries through the forest.
“Shit!” Rowan hisses, pointing up with his gun, the laser bouncing off the thick, dark trunks. “Willow, stand behind me,” he orders, and I rush his way, taking out my other dagger with the Luxor ash.
“What are those things?” I ask.
Rowan remains quiet, slowly swinging the gun ahead of him. His ear twitches, and with rapidness, he spins around and says, “Duck.”
I drop, and he points his gun behind me, sending a bullet flying. Silvera stands over me, growling as something screeches. When I look up, one of those shadowy figures is there. It has no face, no true form. It’s like a black ghost, however not transparent. The bullet is lodged into the heart of its chest, glowing now like fire embers. The creature continues screeching until finally, it explodes. Black ashes scatter around us, drifting with the stiff breeze.
Rowan grabs me by the arm, helping me to a stand again. “You all right, Willow?”
“What the hell was that?”
“One of those dead soldiers, I presume. I need all the eyes I can get. Press your back to mine, keep a lookout.” He turns away, and I press my back to his, my breaths pouring out raggedly. “What have they done with my family?” he mutters.
Just as he says that, more gunshots go off. They’re close by, but I can’t see where they’re coming from because of the fog.
“Keep that eye out, Willow,” Rowan orders. “More are coming, I’m sure.”
My breathing becomes shallow as Silvera growls, baring her teeth while looking at the other end of the path.
Another dark figure appears, and I can’t bring myself to call Rowan’s name because this one is massive compared to the first one, and I swear to God it has two heads.
It moves at rapid speed toward me, and I finally find it in me to scream Rowan’s name. He spins around me, shooting at it, but the figure dodges the bullet and zigzags behind the trees. In seconds, Rowans’ gun is knocked out of his hand, flying away, and the shadow shoves him backwards.
Rowan hits the nearest tree trunk with a grunt, and I back away until my back is pressed against a trunk too. The shadow’s head turns, and though it has no eyes, I know it’s coming for me next. I grip the handle of the dagger tighter, ready to slash at it.
Silvera continues a growl, a fair warning to make the thing stop, but it doesn’t. It inches closer, drifting across the forest floor, and Silvera pounces forward, biting into it. As she bites, black liquid spills, dripping onto her chest and paws. The shadow makes no noise as it shakes Silvera off, flinging her several feet away.
“No!” I scream, and I raise my dagger, aiming for its heart, but the figure grips my arm and slams me into a curved tree trunk. The dagger flies out of my hand and slams on the ground as the shadow’s grip on my arm grows tighter. It’s other hand wraps around my throat, ice-cold and menacing, and it’s because of the cold grip that I realize I’ve felt it before. It’s the type of cold that sinks into your bones and tries robbing your soul. Sure, the shadows may want to claim us, but Decius also has control of them right now, and he’s trying to stop us from reaching Caz.
“I’ll kill his family first,” the creature croaks. “Then I’ll drain every drop of blood and energy from his body.”
I grit my teeth as the figure tightens its claws around my throat. My eyes shift to Rowan who shakes his head, sluggishly pulling out another gun that’s tucked into a strap around his ankle. Something knocks the gun out of his hand, then grips him by the throat too, pinning him to a tree. It’s another shadow.
More shadows appear, carrying the Blackwater clan in our direction and slamming their backs to tree trunks. Each of us is pinned and struggling for breath while Silvera barks at them all, unsure where to attack.
My vision grows blurry as I watch them all fight, and it hits me that they’re suffering because of a Tether Caz and I share. I think to myself, there’s no way this is it. There’s no way we’ve gotten this far just for a handful of shadows to end it all. Decius deserves to die. He can’t win.
As quickly as the thought forms, a bold lavender light appears in the forest—so bright that it’s damn near blinding. The shadow with its grip on me hisses as it jerks away. I fall to the ground, sucking in breaths and looking up. The shadow attempts to flee, but a beam of the lavender light hurtles right after it, blasting the shadow to ash.