Page 200 of Nightshade

Evie choked and gagged, clawing at me, just as Remy had moments ago.

“I want you out of this cathedral tonight, or by the demons in hell, I will send what’s left of your stinking, rotted soul to the blackest pits of Ex Ni—”

That tingling sensation hit the back of my neck again, and I snapped my attention toward the door. A feeling of dread sank to the pit of my stomach.

Abandoning Evie, I raced out the door, down the corridor to the window, and barreled through it. Air sliced at my face as I fell toward the rocks below. My wings unfurled, tearing through my shirt, which fell in shreds below me. In the distance, I saw Remy, nosediving toward the black depths of the sea below him. Farryn lay draped across his arms, and chasing after them was a flock of ravens, but he was too fast. Staying well ahead of them.

I pushed speed to my wings and cut through the air like a bullet toward him.

“Remy!” I called out.

The two of them hit the water.

The birds veered off back toward the air.

I breached the watery surface, holding my breath as I torpedoed toward them. The water below spun like a vortex, the center of which opened up to a deep, black abyss. Remy dove deeper, straight for it. A gasp escaped me, bubbling past my lips, as I watched him slip into the blackness with Farryn.

I reached out my hand.

The water abruptly stilled, closing the vortex before I could reach them.

And just like that, she was gone.

60

Farryn

Dizziness swept over me, as I stared down at the blurry scene below. Everything was some abstract state of dark moving shapes and disjointed voices. Pressure tugged at my chest, beating with a fury that burned in my throat. I opened my mouth on a gasp, and the view before me sharpened into the nauseating sight of rolling traffic, hundreds of feet below me.

Caught off balance, I flailed my hands, reaching out for one of the thick, stone pillars at either side of me, and tipped toward it.

A scream tore from my chest as I lost my footing, falling forward to what would be a horrible death.

Something caught me from behind, dragging me backward. My heels scraped over the rough stone parapet to a smooth concrete floor, and I looked up to find Remy standing over me.

“Holy shit. I didn’t think we’d make it. I practiced with Danielle a few days back, and well … we hit the water, and she slipped out of my arms. Not sure what happened to her after that.”

Though I heard him just fine, I didn’t absorb a word he’d said, too caught up in the confusion of what the hell was going on.

Frowning, I sat up from where I lay, noting the tall, buttressed crown of pillars that encased a rooftop sitting area, where lush white couches sat around unused fireplace tables. The eerie sound of big band orchestra music played in the background. The familiar pronged top of Willis Tower stood off in the distance, with the backdrop of a dusky sky, telling me we were in Chicago.

A cold sensation spread inside my chest as realization dawned on me. “You brought me back.”

“Yep. Back to your world.”

The moment he said the words, I stared down at myself, to find I wore the same nightgown and robe I’d worn back at the cathedral, which looked incredibly dated, all of a sudden. Yet, I recalled Jericho telling me that the Fallen could reverse time.

“Back in time?”

“Nope. Didn’t have to, which is weird. Thought I’d be returning you to little floating dust particles. Like Garic,” he snorted, and I glared back at him. “But instead, you came back in one lovely piece of fresh human meat. Probably why you smell so good all the time.”

Distant words came to mind. Evie’s words. Back at the cathedral.

He’s going to trade you. For redemption.

As Remy reached out a hand for me, I slapped it away, kicking myself back. “You plan to trade me! You lying ass!”

Withdrawing his hand, he scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, so that …. Look, it’s not what you think. I had to make a deal with Pentacrux to release your father, right? So, I told them I had you. But don’t worry, I’m not really gonna let them take you. Once we know where he is? We’ll snatch him up.”