Death Untold

Chapter 2

Two

ASHER

Busting out of the smoke-filled warehouse and into the chilly night, I sucked in a deep breath. I almost didn’t recognize the smell.

Air. Fresh, free, glorious air and a cloudless sky full of stars that not even the fire behind us could dim.

But as much as I wanted to drop to the ground and roll around in the grass like a puppy, there was no time. We had to get everyone to shelter, and pronto. The witches needed food and medical attention, all of us needed showers, and someone—hopefully not me—would need to come up with a plan.

Orendiel was still out there. f*****g coward. And I was pretty sure none of us would sleep until Emilio was well again, and we’d given that sick fae f**k the brutal farewell he so deserved.

“This way,” one of the shifter cops shouted, and in a blur, our group raced down a side street, fueled by nothing but adrenaline and freedom, and fear that it could be snatched away again. We reached a row of unmarked vans and hurried inside—me, Darius, Gray, the witches, the cops, and the fae princeling who was now in the mix. Oh, and the hellhounds that had somehow, in my absence, attached themselves to Gray, and were now jumping on her lap in the back seat, yelping and licking her face like she was a piece of steak smothered in peanut butter.

Not much to look at, those two, but they were fiercely protective of her. Never thought I’d say it, but I was damn grateful they were on our side.

“Alright, we’re rolling,” one of the cops said into his comm device. Lansky, I thought Gray said his name was. After a quick head count and confirmation from the other two vans, we were off, Lansky phoning ahead for EMTs and food delivery, ordering his people to meet us at the rendezvous point.

The house belonged to Emilio’s sister, I was told—another part of the story I was still trying to catch up on.

“It’ll be tight,” Gray said as we poured out of the vans and headed inside, the hounds halfway up her ass with excitement. Seemed they thought of this place as home, and they were glad to be back. “But it’s warm and safe, and there aren’t any electrified bars on the doors.”

“Always a bonus,” I said with a wink.

She was right—the house wasn’t exactly set up for an influx of two-dozen witches. But for now, cramped as it was, we’d find a way to make it work. Whether they were from the Cape or the Bay or someplace else entirely, the witches couldn’t go home yet. Not with the power balance so out of whack in all the surrounding communities. As far as we knew, Lansky had told me on the drive over, Blackmoon Bay had been the hardest hit, with supernatural crimes and violence mucking things up over there in a major way. But other cities would soon fall, and we needed time to regroup.

“It’ll be awesome,” I assured Gray as I took a look around the living room. It was open, with hardwood floors and bright orange walls. Seemed like a nice place. “Hot water, freedom of movement, food, drinks, safety? Hell, this place is a f*****g palace.” I gave her a smile, best one I had for the moment, and she blew out a relieved breath. I was about to pull her in for another hug when my eyes landed on a small lump at the center of the couch, snoring softly beneath a pile of blankets.

“Reva,” she said, following my line of sight. “Safe and sound. Judging from that empty pizza box, probably suffering from food coma.”

“Last time I saw this kid, she was slipping into the shadows of the caves like a pro spelunker.” I knelt in front of the couch and ran my hand over her shorn head, careful not to wake her up. Even more careful not to let Gray see the tears of relief flooding my eyes.

Damn, is someone cutting onions in here?

“Brave girl,” I whispered.

“Hey, help me get her out of here,” Gray said. “I don’t want her in the middle of all this tonight.”

With a light touch, I scooped the kid up in my arms and followed Gray to the master bedroom down the hall, depositing her into Elena’s bed. Reva yawned and turned over on her side, falling into a deep sleep once again.

“She’ll be good in here for the night,” Gray said softly, kneeling down at the side of the bed and pulling the blankets up over Reva’s shoulder. “We’ll figure out more permanent sleeping arrangements when Emilio and Elena get back later. He’ll probably need his own room for a while.”

“Oh, hell yeah,” I said, forcing a smile I absolutely didn’t feel. “Big motherfucker like that? He definitely snores.”

She let out a quiet snicker. “Oh my God, you have no idea.”

“I… Wait. How do you know how Alvarez sounds when he sleeps?” I teased. Clearly, they’d gotten closer—another part of the plot I’d missed. “Hmm. Something tells me we’re gonna need to invest in a bigger bed for you, Cupcake.”

Gray opened her mouth to shoot something back, but then shut it, emotion suddenly overtaking her face. Her brows drew together, and she shook her head, fisting the blanket at Reva’s shoulder. “If Ronan can’t heal him, Asher, I—”

“Hey. Don’t do that. Ain’t nobody got time for doubt tonight. El Lobo is a tough sonofabitch. He’ll be back before you know it, along with Ronan and everyone else. And guess what? Tomorrow morning, we’re gonna have the best f*****g reunion breakfast you can dream up.”

“With bacon?” she asked, that smile finally coming back to her lips.

“So much bacon. And scrambles and pancakes and OJ mixed with whatever booze the she-wolf keeps in here, because after tonight, I think we all need a stiff one.”

“You’re telling me.” She laughed again, and I took her hand and tugged her to her feet, drawing her close and nuzzling her neck and pretending I couldn’t smell Emilio’s blood congealing in her hair.