Ashes of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms #2) - Amelia Hutchins Page 0,16
on, literally. Dimitri buried them both, offering them what solace we could in death. I erected a crude grave of rocks, placing them over the ground where we’d laid the men’s bodies to rest.
It scared me that I was growing numb to death and murdering monsters. I didn’t kid myself or give in to the illusion that these witches were anything but monsters. They killed without reason, letting their other half grow rabid and poisonous. The two we’d killed were like Luna and Aine, witch and wolf, and yet they’d been more rabid witch than anything else.
Frowning, I stopped in front of a well full of water; the bucket floating on top. I kneeled, peering into the green, murky water to figure out why the rope had so much slack. Something moved just below the surface, and I leaned in to get a closer look, jumping backward as a scream bubbled up my throat. Stepping to the well again, I looked down, past the hair flowing underwater, into the eyes of the villagers’ dead bloated faces. The witches placed them here for safekeeping, no doubt for one of the power grids I’ve seen all over this realm.
They had secured ropes to their waists, and something heavy on the other end, allowing their bodies to float closer to the top of the well. I glared at the dead, offended that they had sunk where wishes should be made, instead of bodies being laid. Not that I thought the creatures of the Nine Realms believed in wishes. If they had, those days were long gone.
A scent wafted through the air, causing my skin to prickle with awareness. Stifling a groan, I turned, staring over my shoulder into the shadows, searching for the male hunting me. I lifted my skirt, exposing my bare feet as I hurried over the old cobblestone street, slipping into one of the thatched-roof cottages.
I placed a few pieces of spelled, smoky quartz at the doorway to hide my scent, protecting me from others sensing my presence. Slowly, I walked down the stairs that led to a large room filled with journals. Picking one up, I noticed they belonged to the Keeper of Notes, long since forgotten, along with his king, after Hecate banished their entire race for overstepping and going mad.
I heard the sounds of the approaching army, pausing as Knox’s scent struck me, forcing my nose to the air as I inhaled deeply. The door above opened, and I moved, rushing further down the staircase that spiraled into the earth, opening to a long, moss-filled hallway with doors lining both sides of the walls. Sprinting forward, I slid into one of the many doorways, discovering a hidden alcove.
Dark, husky laughter haunted me, Knox’s heavy footfalls echoing as he slowly made his way down the stairs. I slid behind the wall, backing against a moss-covered doorway. Closing my eyes, I tried to calm my racing heart and emotions. Slowly, so slowly, I lowered myself to the ground, and my legs burned from the strain. Reaching in my pocket, I produced a handful of quartz, placing them on the floor to protect the space I held.
“Aria, I can smell you. You’re so fucking close that I can taste you in the air,” Knox taunted, his voice coming from every direction at once. The sexy, deep, rich baritone slid through me, creating a storm of need that only he could create within me. I hated and craved him, which was confusing among a mess of emotions that offended me down to my toenails. “Are you afraid? I smell… fear.” The sound of his heavy boots moved over the moss-covered ground I’d just run over. “I miss the feel of your body beneath mine, and the sweet noises you make when I’m buried deep within your tight cunt. I miss the smell of your hair against my nose when I wake from slumber, wrapped around your heat, holding you close against me. Enough running, Little Monster, I want to taste you dripping down my face. Let me give you what you crave, what we both crave from one another.”
He stopped in front of me, his jaw clenching as he inhaled deeply. His oceanic eyes narrowed to slits as he looked at the floor where the moss showed my last footprint stopping.
His body turned, and he stared through me, the crystals protecting me from discovery. The door at my back was covered in thick moss, a tattletale sign that I hadn’t gone