but I thought they were just that—stories.” She gave a sad laugh. “I guess the legends were right, but we can’t focus on that right now. I just wailed to announce the death of someone…of Grim. He’s in the graveyard. The Horseman has caught him.”
We turned to hear the Horseman laugh, and then he headed back to the asylum, leaving behind a half a dozen creatures that surrounded someone on the ground.
I tried to leap forward, but Hunter grabbed my arm. “If we go out there now, we’re all done for.”
“But the wail…”
“Just wait,” he whispered. “Just wait.”
Adelle was behind us. “I’ll go forward and see what I can do. But then I have to run. If I stay here while you try to kill the Horseman, my wail will warn him.”
I looked at her, and my stomach turned. Being a banshee was a curse. “Why did you kill the banshee when you knew what could happen?”
Her gaze snapped to mine. “For Grim. He’s my brother. I’d do anything for him.”
Then she left us, marching straight for the small group the Horseman had left behind. No one gave her a single glance. I wondered how long it would take them to realize she wasn’t the same banshee who was loyal to them. She was approaching the small group when the Horseman disappeared back into the building. We all rushed from the shadows.
We saw the monsters surrounding Grim turn at Adelle’s approach, and we saw the flash of silver before she began to shred them. Shrieks of pain rose in the air and were swiftly cut off. I pulled my sword free and cut off the head of the closest vampire. We all worked together, and soon, their bodies littered the ground.
Adelle was suddenly on her knees. “Grim? Grim!”
We turned, and Mae knelt beside her. She touched the side of his neck, and after a minute, her head bowed and she began to cry. I looked down at my best friend’s body. Vampires had fed all over him. Not bites, but messy tears of flesh and chunks where muscle and bone could be seen. Then there were other places, where nails had shredded his chest and clothes. His face was beaten until it was barely recognizable.
They hadn’t just killed him. They’d made him suffer.
Adelle’s wail tore through the air, and I felt hot tears roll down my cheek.
When her wail cut off, she stumbled away from him and came unsteadily to her feet. “He can’t have died in vain! He stole part of the head, but they got it back. In minutes, the Horseman will be whole once more and the world will be lost. I have to run. I can’t warn him. He’ll know the song that’s meant for him. You need to go. Now! Do you understand me?”
Mae rose and fury narrowed her eyes, even though tears filled them. “Thank you, Adelle. I promise you, his life won’t be lost in vain.”
She turned and started to run toward the building. When neither Hunter nor I immediately followed, Alastair took off at full speed after her.
Hunter looked at me.
My entire chest ached. “Go with her.”
“He’s already gone, Ellis. There’s nothing more you can—”
“Go with her. I’ll join you soon.”
He knew what I was going to do, and the look he gave me tore at my heart. Then he turned and raced after Mae and Alastair.
At last, I collapsed to my knees. Bloody Mary was a legend, the Horseman was a legend, and both proved to be real. Why couldn’t this legend be true too?
I touched his body. He was still warm. The life had just barely left him.
If there was anything good in this world still, then this would work.
I closed my eyes and felt my body change partially. My horn was suddenly a heavy, comforting presence on my forehead, and I felt sick to my stomach. Reaching up, I grabbed it, then I closed my eyes and told myself I could do this. That I could do anything for Grim.
My teeth clenched together as I twisted and ripped at my horn. A scream tore from my lips as I felt it ripping free, and mind-numbing pain made every nerve in my body protest. Somewhere inside of me, I knew I was ripping off a part of myself, a part I could never get back, but my heart said that Grim was more a part of me than my horn could ever be.
When it came off in my hand, I