Captured (Shadow Guild Hades & Persephone #3) - Linsey Hall Page 0,4

which had been dull from the frost, brightened, and I could see the bright orange cheese powder still coating her whiskers. Her little tongue snuck out and licked them clean, and Carrow laughed, tears in the sound.

But the rest of Cordelia’s body was still frozen.

I drew in a shuddery breath and fed the rest of my power into her, watching through darkening vision as her limbs twitched, and her chest rose and fell with her breaths. Finally, she rolled over and clambered to her feet.

It was the last thing I saw before the weakness took me. I’d fed nearly all my power into Cordelia, and I felt like I’d run a marathon. My knees gave out, and I sank to the floor, blackness obscuring my vision.

Somewhere far away, I heard Carrow calling my name. A horrific scent filled my nose, and I choked, gasping.

“She’s up!” Carrow said.

I blinked, my vision foggy, and dragged a hand through my hair. My voice was weak when I asked. “What’s going on?”

“You revived Cordelia, but it weakened you so much that you passed out,” Carrow said.

Her face swam into focus, and I looked around, catching sight of Mac, Eve, and Quinn staring at me. The big shifter’s face was creased with worry, and his auburn hair looked like he’d dragged his hand through it a million times.

“When did you get here?” I asked.

“Just in time to see you hit the ground like you’d had six tequila shots.”

I swallowed hard and straightened myself.

“Here, drink this.” Mac shoved a full pint of beer at me.

“Beer?”

She nodded. “You look like you could use it.”

I felt like it, too. Quickly, I gulped a few sips and sighed. The magic was slowly returning to me, but it would be a while before I was at full strength again. Cordelia pushed her way between Carrow and Mac and put a tiny hand on my knee. Her black eyes met mine.

“She says thank you.” Carrow rubbed her head. “You saved her from being a raccoonsicle.”

I laughed. “Anytime, pal. Will you share your Cheetos with me now?”

Cordelia took a moment, clearly debating, then nodded. She looked a bit begrudging, and I smiled.

Carrow’s phone rang, and she dug into her pocket. She looked at the screen, then up at us. “It’s Grey. He must have news about the tower.”

She accepted the call and pressed the speaker phone button. “Hey, Grey. I’ve got you on speaker.”

“Good.” His voice sounded even more clipped than normal, as if something were wrong and he just wanted to get it out.

Shit.

“The curse is spreading,” he said. “Fairly quickly. It’s through the Shadow Guild Courtyard and has hit some of the buildings nearby. There are several frozen people inside.”

My heart thudded. “Get away from it.”

“I’m keeping my distance. But the people—”

“They’re not dead. Not yet.”

“But you don’t have the strength to revive them,” Carrow said. “Not now, at least. Not so many of them.”

I didn’t. Bringing Cordelia back had drained me. I’d require at least a day’s recovery before I was at full strength again.

“There are twenty of them, at least,” Grey said. “You need to evacuate the town. I’m going to arrange for the rest of the citizens to leave as well.”

Shit, shit, shit.

“We’re at the Haunted Hound,” Carrow said. “Come join us.”

“I’ll be there soon.” The line went dead.

Carrow, Mac, Eve, Beatrix, and Quinn stared at me. Cordelia sat on her little butt and twisted her paws together, clearly worried.

“It’s Chronos,” I said. “But what if it’s not just Guild City?”

Eve pulled her cell phone from the pocket of her jeans and looked at it, her gaze traveling over the screen as she typed a few things onto the screen. When her face went white, my stomach pitched. “What is it?”

She looked up. “It’s not just Guild City.”

“Let me see.” I held out a hand and she passed me the phone. With horror, I stared down at a recent image of London. The fountain in front of Trafalgar square was frozen solid, the water jets turned to ice. More photos flashed by as I scrolled. New York, Dubai, Seoul, Buenos Aires.

“Oh, no.” I swallowed hard and looked up. “He’s attacking the entire world.”

3

Cavern at the Base of Hades’ Fortress

Hades

Stillness permeated the cavern at the base of my fortress. I stared down into the pit, my mind spinning. The abyss was empty.

The darkness that had called to me for so long, that had comforted me, was gone. Yet I was still just as torn, just as unsettled as