As my eyes began to adjust, I realized the darkness wasn't as complete as I'd thought, thanks in part to the huge weights of stone that hung high above me. The stalactites gleamed with an odd, ghostly glow, and their light filtered through the surrounding ink, alluding to other outcroppings and hinting at fissures in the rock walls. Moisture gleamed and dripped, splashing onto the stony floor close to where I lay. It ran along the cracks and underneath my body, the chill of it contrasting sharply with the warmer moisture saturating my back. One of my wounds had obviously opened, even if the scent of it didn't sting the air.
But there was more than just stone and fissures here. There were shadows—shadows that were as still as the stone and humanoid in shape.
My heart began to beat a whole lot faster.
If those shapes were any indication, there wasn't just one Rakshasa here, but at least another five.
Panic surged anew, but I shoved it back down brutally. Panicking wouldn't achieve anything, and it certainly wouldn't get me out of here.
Something stirred to my left, and my gaze darted that way. One of the shadows peeled away from the wall and came toward me, the movement languid and oddly sensual. Which was fitting, because the woman who approached was one of the most exotic women I'd ever seen. She had the stature of an Amazon, with skin like warm honey and eyes the color of a newly unfurled leaf. Her hair was a fierce red and glowed like fire. But despite her beauty, there was little in the way of humanity in her expression, and her striking eyes were as cold as any monster's.
She stopped several feet away and gazed down at me. My heart beat so fast I could have sworn it was going to burst out of my chest, and sweat trickled down the side of my face.
"So," she said, her voice holding the edge of an accent that was both foreign and somewhat grating. "You are the one who almost caught me. The one who works with the reaper."
I tried to answer, but no sound came out. My vocal cords were as frozen as the rest of me.
"Why does a human work with a soul guide? I wonder. What makes you so special?"
She continued to study me, but the shadows behind her stirred, and harsh whispers rose, then fell away. I couldn't understand what was said, simply because it wasn't any language I'd heard before, but the Rakshasa raised a pale eyebrow and said, "Perhaps. Perhaps not."
She knelt and ran a finger across my chin. It came away bloody, and she raised it to her mouth and licked it clean.
"Your taste is sweet, but it is no different from that of any human," she mused softly. "Why, then, do the reapers run with you?"
She studied me as if she expected an answer, but even if I had been able to speak, I wouldn't have. I wanted her dead, not informed.
She smiled coldly, and it made me wonder if she was following my thoughts. I had the microcell implants, but had no idea whether they'd work against beings that were essentially spirit rather than flesh. They certainly didn't appear to work against either Azriel or Lucian.