Page 103 of Lethal Souls
I laugh, wrapping my arms around my legs. The black flowers in the field sway gently with the breeze, and the sun rises higher in the sky, causing the dew on the grass to sparkle.
I feel Korah looking at me, but I can’t look at her right now. There is so much going on, not only inside me but outside of me too. Vakeeli is a mess, and everyone is on edge because one woman—one Regal—wants to kill us all.
Say we do win the war, but Caz dies? Or one of his cousins? What if I die somehow? Not only will I be gone, but the baby will be too, so either way we’re fucked.
Sighing, Korah tucks her sword away, removes the strap from her back, and tosses it on the grass. When she’s seated next to me, she takes my hand and gives it a squeeze.
“You are destined for more, Willow. I know right now you may feel helpless and like you’re at fault, but believe me, you’re not. You are the glue here. If you fall, everyone else around you will too.”
“I think you have that all wrong,” I say. “Caz is the glue.”
“No. It’s always been you. With no mate, Caz wouldn’t be who he is right now. Without you, he wouldn’t be willing to fight. He’d have given Selah Yuri’s energy in the snap of a finger if you weren’t here, and this world would be nothing but ash. Why? Because he didn’t care about living until he found you. A brave, smart, level-headed woman. He’s happy, and when he’s happy, his family is too. You bring out the good in people, Willow. That is a power within itself.”
“That sounds cliché as hell.”
Korah laughs as I do. “Maybe it is, but I mean every word. Now up you get. I want to show you a few more things before that mate of yours comes burning through the trees to find you.”
I smile and stand as she does, dusting my butt off. I go for my sword a few steps away, but when I look back at Korah again, she’s completely still and staring off in the distance. Her eyes widen, and her smile vanishes.
“Korah?”
She raises a hand, scanning our perimeter. “Someone’s watching us.”
SIXTY-FOUR
WILLOW
“Are you sure it isn’t Caz?” I whisper as she withdraws her sword.
Instead of answering, she grips the handle of her weapon, and in a flash, she disappears.
A gasp escapes me as I search for her.
“Korah?” I call. “Korah!”
A gust of wind zips by me, kicking up grass and dust. Korah returns to the center of the field, but she’s not alone. When I see the familiar woman lying at her feet, my breath hitches.
“Spying while drunk.” Korah lifts the tip of her sword to Danica’s chin. “Even if I weren’t a Regal, I’d have smelled you from a mile away.”
Danica grimaces at Korah, a hand raised to block the sun. “I wasn’t spying.”
“Danica?” I call, rushing their way. She looks so different. Her face is hollow, and her hair that was once dark is now streaked with silver. She’s aging. Deteriorating. Dying.
Korah pulls her sword back, and Danica grunts as she wobbles to a stand. I help her, and when she lifts her head to see me, her eyes instantly well with tears.
It’s completely unexpected when she pulls me in and wraps her arms around my neck.
“Willow, I’m so sorry,” she sobs over my shoulder. “I thought he would be safe. I thought they could help.” She jerks away, and I can smell the liquor on her breath. It seems she’s been bathing in it.
“It’s okay, Danica. Don’t worry. I’m just glad you’re here,” I breathe over her shoulder. “I thought I’d never see you again.”
Danica yanks away from me. “This is all your fault!” she shouts, spinning to face Korah again. She snatches out her katana and directs it at the Regal.
“Danica, don’t.” I grab her arm, but she jerks away from me again.
“We trusted you to keep us safe. To keep us alive. Instead, my mate is dead, and I will be too. Look at me!” she screeches, clutching a handful of silver hair. “I’m aging faster than I can blink!”
“If you hadn’t run away, you would be fine, Danica,” Korah responds in a calm voice.