Page 126 of Stealing Embers
If this is truly Silver, that means she didn’t perish on the mountainside so many years ago. And if she didn’t die, and is standing here as a Forsaken, that means she met a much darker fate.
Feigning disappointment, Silver’s mouth downturns and her head tilts. The moonlight bounces off her shiny sheet of raven hair, the color and texture so similar to Steel’s own.
“Are you not happy to see your long-lost sister, Steel?”
“You are not my sister,” Steel says through clenched teeth.
“Aren’t I though?” Silver asks with a notched eyebrow. “It’s an interesting question, don’t you think? In all the history of the Nephilim, it’s hard to believe that no one has ever stopped to ask how much of the angel-born remains after possession. Perhaps the nature of the Forsaken is more symbiotic than any of you realize?”
“That’s not possible. Silver’s soul was released when you got your putrid claws in her.”
“This makes for a very interesting moral dilemma, doesn’t it, sweet brother?” She taps a finger against her lower lip as if considering something.
“Would you really be able to slaughter your Nephilim brothers and sisters so easily if you knew they were still inhabiting these bodies?” Silver gestures to herself. A sly grin lifts both corners of her mouth.
If Steel is shaken by her words, he hides it well.
“There isn’t a bit of my sister left in that shell. What you’re speaking of is blasphemy.”
A rich laugh rolls out of Silver. “Like I care.”
“If there was even a sliver of my sister left inside, there’s no way she would have offered our siblings up as bait.”
“But they were so young when I was embraced by the dark. Just babies, in fact. Remember how much Aurora used to cry all night long? Such a nuisance. Why would you think I’d be attached to the mongrels after all these years?”
Something like uneasiness flickers across Steel’s features.
Something akin to doubt.
Could her tidbit about Aurora crying all night have been true?
I don’t know whether or not the Forsaken retain their host body’s memories, but from Steel’s momentary lapse, I don’t have a good feeling about this conversation.
Silver takes a step closer to Steel, invading his space. She tilts into his body. Her voice drops to a whisper I can barely hear.
“I’ll let you in on a little secret—something the Fallen and the Nephilim Council don’t want getting around. There are pieces of angel-born living in every Forsaken. For some, only the whisper of the soul remains, but for others . . .” A wicked smile spreads across her face. “Well, you see for some of us, rather than spending an eternity as a spectator in our own bodies, we choose to live another way. We choose to bond with the Fallen inside, becoming one entity. One immortal being.” Leaning back far enough for Steel to take in every bit of her expression, she finishes with, “I’ll let you guess which one I turned out to be.”
“Lies.” The word hisses between Steel’s lips.
“I wouldn’t have told you, except—” she shrugs a delicate shoulder, “I don’t expect there to be much, if any of you, left to spread the word.”
A warning I didn’t mean to release rumbles in my chest. Taking a menacing step toward them, I wedge a foot between the Forsaken and Steel.
Silver’s head whips in my direction. The action is more bird-like than human.
“Looks like I was right. This onedoeshave an involuntary attachment to you.” Silver’s unsettling gaze remains on me, even though her words are meant for Steel. “If it weren’t for the circumstances, I’d say you were very lucky, brother. She’d make an excellent guard dog.”
“Watch it.” Steel shoots the words at her like bullets. “Emberly has nothing to do with this. It’s me you want.”
“Is that what you think?” With a raspy chuckle, she pats his cheek with just enough force to leave a red print behind. “I shouldn’t be surprised. You were always full of yourself. But no, you’re not our prey this time. You’re simply part of the bait that lured her here. Like I said earlier, she’s the prize. This mortal shell she wears will soon be shed, and she’ll become the savior we’ve all been waiting for.”
Fire sparks in Steel’s eyes.
Before fear has a chance to spike at Silver’s words, Steel lashes out.
His fist connects with her jaw, and her head snaps to the side.
Two Forsaken are on Steel in an instant. They lash ropes around his arms and force him back. It takes another two to hold him as he struggles for freedom.