went.
“Good one, clumsy,” she
hissed when it finally landed at the bottom.
They waited. Two
seconds later the flapping began. High-pitched screeches so loud
she clapped her hands over her ears, filled the cave. The ceiling
seemed to drop as thousands of bats took flight and whirled around
the cavern.
“Go!” Geo yelled and
shoved her forward.
She scrambled up the
last of the rocks as fast as she could. A breeze whooshed by her
head and she bit back a scream realizing it was the bat’s wings.
She stumbled and fell a few times but kept going despite the
pain.
Just a little
further.
Geo jumped ahead,
grabbed her hand and dragged her to the opening. When they reached
it, he shoved her through then followed just behind. They ran
through the wooded terrain, dodging tree trunks as big as houses,
until the tunnel was out of sight.
When they stopped, Sam
bent over to catch her breath. Geo walked a circle around them,
scanning the trees. She didn’t care where they were, or if they
were in more danger than before, she was just happy to be out of
the tunnel of doom. If she died right here, right now, she’d go
with a smile on her face.
Geo stalked toward her,
his face crinkled with worry. “Are you alright? Did you get
bitten?” He took her wrist and studied one arm then the other. Then
he picked up her hair and looked over her neck and face.
“No. They didn’t get
me.”
Ignoring her, he lifted
the front of her shirt. “Hey!” She jumped away. “I said they didn’t
bite me.”
He pursed his lips.
“Please check. This is important.”
She didn’t want to know
why so she didn’t ask. Instead she obliged him, lifting her shirt
and looking over her body. “Clear. No bites. You?”
He shrugged. “Doesn’t
matter. Won’t affect me.”
She turned a circle.
Tall, straight tree trunks surrounded them. Branches with leaves as
big as her head grew up high like a canopy. It reminded her of
photos she’d seen of Sequoia National Park. Only…bigger. The
Underworld could give Texas a run for its money. Everything was
bigger in Texas? Try everything was bigger – and more badass – in
the Underworld.
“Now what?” she asked
Geo.
“We move. I don’t want
to stay in this forest long. I smell vampires.”
“Are you sure it’s not
the bats?”
He shook his head then
pointed behind her through some thinner trees to a group of small,
but daunting, mountains.
Her shoulders
slumped.
“We’ll travel through
there.”
“I was afraid you’d say
that.”
A soft smile graced his
face as he looked into her eyes. “You amaze me.”
She blinked.
“What?”
“For a human, you’re
pretty tough.”
She’d ignore the “for a
human part” and take it as a compliment. “Thanks. And you’re not so
bad for a demon guide.”
He arched a brow. “Not
a demon.”
Riiiight.
With a nod of his head,
he gestured toward the mountains. “Let’s get moving. I don’t want
to be anywhere near Rheol Heaern when the sun sets.”
“ Rheol Heaern ? Where the Dark King
lives?” She’d heard about him. A sorcerer turned vampire banished
from Caerwyn – the sorcerer’s homeland in Wales. In an act of
spite, he took hold of the Underworld and had been waging war on
the sorcerers for the last five centuries. Most say he’d gone mad
with lust for power.
“Not anymore. He was
murdered by his own daughter. A queen now rules the Underworld.
Queen Eirian.”
Why did that sound
familiar?
“She’s half-witch, I
think,” he added.
The vision of a
brunette, hair cut in a bob and the greenest eyes she’d ever seen
popped into her mind. “Sage!”
Geo’s brow furrowed.
“You know her?”
She grunted. “Yes.
Let’s just say there’s no love lost between us.” Samantha hadn’t
treated the confused witch very well when she’d literally fallen
into Sam’s mentor’s house only a few months ago. Sage hadn’t taken
too kindly to a sword pointed at her throat. Some people were so
touchy. Selene, the witch
“Good one, clumsy,” she
hissed when it finally landed at the bottom.
They waited. Two
seconds later the flapping began. High-pitched screeches so loud
she clapped her hands over her ears, filled the cave. The ceiling
seemed to drop as thousands of bats took flight and whirled around
the cavern.
“Go!” Geo yelled and
shoved her forward.
She scrambled up the
last of the rocks as fast as she could. A breeze whooshed by her
head and she bit back a scream realizing it was the bat’s wings.
She stumbled and fell a few times but kept going despite the
pain.
Just a little
further.
Geo jumped ahead,
grabbed her hand and dragged her to the opening. When they reached
it, he shoved her through then followed just behind. They ran
through the wooded terrain, dodging tree trunks as big as houses,
until the tunnel was out of sight.
When they stopped, Sam
bent over to catch her breath. Geo walked a circle around them,
scanning the trees. She didn’t care where they were, or if they
were in more danger than before, she was just happy to be out of
the tunnel of doom. If she died right here, right now, she’d go
with a smile on her face.
Geo stalked toward her,
his face crinkled with worry. “Are you alright? Did you get
bitten?” He took her wrist and studied one arm then the other. Then
he picked up her hair and looked over her neck and face.
“No. They didn’t get
me.”
Ignoring her, he lifted
the front of her shirt. “Hey!” She jumped away. “I said they didn’t
bite me.”
He pursed his lips.
“Please check. This is important.”
She didn’t want to know
why so she didn’t ask. Instead she obliged him, lifting her shirt
and looking over her body. “Clear. No bites. You?”
He shrugged. “Doesn’t
matter. Won’t affect me.”
She turned a circle.
Tall, straight tree trunks surrounded them. Branches with leaves as
big as her head grew up high like a canopy. It reminded her of
photos she’d seen of Sequoia National Park. Only…bigger. The
Underworld could give Texas a run for its money. Everything was
bigger in Texas? Try everything was bigger – and more badass – in
the Underworld.
“Now what?” she asked
Geo.
“We move. I don’t want
to stay in this forest long. I smell vampires.”
“Are you sure it’s not
the bats?”
He shook his head then
pointed behind her through some thinner trees to a group of small,
but daunting, mountains.
Her shoulders
slumped.
“We’ll travel through
there.”
“I was afraid you’d say
that.”
A soft smile graced his
face as he looked into her eyes. “You amaze me.”
She blinked.
“What?”
“For a human, you’re
pretty tough.”
She’d ignore the “for a
human part” and take it as a compliment. “Thanks. And you’re not so
bad for a demon guide.”
He arched a brow. “Not
a demon.”
Riiiight.
With a nod of his head,
he gestured toward the mountains. “Let’s get moving. I don’t want
to be anywhere near Rheol Heaern when the sun sets.”
“ Rheol Heaern ? Where the Dark King
lives?” She’d heard about him. A sorcerer turned vampire banished
from Caerwyn – the sorcerer’s homeland in Wales. In an act of
spite, he took hold of the Underworld and had been waging war on
the sorcerers for the last five centuries. Most say he’d gone mad
with lust for power.
“Not anymore. He was
murdered by his own daughter. A queen now rules the Underworld.
Queen Eirian.”
Why did that sound
familiar?
“She’s half-witch, I
think,” he added.
The vision of a
brunette, hair cut in a bob and the greenest eyes she’d ever seen
popped into her mind. “Sage!”
Geo’s brow furrowed.
“You know her?”
She grunted. “Yes.
Let’s just say there’s no love lost between us.” Samantha hadn’t
treated the confused witch very well when she’d literally fallen
into Sam’s mentor’s house only a few months ago. Sage hadn’t taken
too kindly to a sword pointed at her throat. Some people were so
touchy. Selene, the witch
Similar Books
