Free Death's Lover by Marie Hall Page B

and wolves howled.
    Nothing happened. The breathing was still heavy, lungs grasping for air, but nothing was happening. Curiosity was a burning thing. Who was this? She had to see. Cautiously, she dropped her arms and opened her eyes.
    “You,” she whispered, her fear turning to shock.
    Solemn blue eyes studied her. Cian knelt before her.
    “I’m sorry. So sorry,” he said, tracing her jaw with his knuckle. Then he leaned in and kissed her.
    Eve shot up, pushing the covers off her legs. Her breathing came in short, sharp gasps. Her bedroom was bathed in shadow, the only light coming off the red lava lamp sitting on her dresser.
    She blinked, trying to clear her head of the dream. Her mouth was dry, stale. She got up and wrapped herself in a bathrobe, rubbing her temple and releasing a shaky breath.
    Shot full of adrenaline, her veins thrummed. That had felt so real. She touched her cheek, not feeling a physical sting but remembering the sharp slaps with a clarity that astonished.
    She looked out the window, at the safety of the city, miles away from any forested area, and wondered what the dream had meant.
    It was dark outside, the moon a thin crescent dangling in the fog-banked sky like a silver pendant. She leaned her head against the cool glass and closed her eyes.
    Why had Cian been following her? Chasing her? Why had she felt such fear of death and then only comfort?
    Dreams were real for her. Not a prophecy of what would happen, but a way for the subconscious to show her something she wouldn’t normally see.
    She sighed. Maybe a nice cup of chamomile would help settle her nerves. She opened her eyes, ready to head to the kitchen, when a darting shadow on the sidewalk caught her attention.
    Narrowing her eyes, she held still, waiting to see the figure move again, her nerves taut. But after a minute of standing still, her legs began to shake. She shook her head, her hands trembling as she glided away from the window.

Chapter 8
    F renzy stepped through the gnarled oak separating realms and into the perfect darkness of Alcatraz Island at night. The sky, obscured by low-lying fog, glowed a silver-grayish color. Dreamlike. Striking.
    He narrowed his eyes, studying the land. Rotted out, abandoned buildings dotted the landscape like gravestones. Mortal-crafted stone rusted by decades of salt water crashing against it. Weeds shoved their sturdy stems through long cracks in building foundations.
    Anger twisted a hole in his gut. Humans poisoned the land—turned all that was beautiful into a wasteland of disease and decay. Concerned only with war and what they could own. The fae liked to believe themselves superior. But strip them of magick and beauty and they were all the same. He despised every one of them.
    With a snarl he swiped his hand, opened the portal, and stepped through. It took nothing to find Cian. All he had to do was attune himself to his brethren and that shared bond between them. A shimmering trail of ebony fire tugged at his chest like an invisible bond.
    The dazzling colors of the portal rolled into one with dizzying speed. Surrounded by lava-like brilliance, lights sped past his eyes faster and faster. His heart rate picked up in cadence, threatening to rip a hole through his chest.
    And then…he was there.
    Frenzy punched his hand through the opening and jumped out, reappearing a few feet from where he knew Cian sat crouched in shadow watching the witch he’d become obsessed with.
    Frenzy touched the amulet The Morrigan had given him. A part of him hoped it would work, keep him undetectable to Cian. But another part, the more reckless side, prayed to be found. To be drawn into a fight. Right now all he wanted was something solid to take his frustrations out on.
    The rotten stench of rancid restaurant oil permeated the breeze. Frenzy grimaced, curling his upper lip and exposing his canines. Mortal land: it was a nemesis he’d hoped never to meet again. Tonight with the demon had been more than enough