“Is he alive, Zwi?” she whispered. She gathered the little creature against her chest and hugged her gently. “Please let him be alive.”
If he was dead . . . if Samael had killed him . . . Piper couldn’t stand the thought. Ash had fought so hard for them. He had saved her life over and over and gotten them all through that mess alive. If he’d died at Samael’s hands, it was because Piper had failed him. She had let the Sahar be taken from her. If she’d managed to hold on to it, Ash could have fixed it so Samael would be satisfied. He would have let Ash live.
She’d failed him—in more ways than one.
But even after all that, she needed him. Needed his help and his advice. Desperately.
Lyre feared what Samael would do with the knowledge that Piper knew he had the Sahar. She feared far more what the Hades warlord would do if he knew what had happened when the harpies tried to take the Sahar from her.
She wasn’t sure herself. She didn’t understand what had happened. She only knew the results—and one scenario alone made sense.
She had used the power in the Sahar to kill the harpies.
Somehow, she had, without any magic of her own, tapped the power in the Sahar. She remembered the sudden duality of her thoughts like there was some other presence in her mind. She remembered the hot surge of power, the sudden flash of light coming from the Stone clutched in her fist.
The Sahar had killed the harpies. And Piper had wielded it.
The memory made her sick. The harpy’s exploding skull. The spray of blood, the gore. Pieces of rent bodies falling through the air.
The harpy that had finally gotten the Sahar from her had witnessed that attack. When the harpy had carried the Sahar back to Samael, there was no reason to believe she hadn’t also brought that tale of inexplicable power to Samael’s ears.
Samael would want to kill Piper for knowing he had the Sahar. What would he do with the knowledge that Piper was the first confirmed person to tap its power since its original creator had wielded it to level an entire town 500 years ago?
She had no idea how she’d done it, or if she could do it again, not when neither Ash nor a thousand other daemons and haemons had managed to bend the Sahar to their will. But if Samael put the pieces together and realized how the magic-less haemon girl had killed a band of harpies in midair, the danger would be beyond comprehension.
Maybe Samael wouldn’t care. Maybe he knew some obscure secret for wielding the Sahar.
She dared not hope.
A tear slipped down her cheek as she petted the abandoned, brokenhearted dragonet. Zwi made a soft trill before curling up and closing her eyes wearily. With a sigh, Piper cuddled the little creature closer. She would come up with some sort of plan. Lyre would help her. Maybe Miysis too, if he knew Samael had his Stone.
She lifted her chin, banishing despair. “Don’t give up, Ash,” she whispered. “I’m not giving up on you yet.”
To be continued in
Book 2 of the Steel & Stone series:
BIND THE SOUL
BIND THE SOUL is now available for pre-order! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ODOAOQO
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to start with you, the reader. Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!
Thank you to Breanna, for being my first reader, first sounding board, and first cheerleader. Your enthusiasm for my writing is priceless to me. I’m sorry about the cliffhangers. Really.
Thank you to Jillian, for your keen editing eye, your ability to poke holes in all my faulty logic, and your refusal to let me get away with anything, ever. And I’m sorry about the eye thing. Really.
Thank you to my mother, for getting me hooked on the written word and for supporting every decision I make. I learned from you how to work hard and I never would have made it this far without that.
Lastly, thank you to my fiancé, for not being intimidated by my creative obsessions, for remembering everything I forget, for ensuring I keep sight of the business side of writing, and, most importantly, for putting up with me every day. You’re the best.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Annette Marie lives in Western Canada with her fiancé. Someday she’d like to get a cat. Maybe two.
Annette Marie, Chase the Dark (Steel & Stone Book 1)
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