Fall of Ruin and Wrath (Awakening, #1)

My wide eyes darted from a pale face to a crimson-streaked one in confusion. I should’ve helped her. I just left her there— I left her out there.

Get up. Gods damn you, get up. If we stay here, we’re going to die.

“Leave me,” the wounded man pleaded out loud. “Just leave me.”

“Like hell I am,” another man grunted.

Their thoughts— oh gods, I couldn’t block them. I couldn’t sever the connection as I pushed through the frenzied bodies, my heart thumping as the moans of the dying became final words in my mind.

It’s too soon.

This isn’t happening.

Why me?

I can’t feel my legs. Why can’t I feel—

They merged together, making it impossible for me to tell exactly how many I was hearing, if it was one or many.

I’m dying.

Oh blessed gods, save me.

I’m dead. I’m dead. I’m dead.

Gasping for air, I tripped over something— someone. I caught myself on a still-standing pedestal, my stare fixed on the man’s face. His mask hung from one ear, his lips parted as if they had frozen mid-inhale. His throat . . . it was torn wide open. Through the mess of snapped bone and jellied flesh, I could see the floor— see the blood streaming through the gold veining of the marble.

My body locked up as I clutched the cool marble. Their thoughts. The sights and sounds. My own rising terror. My legs shook, knees weakening. I couldn’t move as my throat seized. I couldn’t shut them out. I slid to the floor, pressing back against the base of the pedestal. It was too much. They were inside me— their fear, their panic, their last thoughts— and I couldn’t pull myself out of it. Couldn’t stop them from being a part of me. I tucked my knees to my chest, squeezing my eyes closed as I pressed my balled fists to my ears.

Help me!

I’m dying!

It hurts— oh gods, it hurts.

He’s gone. He’s dead.

I’m bleeding—

Lis. Lis. Lis.

I don’t want it to end like this.

I can’t.

It’s not fair—

“Lis!” Hands clamped my arms, shaking me. “Calista,” the voice demanded. “Look at me.”

Dragging in air, I was terrified to do so— terrified by what I’d see— but it was brown eyes staring back at mine, eyes a shade darker than mine. Grady. He’d found me— like always, he’d found me.

“I can hear them,” I rasped, shaking. “Their thoughts. Their screams. I can’t stop it— ”

“Just focus on me. Just me, and take a breath— a deep, long breath. Okay? Focus on me and breathe,” he ordered, the warm brown skin around his mouth taut as another’s voice started to intrude on my thoughts. “You focused?”

“I— ” I began to look away from him. Blood pooled along the floor. Rivers of crimson, slick and shiny. Blood splattered along the base and up the sweeping golden pillars. Still arms and legs. Skin torn apart by deep gouges. . . .

“I saw this,” I whispered. “This is what I saw, Grady. This is— ”

“I know. That doesn’t matter right now.” He clasped my cheeks then, forcing my gaze back to him. “Tell me how I’m supposed to make catmint continue to bloom?”

His question caught me off guard. “W-What?”

“Tell me how I can get your favorite flower to keep blooming?”

“I like catmint, but it’s . . . it’s n-not my favorite. Tickseed is.” My mind suddenly filled with images of tiny, daisy-like yellow blossoms. “The moonbeam kind.”

“Okay. Whatever. How do you get moonbeam to keep blooming?”

My brows knitted. “You have to deadhead them— cut off the little black buds, the spent blossoms.”

“Good to know.” His hands smoothed the hair back from my cheeks. “You picturing those flowers?”

I nodded as my mind finally began to calm. Grady . . . he’d done this before, when we were younger and I hadn’t learned how to sever the connection with others. Pushing off the floor, I threw my arms around him. “I don’t know what I would . . . I would do without you.”

“It’s okay. I got you. It’s okay.” His arms tightened around me. “You hurt?”

I shook my head. “N-No. It was just their thoughts. I couldn’t— ”

“I know. I know.” He rose, bringing me with him. “We’ve got to get out of here. Get farther into the house and hide before they get in.”

“The ni’meres?”

“Not just them.” He pulled back, quickly scanning my face and body for any injury I might have lied about. “I saw the Rae coming over the hill.”

“W-What? Why?”

“I don’t know.” He grabbed my arm, squeezing as he looked around. “But something bad is going down, Lis. Primvera is burning.”

My chest went cold. “What?”

He began to lead us through the crowd. “I saw the Rae from the solarium. Saw it before the ni’meres came. That’s when I started to look for you. Careful,” he warned, guiding us around a motionless pair of legs.

I didn’t look to see what had caused those legs to become so still.

“Knew right off something bad was going down.” Grady shoved his other hand through his mop of curly hair.

“Do you think it’s the Westlands?”

“Who else could it be?” he said. “They must’ve made it farther into the Midlands than anyone knew. That’s the only answer.” He grunted as someone knocked into us. “We’ve got to hide,” he repeated. “And then the first chance we get, we’ve got to get out— ”

Glass shattered behind us. Grady looked over his shoulder as I did the same.

Ni’meres came through the broken window, their feathered bodies slick with blood and gore. Their wings beat at the air as they swooped down, aiming for those still standing with talons that dripped red.

Chaos erupted. Those who could scattered in every direction, as we ran toward the main hall. We weren’t the only ones who reached the narrow hall that led to the Great Chamber and the remaining halls and spaces within the manor.

“Not the Great Chamber,” I gasped. “We can’t go there.”

“Shit.” Grady’s gaze briefly met mine. “Hold on. Don’t let go, Lis. Whatever you do, don’t let go.”

I clutched the back of his tunic as people crowded in all around us, quickly choking the hall.

But they didn’t know the house like we did.

Narrow tables fell, clogging the path even more as we were pressed farther down the hall. I tugged on Grady’s arm. “The blue door!” I yelled. “The back halls.”

Grady nodded, keeping his footing and mine as we were nearly shoved right past the door. We dug in, him grunting and me gasping as several people slammed into us. The door was stuck, forcing Grady to throw his weight behind it.

The door groaned, swinging open, and we all but fell through. I spun around, spotting Allyson’s pale curls in the madness. “Allyson,” I screamed. Her head whipped toward us. She started fighting toward the door.

“Come on,” Grady yelled, pulling us aside as a young fair-haired man and then Allyson dashed into the chamber.

I went to her. “Are you okay?” Her light blue gown was splattered with blood. “Are you hurt?”

“No,” she rasped, her curls falling haphazardly into her face. “Are you?”

“I’m okay.” My heart thundered. “I’m so glad I saw you. Have you . . .” I froze. A silver chain circled her neck, and from it, a sapphire jewel hung. “Is that Naomi’s necklace?”

Confusion marked her brow as she stared at me like she couldn’t believe I was asking such a question. “Yeah, I wanted to wear it with my gown. She gave it to me a few days ago.”

Oh gods.

I’d been wrong. It hadn’t been Naomi I’d seen. . . .

Allyson glanced up at the ceiling. “I . . . I got separated from the others,” she said, and I looked away, heart cracking at the realization. “The ni’meres— they came in through the windows there. I don’t know if . . .”

“This way!” Grady shouted, and I whipped around. “Come on. Damn it,” he cursed as people scrambled past the door. “This way, you fuckers!”

No one listened.

I shook my head, heart sinking as a ni’mere’s shriek entered the hall.

“They’re coming,” Allyson whispered, backing away from me. She bumped into a settee. “We can’t stay here with the door open.”

She was right.

“Damn it,” Grady snarled, slamming the door shut. “Damn it!”