Page 170 of Infernal Secrets

Shane staggered a few steps, muttering unintelligible words, before he lifted his head, a deranged smile crossing his face. He lunged at me, a twisted black blade held high above his head.

Zeke yelled, “Rae!”

Before Shane even took two steps, Ezra pivoted and transformed with a surge of power that made my legs go weak.

Thick tendrils of black smoke poured from his arms, streaking over the floor and through the air like vipers pursuing prey.

Zeke came to my side and supported me by my elbows as the scene unfolded.

Shane had no time to react. The sinister darkness coiled around him, spiraling up his legs and wrapping around his torso, enclosing him in a writhing mass of smoke.

He screamed when the tendrils constricted, like they were inhaling him.

Eyes wide with terror met mine through a gap in the thick smog seconds before it consumed him and retreated to its master, leaving nothing behind.

Ezra’s glowing blue eyes, set against blackened sclera, met mine.

He remained silent, eyes fixed on me, a clear expectation in his gaze. He wanted to know what I thought of him—of what I’d witnessed. I don’t know how I knew that, but I did.

I took in his infernal form through the tattered remains of a dress shirt torn apart by his power and shadows.

Like Cyn, solid black consumed his hands and half of his arms, with black claws that could slice me open if he wanted.

His neck was blackened too. Smokey tendrils snaked across his collarbone and jawline, disappearing at his temples. The tendrils reminded me of the deadly smoke he released upon Shane.

It looked as if the shadow marks were attempting to devour him, too.

Cyn didn’t have those marks on his neck. I suspected the marks on Ezra’s chest and neck were unique.

His black horns reminded me of an antelope in their shape, but shorter and covered in ridges. They extended from his head and angled inward to sharp points. Near the base, another smaller spike protruded from the bottom, splitting off from the larger horn.

Zeke lowered his head and whispered in my ear, “Are you afraid of him?”

“Why would I be afraid of him? He saved me.”

40

DENIAL

ASH

Everything I thought I knew about Nyrith pairs and a human’s ability to bond with our kind crumbled in an instant. As soon as I heard the words, my foundation didn’t just crack—it was swallowed whole, devoured in the same way Ezra’s shadows consumed prey.

I knew.

I’d ignored my instincts in favor of my education, dismissing what my body and heart tried to tell me. As a result, I denied us both what we wanted—needed.

Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to focus on the now.

The air rippled around Ezra before he smoothed his hair into place, his alternate form concealed. He acted aloof, but I knew unleashing his shadows in front of Rae set him on edge.

He once described his shadows as if they had a mind of their own. After watching his early struggles to manage them, I understood. He needed to learn complete emotional control from a young age to avoid harming others and himself.

I looked at Rae, still held upright by Zeke. The lingering power in the air made it difficult for her to stand.

Ezra wanted to protect her, but watching his shadows twist in her direction after consuming Shane, as if they needed to consume her too, I suspected there was something more.

I didn’t think they wanted to hurt her, given how they protected her, but they still posed a risk. I understood why Ezra had called them back.