Chapter 11 · Rip Up That Lie

"Still playing the ghost, Ella? It's a bit pathetic, don't you think?" Lucas's voice sliced through the dark, dripping with a smugness that made my skin crawl.

I couldn't see him, but I could feel the smug heat of his presence just a few feet away. The darkness in the hall wasn't normal. It was thick, oily, and it felt like it was swallowing the very air in my lungs.

"Pathetic?" I spat, my voice rasping. I tried to call on the Void, to feel that cold, jagged surge of power that usually answered my call, but there was nothing. Just a hollow ache in my chest. "You're the one hiding in the dark like a coward, Lucas."

Suddenly, a flash of red light ignited. Not a lamp, but eyes. Huge, predatory, and glowing with a hunger that made the hair on my arms stand up. The thing didn't breathe; it hissed. A low, vibrating sound that rattled my teeth.

"Meet my new associate," Lucas chuckled. He stepped into the dim light, his face twisted into a grin. "The High Council might have signed your death certificate, but this beauty here? He's here to make sure the paperwork is permanent."