Oops. Now that he pointed it out, that was a really dumb thing to do, wasn't it?
"I will follow your command to the letter," he swore, deadly serious, but his eyes still twinkled as he ducked his head to kiss me again. "Mate."
A thrill went through my belly, and I smiled, grabbing the back of his neck for a deep, claiming kiss. But Mav came skidding into the kitchen before I could do more than softly brush my lips over Void’s.
"Fuck, sorry," Mav said, breathless and wild-eyed enough that my blood instantly ran cold.
Void held me up with one splayed hand, his other arm banding around my back like a solid iron bar, caging me in safety. "What is it?"
"The Spear and Bludgeon," Mav said, dragging in breath. At my frown, he explained, "The pub where we found you. There's nothing left of it. It's been turned to ash."
I flinched. I'd seen that happen to another building when the keepers took me and another weapon out to hunt a particularly dangerous shadowkind.
After she was dead, on the keepers' orders, the other weapon destroyed the building we found the monster in.
"They're coming for me," I breathed.
And I knew it was only a matter of time before I was caught.
20
"Ican't stay here," I rushed out, panic rising sharply enough that I struggled to breathe.
I pushed away from Void, forcing him to put me down or else drop me, and twisted away from him and Mav. Motion blurred in the corner of my vision, and I jumped with a shriek, but it was only Sang.
He lifted his palms, his yellow eyes wide and startled by my reaction. But I couldn't control it, and I couldn't lock down my instinctive dread at his lifted hands.
In the hatch, if you saw someone's palms, it meant you were about to get attacked by their power.
"I need to go back to Earth. If I stay here, they'll find me, and they'll kill you too, and—"
My breath stuttered when Void closed the distance between us in a single step, his warm hand wrapping around my throat. Panicked and irrational, I waited for him to squeeze, to choke off my air, but he only held my throat, and stillness washed over me in a primaeval response when he ducked his head to hold my stare. His black eyes were full of soothing calm, and I shuddered through a breath, lifting my hands to hold onto his powerful forearm. Silently pleading with him to not let go.
"No one is going to hurt you," he swore. "Orus. I'm the God of the Void, and you aremine. I won't fail you by letting your safety be compromised."
He kissed the tip of my nose, and all my breath whooshed out of me, the panic stalling for a moment.
"Now go after Mav. He needs you right now."
I blinked when Void let me go, and realised Mav left while I freaked out. Sang watched me through sad yellow eyes, his shoulders hunched and tail trailing along the floor.
Pain tightened in my chest.
"I’m sorry," I whispered, stepping away from Void and holding out a hand to Sang. He fell over himself to reach me, and the second we touched, I hauled him into a tight hug. "Some things startle me, and I can't stop my reaction. I'm not scared of you. Promise, Cheshire Cat."
"I won't hurt you. I'd kill anyone and everyone who eventhoughtabout touching you. If anyone hurts one hair on your head, I'll peel all the skin from their body—"
"Sang," Void said, half a warning, half a laugh. "I don't think Hala wants to hear about you skinning someone alive."
Sang straightened, a deep furrow in his brow and his ears flattening. "Why not?" He tightened his arms around me, resting his big head on my shoulder and whispered, "Don't listen to him, Hala. I know you like it when I talk about squishy, splattery stuff."
"In his defence," I said to Void, peering around Sang's big shoulder, "youtold me you'd behead a bunch of people. You don't have any high ground to stand on, buddy."
Void's lips twitched, his black eyes glinting. "You may have a point. However, it’s hardly our fault you're so sweet and inspire violent protectiveness in us."
"Yeah," Sang agreed, kissing my neck. "You're too cute, with your smile and your laugh and your killer tendencies."
I laughed, my cheeks warm. "Thanks. Can you let me go, Cheshire Cat? I want to go find Mav."