Mask of Poison (Fall of Under Book 1) by Kathryn Kingsley (great novels to read txt) 📕

over, pressing a hand to her forehead. Rxa had—he’d bitten her and done something to her mind.

He’s a blood-drinker like Lyon. He hypnotized me! The bastard—wait. Where did Rxa go? Why was she lying on a stone floor? No small part of her was impressed and surprised that she was still alive. When she could finally tell up from down, and the world seemed to stop insisting on spinning around her head, she tried to sit up again. Slower that time.

She jerked in shock and scrambled back from what she saw.

Drengil!

When she hit something in her way, she glanced down at whatever she had found. And she jolted a second time. There was Rxa!

But he wasn’t moving.

And after a long, terrified moment, she realized…neither were the corpses. The drengil were standing there in the hallway, just…staring at her. At them. But doing nothing. She glanced back down at Rxa. The man was lying on his side. He was once more wearing his shattered mask. She had no idea if he was awake or not.

“Rxa?”

He didn’t respond. She nudged him. When he didn’t move, she reached to touch his neck to find a pulse. It was there, unevenly lurching beneath her fingers. It didn’t feel like any heartbeat that she had ever felt before. He did get his heart ripped out. Who knows what is moving his blood through his veins.

More magic, I guess?

But why was he unconscious? He had bitten her. Her face went warm at the memory of how it had felt. She was glad he wasn’t awake to see her embarrassed expression. Oh, by the old gods. She remembered moaning like a harlot, holding on to him and desperately needing more as he drank her blood.

Is it supposed to feel that good? Or is there something wrong with me? Or both?

Pressing her fingers to her throat, she found a sore spot, but no gaping wound. She had hurt herself far worse in the past by stubbing her toe on a rock. When she pulled her hand back, she was surprised not to see blood.

Oh. I know what happened. With a long sigh, she glanced to the still-unmoving hungry corpses before looking back to Rxa. “My blood is poison to them. And if you’re like them—I’m poisonous to you, too.”

Now she had to figure out what in the name of the pits she was going to do.

Then…it hit her.

The map. Aon had showed her the map…and the roads that led south to the Temple of Dreams. That was where Aon, Lyon, and Lydia must be going.

He must have known this might happen. And he wanted her to take Rxa there.

Somehow.

She groaned. “Fuck.”

Jakob was singing an old song his mother had taught him as he walked alongside Dtu in his enormous wolfen form at the head of the pack of survivors. They were mixed in with some of the King of Shadows’ people. Maverick, the Elder of Words, was riding on one of the strange horse-monsters nearby. The man was exceedingly grumpy and didn’t seem to like him very much. So, Jakob opted to stay with Dtu. No point in making unwelcome friends.

Besides, Dtu’s second-in-command, Kamira, was more than friendly enough for his purposes. The nearly naked woman was walking beside him, her tail swishing behind her. He smiled brightly at her and stopped singing. “I wish I had a tail. It must be so much fun!”

She chuckled. “I won’t lie. It is.”

Jakob sighed wistfully. “I wish I could change my form like you do. I wish I could be a Varúlfur.”

“I’m sure Dtu would like that, too. I’m sure he’d love to see what you’re capable of.” Kamira smirked, laying the innuendo on thick. The King of Moons swiveled his skull head toward them and let out a small grunt. That prompted Kamira to grin wider.

“Oh, don’t tease him.” Jakob tucked his hands into the pockets of his new, fluffy, warm fur coat.

“Save your words,” Dtu grumbled. “Teasing me is her favorite pastime.”

“No, hunting my husband comes first. Teasing you is second,” Kamira retorted. “I promise you, he has it worse.”

“I beg to differ. Lyon can escape whenever he likes. I’m trapped with you.”

“Trapped!” Kamira laughed. “You’d be lost without me, old dog.”

“Yes, whatever would I do with all the peace and quiet?”

Jakob found himself smiling at how much the two shapeshifters clearly cared for each other. Even if they did seem to argue a lot. He listened to the two banter for a while. When they finally were finished, he chimed in again. “Why are we going north?”

“To visit a friend,” Dtu replied. “Another royal. The Queen of Flames. Her armies will be pivotal in controlling the issue with the hungering dead. If we’re lucky, she’s already marching south.”

“With Vjo, I hope.” Kamira shrugged. “The Queen of Words was visiting on political matters when everything went tits up.”

“There’s so much to learn about your world.” Jakob looked up at the sky overhead. The permanent night didn’t bother him. He loved the stars—and Under certainly had plenty to go around. And all the big, bright, colorful moons painted the world in various shades of glowing light. “It’s so beautiful.”

“It’s deadly,” Dtu reminded him.

“Sometimes the most beautiful things are,” Jakob replied. “Like a colorful snake, or…a bright, spotted mushroom. I just wish…” He trailed off.

“You wish what, mortal?” Dtu turned his head toward him, the green glowing pinprick of fire that hovered in the empty socket flickering like a candle.

“I wish I belonged here, that’s all. That I could be special—powerful—like all of you.” Jakob reached down and scooped up a twig from the ground as they hiked along the road. He began snapping it into tinier pieces. He needed something to do with his hands. “Maybe then I could be someone useful. Like Ember the graedari.”

“That poor girl—she’s probably dead by now.” Kamira sighed. “I wouldn’t wish to be like her, if I were you. Anyone who gets in the mix with Aon is always in for