The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

I forced myself to show no reaction as the Ascended
passed my legs, her lip curling as she flicked her gaze over
the bone and root chains. “What is this?” she demanded
coolly.
“It’s to keep her…calm,” Jansen answered from
somewhere behind me. “You will need to remove them. The
gag? Well, she was being quite rude. I suggest you keep
that one on for as long as possible.”
Bastard, I seethed silently, watching the Ascended as
she came closer.
“She appears quite calm now.” She stared down at me,
at my scars, with eyes that swallowed the night. A breath
shuddered out of her. “It is her,” she called out to whoever
remained in the darkness as she reached for me. Cold
fingers brushed my brow, causing me to flinch. Blood-red
lips formed a smile. “It will all be okay now, Maiden. We will
take you home. Where you belong. Your Queen will be so
very—”
The Ascended jerked back without warning as
something wet and warm sprayed my face and neck. She
looked down at the same time I did, my eyes and hers
widening at the sight of the thick bolt now embedded deep
in her chest.
Her lips peeled back, and she let out a high-pitched
snarl, revealing jagged fangs. “What in the—?”
Another bolt tore through her head, shattering bone and
tissue. The sight was so unexpected and so sudden that I
didn’t even hear the shouts at first. All I could do was stare
at the spot where she’d stood—where her head had been.
Suddenly, something large and white leapt into my line of
sight, taking down a masked man.
Delano.
A wealth of relief rose so swiftly within me that I cried
out, the sound muffled by the gag. They were here. They’d
found me. I cranked my head to the side and back, straining
to look as far as I could see. Another wolven raced forward,