Empire of Ash: A Passionate Paranormal Romance with Young Adult Appeal (God of Secrets Book 1) by L. R. W. Lee

Author:L. R. W. Lee [Lee, L. R. W.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Woodgate Publishing
Published: 2020-08-16T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Three

Harpoc glides over the mountainous topography way too fast for my liking, and I clutch my coat. Too soon, we’ll be face-to-face with the bird woman, and I doubt I’ll ever be ready.

He sets down before a towering, gaping-mawed cave, then stands me up and his wings vanish in a swirl of shadows.

I hate his secrecy, but I can’t deny those shadows add a bit of intrigue to his mystery. I’ve skirted a few rules in my time, but I’ve never gotten up the nerve to be a “bad girl.” I have to be honest; I find his badass-ness seductive.

My attention returns as all the leather straps down the front of Harpoc’s duster undo themselves, and he winks.

I’d have blushed fiercely as I unzip mine, but I’m distracted by the abundant “Do Not Cross” yellow tape suspended from waist-high orange rubber posts blocking the paved walkway before us.

“Good to see they closed it to tourists,” Harpoc says.

Tourists. Shit. I haven’t given one thought to the fact they’d be here; this is a major attraction. I hold my breath as I glance about praying I spot none. I don’t.

A scream for help ricochets from within the depths of the darkness, and my legs nearly buckle as my heart crawls into my throat.

“You don’t suppose someone crossed the line?” My voice quivers. I fear to even think what a harpy might do to a tourist.

“That’s not someone calling for help, that’s Zephyr. Looks like we found her. That screech is as damn awful as a peacock’s if you ask me.”

How would he know what she sounds like? I open my mouth to question, but “Zephyr” if that is indeed who it is, lets go of another screech, and my inquiry evaporates as my limbs start to shake. I have to deal with that thing.

Harpoc stares into the dark entrance, whether he’s summoning his courage like me, I can’t tell.

“You’d never dealt with an angry sphinx. Any chance you have hellion harpy experience?” A girl can hope.

He shakes his head. “No, and I’ve no doubt Zephyr will be… unhappy.”

I give the “king of understatement” a long look.

“So what will we do?” I draw a hand to my chest and fist my jacket.

Another scream ricochets from within the depths of the darkness and inches my fraying nerves to the edge of some mental abyss.

“It’s not going to get any easier,” Harpoc says, extending an open palm toward that dark maw. “Let’s see what we’ve got on our hands before we decide anything.”

My legs freeze.

Harpoc catches the fear in my eyes when I still haven’t moved a minute later. “Do you trust me?”

I can only bob my head. He dealt with the sphinx. Had it not been for idiot archeologists, no one would have gotten hurt.

“Give me your hand. We’ll get through this… together.”

My arm trembles as I reached out and he takes it and gives it a squeeze.

“Ready?”

No. “Yes.”

Mrs. O’Grady dragging my nine-year-old ass to the dentist when I had an abscessed tooth, bolts to mind as we skirt the makeshift barricade.

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