The Phoenix Prophecy: Ice by Cara Clare

The Phoenix Prophecy: Ice by Cara Clare

Author:Cara Clare [Clare, Cara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Plume Noire Books
Published: 2023-12-30T00:00:00+00:00


21

KIM

My heart is racing so hard I feel like it’s about to smash right through my ribcage. Images of Evan exploding, and the flames, and the way Nova looked when she burned the place to the ground, swarm in my head.

I see her reflected in the mirrors.

I hear the mirrors cracking and breaking and falling to the floor.

I see those wings… the wings.

And I know right now in this moment that I can’t lie to her anymore.

“I made a deal with Zephyra. Part of that deal was to bring you here.”

There’s a deafening silence. It throbs in the air, pulsating on my skin.

Skin that burns and aches. My vision is unfocussed despite the fact I’m wearing my glasses. Maybe it’s the crack in the middle.

I adjust them on my nose and try to make myself look Nova in the eyes.

The energy coming from Kole is enough to make me want to vomit, but he says nothing. Like a bodyguard, he stands behind her with his arms folded.

She is covered in drying mud, hair wild and loose around her shoulders. All power and curves.

“You brought us to her? It was a trap?” She frowns. There is no anger in her tone, just confusion.

I nod and rub the back of my neck.

“Why?” Immediately, she assumes there must be a reason. A good reason.

And there is.

But I still feel like a piece of shit.

“My wife.” I choke out the two words that slay me more than any others. The words I miss feeling on my lips.

Images of our wedding day dance in front of my eyes. Flashes of white lace, and twinkling stars, and smiling friends.

Nova’s gaze drops to my hand, examining my ring finger. It is empty. The ring was buried with her.

“She was killed on our wedding day.” I slide down the wall and my limbs turn to ice. “By a Venatrix demon.”

Nova and Kole are both watching me, waiting for me to explain.

“Their full name is Velarian Venatrix. They’re a demon hunter’s polar opposite. Their purpose is to track us down and exterminate us before we exterminate them. It’s what they live for — to destroy hunters. Each hunter has one linked demon. One Venatrix who will not rest until they have removed us from this Earth.”

I shake my arms, trying to release some of the tension that is making my voice shake.

“It had been hunting me for years. I’d always evaded it, but never caught it. With Venatrix’s, avoidance is the best strategy. When I met Kaitlin, I wanted out. I didn’t want to be part of it anymore. Didn’t want to spend my life in that world. So, I persuaded her to move to Cambridge. Tried to be normal. Thought I could outrun it. But the Venatrix followed us. Took it as a chance to try to get rid of me once and for all.”

I brace myself for what I’m about to say next.

“It attacked us in the middle of our first dance. I didn’t have any weapons.” I meet Kole’s eyes and shake my head.



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