Withered (A bridge novella of the HKW Universe) by Heather Killough-Walden

Author:Heather Killough-Walden
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: vampire romance, monsters, young adult romance, dragon king, young adult paranormal, vampire king, paranormal novella, the kings, time king, monsters romance
Publisher: Heather Killough-Walden

Chapter Eight

It was a few minutes before Zack said anything. He glanced over her shoulder at the opening to the cave, probably checking for the same thing she’d checked for earlier – that they were alone. Then he simply said, “It was a smart move.” He tilted his head to one side. “I can help you. But you’ll owe me.”

She’d known something like that was coming. Especially when she’d mentioned that the sovereigns were in her house. Now he knew that she had friends in high places. The sky was the limit for him if he played his cards right.

But Poe was out there.

“Fine.”

McCree grinned a metal-hard smile that made him Eastwood’s dead ringer. He reached down and grabbed Mimi’s wrist. Again, it was something that wasn’t supposed to be possible in the game; the characters moved through or over each other rather than being capable of physically manipulating one another. But this was magic at work here, and Mimi wasn’t surprised.

He was moving with her toward the opposite end of the red-rock cave with purpose and speed when a darkness passed in front of them, blocking the light of the exit.

It was Reaper.

There were a plethora of different “skins” Reaper could wear during the game, just as there were for every player character. The skins were basically like outfits each player could purchase or earn by playing often or just dishing out financially. This particular Reaper skin was a winter skin, released during winter month promotions. It was admittedly one of the more badass skins, black and blue and frozen, with what looked like ice vapor emanating from the creases in the armor. It was ominous, naturally, and very Reaper. But right now, there was something more to it than usual. It was as if the vapor were more than digital, different than it usually looked. It wasn’t only fog or mist, but sparkling and swirled with streams of night. It was magic for sure.

Reaper stood staring at the two of them through eyes hidden by his mask, and a presence that downright gave Mimi the chills.

“Let her go,” Reaper’s gravelly growl commanded.

Mimi went very still. Despite the altered voice, she recognized the speaker at once. It was like that with close companions. Now she knew why she was feeling the magic emanating from Reaper. Now she knew why he was giving her the chills, and now she knew exactly where her best friend had disappeared to. This wasn’t just Reaper.

It was Poe.

And it wasn’t lost on her that this was the second time in just a few hours that he was telling a man to let her go.

“Poe?” she asked softly. It was Sombra’s voice that came out, but it trembled in a very un-Sombra-like way.

For his part, Zack in the body of McCree, did exactly the opposite of what Reaper commanded. The cowboy stood straighter and moved in front of Mimi, keeping a firm grip on her wrist as he took a defensive stance between them. “Who are you?” he asked outright.

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