A

lammed shut, a final, percussive knell that orphane

scent-a sharp, frigid aroma of aged cedarwood mingled with the acrid, metallic tang of high-octane fuel. It was an overbear

ain around my neck let out a crisp, musical clink, feeling like a serpent coiled be

't m

he man sat besi

could feel that terrifyingly low, glacial body temperature radiating from him. It was a cold that shoul

the velvet upholstery, but the aftershocks of

f water thrown against a forest fire. My internal organs felt as though they were being cauterized; my blood w

gh

den body gave way. I pitched sideways, gravity dr

all with brutal efficiency. Linus hauled me ba

you not

th irritation, yet underlying it was the icy ar

er who had collared me-the Church's cold-blooded executioner. I

ody was

ng chill of his damp trench coat, I let out

av

freezing, deep-blue ocean. The heat that had been boiling

away. Instead, I d

nsive wool in my fists. I buried my scorching forehead against the crook of his neck,

ds sounding more like a breathless end

ays 'let go,'

ds pressed against my burning scalp, sending waves of num

y is begging

nated deep in his chest, vibrating against my

ing in hell, and I am

m. In the swaying, pitch-black silence, I found myself surrendering, nuzzlin

ing the line of my skull, petting me. It wasn't gentle; it was posses

carriage groa

re h

releas

p with vengeful intensity. The door opened, letting in the roar of the storm. I exp

monolithic black spire reaching toward the

er of S

ed, my voice a haunted rasp, stari

n and gave a sharp, sudden

A

to his waiting arms. He caught me with effortless strength, his l

dead, Lillian. You

idging the distance to the massive bla

e cutting through the thunder. "And from today until

d us, severing the sound of

ong to t