Essence of the Angels (The Starlight Chronicles #2)

Chapter Six

Lucy's POV

It felt as if we'd been walking for days when it had only been a couple of hours by the time we came across a cottage. The sun had set—our deadline to meet Andrew long gone—and I knew we were royally screwed.

Jason was just as exhausted, walking alongside me. Our only priority now was getting shelter and rest for the night. Neither of us were in any condition to keep going at this point. We'd have to find a way to reunite with Andrew tomorrow.

"She didn't have to blow up the car," Jason grumbled as we approached the cottage. I was still anxious about Chrissy sneaking up on us. If she could void travel, then what was stopping her from finding us? She had to have known we couldn't have gotten far on foot.

Though, perhaps her goal had been to throw us off course rather than kill us.

"Let's stop here," Jason prompted, inspecting the cottage. I agreed, following him to the wooden front door.

My feet were aching and my stomach was growling.

The house was made of stone and was surrounded by what I could tell had been a well-tended garden once. Now, however, it had fallen victim to weeds and overgrowth.

We pushed the door open cautiously, moving inside the dim house to inspect every room—but it was empty. When we reached the kitchen, I peered out the window and spotted a small shed accompanied by a pile of chopped logs.

There was no power, but the living room had a fireplace—and when I checked the pantry there were a couple of cans of soup.

"I'm going to bring in those logs. See if you can find some matches," I said to Jason before slipping out the back door.

I crossed the yard and took hold of the first log. It was longer than I'd expected, and I fumbled momentarily trying to get a good hold. I managed to drag it off the pile and get it halfway across the yard before I had to pause and rest it against the ground. Whoever had lived here must have been strong enough to chop logs this thick.

I debated getting Jason to handle the logs instead; it would take me twice as long to bring in a decent amount. But I still felt bad about earlier. He'd been understanding of my mini breakdown and all, but it made me feel weak and useless.

I was the Starlight Princess. I was meant to be stronger than this.

The least I could do was lift my weight around here— and in this case, literally.

I readjusted my grip, preparing to lift the log once more when something cold pressed against my back.

Instantly, I froze.

"Can you imagine my surprise when I was informed you'd been spotted in town?" Chrissy's voice crooned softly over my shoulder.

Sheer dread ran through me.

A hand clamped onto my arm tightly and panic rose in my throat. I realized the cold pressed against my back was a dagger.

"Did you follow us?" I asked, my throat dry.

"Of course I did," she said, moving into my line of sight with a sly smile. "I thought you might lead me somewhere interesting . . . but it appears not. Although I have to say, watching you bawl your eyes out for hours was entertaining."

I gritted my teeth, my hand—which was still holding the log in an upright resting position—tightened its grip. I would have loved to have been a total badass and swing it straight into her gut, but that definitely wasn't happening.