Dance in Shadow and Whisper (Marionettes of Myth #1)

Chapter Twenty-Six

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Toivo jolted awake. A sharp breath plowed its way down his throat and he shot upright.

Adrenaline was already alive in his blood. His heart pounded against his chest, eyes wide as all his nerves screamed at him in warning.

It was his sixth sense.

Something had happened. Something was wrong.

He threw aside the blanket and stretched for his phone. It was gone.

And so was Carmi's.

This wasn't right. He reached behind him and shoved the comatose Carmi. "Get up. Something's going on." He didn't bother throwing on a shirt as his graceless feet dragged him to the door. His brain still wasn't operating on all cylinders, so maneuvering the doorknob took him a few tries before he found success.

When he finally made it into Ave's room, he checked the bed. His heart plummeted.

Kali was gone.

Something had happened and Kali was gone.

"Ave. Kali's missing."

He rushed down the hallway, but he knew he wouldn't find her anywhere in the apartment. She wasn't here. It wasn't something he couldn't explain, it was only what he just knew—

An unusual scent burned in his lungs. He slowed. As his senses cleared, the aroma bloomed across his tongue, something ancient like stale air with the pungency of old life, he knew he wasn't alone.

He swung out of the hallway, into the kitchen. Someone sat at the kitchen table, lounging in a way that made the wooden chair look like the throne of a king, a black shadow in a room of black shadows.

The man had a phone to his ear. Toivo's phone. A wicked grin split his face, dark eyes piercing into Toivo as he said, "Make smart decisions," and then ended the call.

Toivo didn't need to be told who this man was. The understanding settled in his brain like dust from the air, particle after particle, filling his lungs until he couldn't breathe.

"An extraordinary gift you have there," Cassius said, tilting his head, long hair slithering like oil across his shoulders to expose the elegant length of his neck. "Strong enough to awaken you from my hold and all that."

His hold.

He had used his powers of compulsion to hold them all in a deep sleep.

All sensation drained from Toivo's body. "Where...Where's Kali...?"

His black eyes sharpened, nose wrinkling, a laugh in his face that could have been mistaken for friendly. "Oh, you. Such a big brother. Unfortunately, you won't remember ever waking up, so I won't bother explaining. Now, return to sleep."

Toivo's eyelids morphed into anchors. He staggered. His hand grabbed the wall and he slumped against it.

He resisted. With everything in his body, he resisted. The door to the stairs caught his attention and he reached for it. If only he could put distance between himself and Cassius, if only—his knees hit the floor. Then his hands.

Then his body.

Carmi and Ave had never left their rooms because they couldn't break through Cassius' spell, and Cassius would make sure Toivo didn't have a second chance.