Ghost Silk (Ghost Perfume, Book 2) | ✔

15 - Pay a toll - Part 2

Rose (continued)

The door of the beach house banged open. Lukas took one look at me down the beach.

He moved incredibly fast to kneel beside me.

"A giant worm," I started to explain before hacking coughs overtook me.

"Breathe, baby, don't try to speak." Lukas's hand steadied me on my upper back, strong and firm and calm. His hand overlapped with Jane's, but she didn't move her arm.

"The others are – still there with the worm," I gasped out. "Alexander jumped on it. We need a – gun, and to get back – to them quick."

"They have weapons already. I do too. Give me the book –" but he stopped, his expression twisting, and I knew he didn't want to leave me alone.

"Of course we're going together! Come on!" I pushed off his shoulder to stand up.

"Do you want me to come?" Jane asked. Ellie clutched her hand.

You're unthreaded ...

Lukas held me, careful not to touch me where I was injured. "Tell your defective fucking portal to focus and bring us to a place slightly removed from where you left."

I'm not defective. You're defective.

"Yes, it'll do that."

Lukas reached up behind him, back behind his neck, and pulled out a short silver sword. I stared. I couldn't believe I hadn't noticed he'd been carrying it around under his sweatshirt.

"Um, how about a gun? Lukas, it's a monster!"

"This'll work fine."

"But what about me?"

He hesitated. He reached into his pocket and pulled out another, smaller sword from where it must have been strapped to his thigh.

"Don't lose your head just because you have a weapon," he warned as he pressed it into my right palm. "I mean it. Your every move is defensive, not offensive. Understood? And you never, ever let go of your death book. You leave us behind if you have to."

I took another burning breath. We had to hurry up.

Adrenaline surged through my blood. We had to get Michael, Gabriel, Alexander and Jackal back safe.

"We'll be back," I told the ghosts.

"You better, Atropos."

I led Lukas through my portal. He angled himself to cover my body as we stepped through.

He pressed me against a cave wall as soon as our feet touched the ground, whirling to face the cave.

I peered around him, my sword shaking in my grip. We were in yet a different cave to the one we'd been in before. The veined walls sloped to a higher ceiling here, but the cave in general was more narrow, giving the impression of a cool, alien cathedral.

Luckily the smell of the volcano was weak. It must have stopped emitting sulfur for the moment.

"Stay behind me," Lukas ordered. He moved to exit the cave.

I followed, trying to hold my sword the way that he did.

He glanced back and stopped dead. "You're dripping blood." He knelt. "Get on my back."

"Then you'll get –"

"I need you to do what I say without questioning me," he hissed. "And I need you to direct me because I'm not hearing them."