The Moirai (The Hunted series: Book 3)

Chapter 1

(Contains spoilers for books 1 and 2)

CASPIAN

"IT WILL NOT bring him back." The moment he spoke the words, Caspian knew they had been a mistake.

Anger, fury, unimaginable pain, flashed in her eyes. Nivian raised her arm, black crystals forming in her hand, surrounded by the swirling darkness of her powers. The pain and heartbreak had swallowed her whole, and now she meant to destroy him.

Caspian raised his hand in response, tempering his powers, just enough to shield himself.

Black crystal shards shot from Nivian's hands at the same time as Caspian let his counter attack fly. Her powers blasted through his own, as easy as a hot poker through ice. He flung himself to the ground and rolled. A stone column exploded from behind, raining down around him.

Caspian managed to lift his head in time to see his attack hurtle toward her, striking her in the center of her chest. The remnants of his power threw Nivian to the ground. She landed, sprawling on her back, and remained unmoving.

He cursed and pushed to his feet, running to her side. He fell to his knees and lifted her head onto his lap. With shaking fingers, Caspian brushed the tangled hair off her unnervingly serene face. A few cuts marred her cheeks and blood already beaded along the abrasions. The cuts didn't heal as they should have. He ran his gaze over her body, checking for more damage.

Nivian's charred shirt clung to her raw flesh. She hadn't even attempted to move out of the way.

He swallowed hard.

There hadn't been a chance to aim, to soften the strength of his powers enough. Hitting her was the last thing he'd meant to do, he'd only meant to deflect her attack, slow it, so he could avoid being struck.

But there had been a moment of hesitation on his part. Shock, surprise, disbelief. Even in her grief, he'd never expected her to attack another Reaper. Let alone, him. He couldn't imagine the pain she felt to make her forget their friendship, to blind her to what she'd already known. There were some things neither Reaper nor Hunter could come back from.

"Caspian?" Evander asked. The Reaper had silently walked up to his side without his noticing. "Is she... all right?"

No. Nothing was all right. But he didn't answer. Caspian had no way of knowing how she'd react once she awoke, no way of knowing how broken she was.

He slid one arm under Nivian's neck and the other under her knees, scooping her up as he rose to full height. Her body hung limp in his arms as if she were nothing more than a frail, life-sized doll.

Caspian's heart wrenched within his chest. This Reaper... this woman—who had held his heart unknowingly since the day he'd first laid eyes on her in the marketplace all those centuries ago—was barely more than a broken thing. Shattered in a few short moments.

Somehow it had come to this; attacking each other over things beyond their control.

Fate had been cruel.

Caspian turned in Evander's direction, dragging his gaze from Nivian's face, and said, "Gather Holter and Finn."

There was much work to do. They had a year. A year.

It should be more than sufficient time and yet, it felt as though they were already cutting it too close to the deadline.

Finally he looked up, taking in the destruction and rubble that surrounded them, and then... A young Hunter rubbing her head. Every nerve in his body pulsed once. He had not noticed her during the chaos of the fight. His mouth opened. There was something...