Page 22 (1/2)

She’d never killed before tonight

“Stay back,” her sister hissed

Jana pressed against the stone wall of the villa She searched the shadows that surrounded theainst the black sky

Squeezing her eyes shut, she prayed to the ancient sorceress Please, Eva, give ht to find her

When she opened her eyes, fear shot through her On the branch of a tree a dozen paces away sat a golden hawk

“They’re watching us,” she whispered “They knoe’ve done”

Sabina flicked a glance at the hawk “We need to move Now There’s no time to waste”

Keeping her face turned away from the hawk, Jana pushed away from the safety of the wall to follow her sister to the heavy oak and iron door of the villa Sabina pressed her hands against it, channeling the thened by the blood they’d spilled earlier Jana noticed that Sabina’s fingernails still bore traces of red in the cuticles, and she shuddered, reht A rated into sawdust Wood was no barricade against earth ic

Sabina sent a victorious smile over her shoulder Blood now trickled from her nose

At her sister’s gasp, Sabina’s grin faded She wiped it away and entered the large ho”

It wasn’t nothing Using too ic could harm them Could kill them if they weren’t careful

But Sabina Mallius was not well known to be the cautious one She hadn’t paused earlier tonight in using her beauty to lead the unsuspecting man from the tavern to his fate, while Jana had hesitated far too long before her sharp blade finally found its mark in his heart

Sabina was strong, passionate, and completely fearless Heart in throat as she followed Sabina inside, Jana wished she could be more like her older sister But she’d always been the careful one The planner The one who’d seen the signs in the stars because she’d studied the night skies all her life

The prophesied child had been born and she was here in this large and luxurious villa—built of sturdy stone and wood coes in the village nearby

Jana was certain this was the right place