Bedeviled by Sable Grace Page A

greenish powder at her feet.
    â€œGrab her!” Silas shot around Kyana, throwing himself at Haven.
    â€œ Devito! ” Haven screamed. A white light engulfed every inch of the foul-smelling room. When Kyana could see again, Silas lay in a heap on the floor and Haven was gone.
    And so was the trident.
    Kyana ran to the window, looking out into the darkness. Haven was nowhere to be seen. Her scent, the stench of Cronos, and the smell of death that had filled the factory only seconds ago were gone. She’d simply vanished.
    â€œSonofabitch!” Kyana spun on Silas. “What was that?”
    Rubbing his shoulder, he struggled to his feet. “It’s a powerful, ancient spell. I’ve read up on it, but have never seen anyone actually attempt it.”
    The awe in his voice didn’t ease her frustration. “You can be impressed later. Right now, I just want to know what it was so I can figure out how to keep her from doing it again.”
    â€œThe spell allows her to maneuver her way out of sticky situations.”
    â€œLike astral projection?” She’d tried that once. Wasn’t fun.
    â€œNot exactly. It’s like suspended animation. Or maybe the slowing of time would be a better explanation.” Silas wiped his hands on his jeans. “Either way, she’s casting the spell that binds us and allows her the freedom to slip away. It covers her scent. Leaves no markers. It’s damned hard to track and even harder to prevent.”
    So that was how she’d been evading Kyana’s tracking skills. She was exhausted, and being outsmarted by a dead god wasn’t exactly rejuvenating. She sighed and grudgingly followed as Ryker and Silas led the way out of the factory.
    â€œI need food. And ambrosia. I’m running on empty but we don’t have time for more than a quick snack. I won’t lose her this time.”
    She saw Ryker nod from the corner of her eye, but kept her focus on Silas. “Can you create a counter spell so she can’t leave me in the dust like this again?”
    â€œDoubt it, but I’ll start working on it the minute we return Below.”
    â€œThe trident’s gone,” she said, “and we’ve seen for ourselves that Cronos is able to take over Haven’s body. Guess we know now how she’s able to touch the Eyes of Power without dying.”
    â€œYeah,” Ryker said. “Because she’s not technically touching it. He is.”
    Yes. Cronos was living and breathing inside her best friend, and she was beginning to fear that the only way to get him out was to wreck the vehicle he was driving. If she couldn’t get through to Haven soon, Kyana was going to have no choice but to kill her.

Chapter Eleven
    W hen they finally stumbled their way out of the meatpacking plant, the sky had lit up with oranges and pinks, offering Kyana only her third experience with a real sunrise in two hundred years. She’d seen the black and white version while in Lychen form and she’d seen sunrises Below, where the sun wasn’t actually real, but neither was comparable to seeing the beauty of an authentic sunrise.
    Unlike the previous two mornings, however, this time, she could drink it all in while Ryker shared the last of his ambrosia and bread with her. She sat on the edge of Haven’s father’s cracked, grease-stained driveway, waiting for Silas to return with a car that would get them back to St. Augustine. They couldn’t wait the hours it would take for Ryker’s port to be usable again.
    She closed her eyes and reluctantly reopened them to finally look at him.
    â€œTell me that I won’t be knocked out of commission every time I face a fight,” she said.
    â€œWhen you learn to balance the ambrosia it’ll get less debilitating. Remember, your transformation isn’t complete. You’re only half you and half what you’ll become.”
    She didn’t want to think about