JAS LET THE BLOODY rock fall from her numb fingers.
It isn’t Idris.
She couldn’t take her eyes from the oozing mess that was all that remained of the Shadow’s head. His black hair was red, coated in glistening blood. Off-white bone shards poked out, and his brain protruded through his crushed skull. His eyes, framed by their long lashes, stared, unmoving. He looked surprised at this sudden accident; this unanticipated shift from life to death. The lips she’d kissed only days ago were parted.
As she crouched over the body, Jas reminded herself it had been him or her. He’d been trying to get her into the Shadow trap, or die in the attempt. She’d had no choice.
It isn’t Idris.
Jas wished she could cry, but she could not.
She blinked as she returned to an awareness of her surroundings. A
