Draven stood still, an indecipherable expression on his face, his lips pressed tight. He frowned more every time Phoenix’s name left Serena’s lips.
Bijarki couldn’t do anything for me in that moment. We both seemed to know it.
I dropped my head onto Aida’s shoulder and waited for…what?
I watched Bijarki from the corner of my eye as he looked up. His face straightened all of a sudden. He stood.
I noticed that Anjani was still staring at the magnolia tree above us. I looked at Bijarki again and watched his eyebrows morph into a puzzled frown as he, too, stared at it.
“Phoenix…” Serena’s voice dimmed as she cried, still digging into the merciless dirt.
Jovi kept mumbling words of comfort to Field, who’d drifted into a state of wordless shock.
None of us had been prepared for any of this. None of us knew what to do.
I looked at Anjani, then at Bijarki. They were transfixed by the damn tree.
My gaze followed theirs. My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as I realized what they were staring at.
The magnolia flowers had turned from their usual pale pink to a vibrant red, the petals swollen and amplifying the size of the tree crown. It was huge and unnatural. It took my breath away.
“What is happening?” I asked.
Aida noticed my consternation and looked up. “What the hell?”
Her mutter drew Field out of his catatonic state. One by one, we all stared up at the red magnolia tree.
“What’s going on?” Draven asked.
No one made a sound.
Serena finally looked up with bloodshot eyes. Tears still flowed down her cheeks. She brought a hand up to her mouth to muffle her gasp.
She then turned her attention back to the ground beneath her.
She fell to her knees, looking down, and I saw a glimmer in her eyes as she stared right into the earth, her face just a few inches away.
She was trying to use her True Sight to look for her brother.
“The tree, Draven,” Bijarki said, stupefied. “It turned red.”
“What?” Draven replied.
“The magnolia blossoms. They’re all swollen and red. I’ve never seen this before in my life,” the incubus said.
A moment passed before Draven spoke.
“The tree was given a blood sacrifice,” he said, his voice low and cold.
We looked at each other, then at the tree, then back to Draven. None of us knew what that meant, and no one spoke.
“What’s a blood sacrifice?” I finally asked, already fearful of what the answer might be. I swallowed back more tears and leaned against Aida. I felt so weak.
Serena’s eyes widened as she continued using her True Sight. She had found something underground and, whatever she’d seen, it had shocked her. Her lips parted, but no sound came out.
Draven’s voice shot through the silence:
“It means the last Daughter of Eritopia is about to wake up.”
Ready for more?
Dear Shaddict,
Thank you for reading A Tangle of Hearts! I hope you enjoyed it.
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Read more by Bella Forrest
THE GENDER GAME
The Gender Game (Book 1)
The Gender Secret (Book 2)
The Gender Lie (Book 3)
The Gender War (Book 4)
The Gender Fall (Book 5)
The Gender Plan (Book 6)
The Gender End (Book 7)
THE SECRET OF SPELLSHADOW MANOR
The Secret of Spellshadow Manor (Book 1)
The Breaker (Book 2)
The Chain (Book 3)
A SHADE OF VAMPIRE SERIES
Series 1: Derek & Sofia’s story
A Shade of Vampire (Book 1)
A Shade of Blood (Book 2)
A Castle of Sand (Book 3)
A Shadow of Light (Book 4)
A Blaze of Sun (Book 5)
A Gate of Night (Book 6)
A Break of Day (Book 7)
Series 2: Rose & Caleb’s story
A Shade of Novak (Book 8)
A Bond of Blood (Book 9)
A Spell of Time (Book 10)
A Chase of Prey (Book 11)
A Shade of Doubt (Book 12)
A Turn of Tides (Book 13)
A Dawn of Strength (Book 14)
A Fall of Secrets (Book 15)
An End of Night (Book 16)
Series 3: The Shade continues with a new hero…
A Wind of Change (Book 17)
A Trail of Echoes (Book 18)
A Soldier of Shadows (Book 19)
A Hero of Realms (Book 20)
A Vial of Life (Book 21)
A Fork of Paths (Book 22)
A Flight of Souls (Book 23)
A Bridge of Stars (Book 24)
Series 4: A Clan of Novaks
A Clan of Novaks (Book 25)
A World of New (Book 26)
A Web of Lies (Book 27)
A Touch of Truth (Book 28)
An Hour of Need (Book 29)
A Game of Risk (Book 30)
A Twist of Fates (Book 31)
A Day of Glory (Book 32)
Series 5: A Dawn of Guardians
A Dawn of Guardians (Book 33)
A Sword of Chance (Book 34)
A Race of Trials (Book 35)
A King of Shadow (Book 36)
An Empire of Stones (Book 37)
A Power of Old (Book 38)
A Rip of Realms (Book 39)
A Throne of Fire (Book 40)
A Tide of War (Book 41)
Series 6: A Gift of Three
A Gift of Three (Book 42)
A House of Mysteries (Book 43)
A Tangle of Hearts (Book 44)
A Meet of Tribes (Book 45)
A SHADE OF DRAGON TRILOGY
A Shade of Dragon 1
A Shade of Dragon 2
A Shade of Dragon 3
A SHADE OF KIEV TRILOGY
A Shade of Kiev 1
A Shade of Kiev 2
A Shade of Kiev 3
BEAUTIFUL MONSTER DUOLOGY
Beautiful Monster 1
Beautiful Monster 2
DETECTIVE ERIN BOND (Adult thriller/mystery)
Lights, Camera, GONE
Write, Edit, KILL
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