Daughter of Nightmares

by Kyra Quinn

  Viktor growled. “Over my dead body.”

  Andras’s smile widened. “I was hoping you might say that.”

  He raised his fingers to his lips and let out a sharp whistle. Leaves rustled and branches snapped. A growl rumbled from the trees. I spread my legs and rooted my feet as my heart raced.

  “You could always come with me the easy way,” Andras offered one last time.

  My eyes narrowed as I pointed at his chest. “After we finish your friends, I’m coming for you.”

  “I look forward to it, Princess Lilianna.”

  Andras disappeared. A swarm of demons stepped out of the trees. Hunger dilated their slanted pupils as they approached. We took a collective step backwards as my breath caught in my chest. The second-rate soldiers weren’t as intimidating as Daeva, but damn had she sent a lot of them.

  Aster snatched the katana from the dirt and raised it in front of her chest. Her eyebrows furrowed as she glared at Viktor. “Not going to shift?”

  Viktor grinned as he raised his fists in front of his face. “Don’t worry about me, little one. I can handle myself either way.”

  Aster smirked. “Put your talents where your mouth is.”

  We didn’t wait for the demons to attack us. We charged into the oncoming row of monsters, who paused to gawk at the giant naked man barreling towards them. The scythe vibrated in my hand, thirsty for blood. Rage and vengeance propelled my feet forward towards the row of red-eyed bastards.

  Viktor reached the demons first. A throaty growl vibrated his body as he sprang into the air. Before I had time to blink, the massive midnight wolf replaced Viktor’s human form. His claws jutted into the necks of two demons. Black blood squirted from their injuries as they crumpled to the ground. Viktor’s head rammed into the abdomen of a third monster, knocking him to the ground. Viktor pounced on its chest. He snarled and buried his fangs into demon’s arm, tearing it clean from his body. The demon wailed in pain as Viktor tore his other arm away, saving the bite to his jugular for last.

  A branch snapped next to me as one of the demons advanced. The red glow of his eyes intensified as he neared me. I gripped the scythe closer to my chest. The weapon shook in my hands as I swung the blade around me in a wild circle. The scythe sliced through the demon’s abdomen without effort. Both halves of his body collapsed to the ground with a thud. A giddy smile pulled at my face despite the moment’s danger. No wonder Zanox asked us to recover the scythe. The weapon rivaled Remiel’s sword in power and bloodlust.

  A fresh cry split the air as Viktor shred another demon to ribbons with his glass-sharp fangs, indifferent to the inky blood soaking his fur. A dull ache spread through my shoulder as I surveyed the battlefield. Who in damnation decided a scythe made a practical weapon? The device had to weigh more than any sword or club in existence.

  My attention was still locked on Viktor when two demons charged for me. The scythe, thirsty for blood, propelled me forward at the last second. My arms jerked as the blade jutted out in front of my chest. The demon on the left ran into the blade with a satisfying squish. His jaw dropped open as the life faded from his crimson eyes. Still embedded in the demon’s corpse, I tossed the scythe to the side as the other demon swung for my face.

  The force of his punch knocked me off balance. Pain split through my jaw. I flew backwards and slid against the hard, wet soil. The demon leapt on top of me within seconds. His warm, rank breath trailed up my nostrils as he wrapped his hands around my throat. His face stretched into an eerie grin.

  “Not so tough now, huh?” he snarled and tightened his grip.

  Spots of light danced in front of my vision. I dug my nails into his wrists, but his grip around my neck only tightened. No matter how hard I fought to channel my powers, no sparks of energy came. My legs flailed against the dirt as my lungs burned from oxygen.

  “V-Viktor!” I gasped, the sound barely a whisper. Father’s face flashed before my eyes, William and Remiel a second behind. I’d soon join them in death. A week ago I might have cried. With the demon’s claws around my neck, however, no tears came. Darkness flooded my vision as an eerie peace enveloped me in a warm embrace. If I died, at least I wouldn’t have to watch the world burn—

  Air rushed to my lungs. The demon flew from me and crashed onto the ground a few feet away. Viktor’s wolf-form returned, the massive midnight wolf stood on the demon’s chest. Drool dripped from his glass-sharp fangs as he growled. Before the demon had time to react, Viktor lowered his jaws to the creature’s neck and tore his throat out with his teeth. Black goo poured from the wound like a geyser as his body went still.

  My breaths shook as I pulled myself to my feet. I opened my mouth to thank Viktor, but his attention was locked in battle with a new opponent. Pride flooded my body as I dove for the scythe. We’d survived the Mother of Darkness and Zanox himself. I’d be damned if her lowly pets took us down inches from the finish line. I pulled the scythe from the demon’s corpse and tightened my grip around the handle. Relief replaced the pain in my face as the rush of energy shot up my arm.

  Leaves rustled to my left. I jerked and swung the scythe towards a demon as he lunged for me. The blade sliced clean through his neck as ooze poured down his body. His head bounced twice as it rolled off to where Viktor crouched over a demon and bashed his head into the dirt. My eyes flickered around the clearing and tallied up the bodies. Six down, two to go.

  Realization struck like lightning. I staggered back as if physically hit. My heart crashed into my stomach. I scanned the battlefield once, twice, three more times to be sure, then rubbed my eyes with the back of my hands. Nothing changed. Viktor remained locked in combat with a demon as the other dashed towards me.

  “Viktor!” I screamed as I swung the scythe above my head.

  He buried his fangs into the demon beneath him. When the creature went still, he whipped around towards me. His pupils encompassed the yellow of his eyes. A sound between a huff and a growl escaped his jaws.

  My swing for the demon missed, the tip of the scythe buried in the soil. I dropped the weapon and broke into a run. “Andras took Aster!”

  Viktor didn’t react right away. The demon under him dead, he sprang into the air and charged at the final demon. He rammed his head into the monster’s torso. As the demon staggered backwards, his massive paws swiped at the creature’s feet. The demon crashed to the ground as a strangled noise escaped his open mouth. Viktor jumped onto his chest. A brief squeal ripped through the air, followed by a sickening crunch of bones. I opened my eyes as the demon went still, his red eyes empty and dull.

  Viktor ran towards me with wide, concerned eyes. Demon guts and dirt covered his fur. A deep gash ran from his armpit down to the bottom of his ribs.

  I jumped to my feet. “Aster. He took her.”

  Viktor tore through the woods. I chased behind him as fast as my feet would move, my heart heavy. Andras would answer for whatever he’d done to Aster. And someday, I’d make Daeva pay for it all.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Settling Scores

  Aster’s scream pierced the air like gunshots. Viktor raced through the woods as Lili weaved through the trees above him in the direction of Aster’s cries. A sinister chuckle rang through the night. Sharp rocks dug into the bottoms of Viktor’s paws as he galloped, the soil cold. But he didn’t slow his pace, not even when the faint whiff of iron drifted from his front paws up towards his nostrils.

  “Aster!” Lili cupped her hands over her mouth. “She’s close. I can sense her.”

  Viktor lower his nose to the ground and sniffed. “Northwest! I can smell his demon stank.”

  Viktor gritted his teeth and ignored the soreness of his legs. A metallic taste lingered in his mouth, his face sore from the impact of the demons’ punches. A strange, sadistic darkness crept over him as they raced through the woods. Lili could handle getting Aster out of the danger zone. Viktor planned to rip Andras apart with his bare hands for everything he’d put them through.

 
“There!” Lili pointed towards a small clearing. Andras lifted Aster in the air by her throat, her feet dangling below. He chuckled as they approached and tossed her limp body to the side. Aster’s back crashed against a tree and slid down into the leaves below.

  “Aster!” Lili screamed as tears flowed down her cheeks. She screamed the mage’s name again, but Aster didn’t so much as flinch. A sharp pain shot through Viktor’s chest. First his parents, and now Aster.

  “You rat bastard.” Lili snarled as she whirled on Andras. They didn’t have time for grief or sadness, not yet. They could mourn Aster after they burned the monster’s body on a pyre. Lili raised the scythe and charged at Andras in a blind rage.

  Viktor reached him first. He lunged at Andras with fire in his throat, his lust for vengeance all-consuming. He threw a jab at Andras’s jaw, but Andras grabbed his fist in mid-air. Andras flipped Viktor around by his arm and flung him to the ground as he slid his foot through the dirt and swiped Lili’s feet out from under her. She crashed to the ground next to Viktor; the scythe slid out of her hands.

  “Children,” Andras cackled. “I told Daeva I’d never seen much use for them. They always disappoint you, don’t they?”

  “I’m sure she beams with pride at your ugly mug,” Viktor said as he pulled himself up to his feet. “Mommy’s favorite monster, right?”

  “This does not concern you, fleabag. Get up, girl. Let’s finish this so I can deliver you to the dungeons for your execution. Daeva wants to make a public spectacle of it. Few will cross a Queen willing to kill her own kin for the good of her realm.”

  Lili’s legs shook as she pulled herself to her feet. She rubbed her hand over an open gash in her shoulder, her weapon several feet away. “My mother doesn’t care about you. She cares about only herself and power.”

  “You have strong opinions about a woman you spent thirty minutes with,” Andras said with a sneer. “I can see why Daeva didn’t waste her time with you.”

  Enough talking. Viktor leapt through the air, his jaw open as he aimed for the demon’s neck. His foot landed in the center of Andras’s abdomen, sending the demon staggering backward.

  Andras regained his balance within seconds and lunged at Viktor’s face. His fist connected with Viktor’s jaw as his other jabbed a punch in Viktor’s side. Viktor crumbled to the ground and groaned as Andras smiled.

  “Your turn,” he said with a sinister smile.

  Shit. Shit. Shit. Without the scythe, Lili stood no chance against Andras. Viktor’s blood turned to ice. He scanned the area for anything else he might offer Lili as a weapon, but Andras chose his location with care. No large rocks or sticks littered the ground. Nothing within reach might save her from the demon lurching towards her.

  Viktor clenched his jaw against the pain and forced himself to his feet once more. If Daeva got her hands on Lili’s powers, the shadows would conquer the rest of Astryae within the month. Fire replaced hopelessness as he pictured his mother’s smile. He would avenge Aster and his parents even if it cost him his life.

  He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his face stone. “If you think this fight ends any different than the demon who took my family being slaughtered where he stands, you are nowhere near as clever as you think.”

  Andras barked a bitter laugh. “I thought I recognized you. Viktor Kinzhal, all grown up. Your mother would be proud.”

  Viktor sprang forward and dove for Andras once more—right into the demon’s clutches. Andras grabbed Viktor by the throat and cackled as he lifted him from the ground. Viktor’s features twisted as Andras buried his claws into his flesh.

  “Poor little wolf pup. I showed you mercy, and this is how you repay me? I should have ended you when I killed your parents.”

  Viktor thrashed and twitched, but the demon’s grip only tightened. His vision blurred as his limbs flailed helplessly. Lili stood frozen in horror. Darkness encroached around the edges of his sight. Lili’s tear-stricken face as she reached for him was the last thing he saw…

  “No!” Lili roared. The treetops shook with the boom of her voice, a strange new depth to her tone. Her body lifted into the air above the trees. Andras dropped Viktor to the ground as he gawked. A fierce blaze burned in her eyes as her neck snapped back, wings spread to their full width. An electric blue light radiated from her body. Flames shot from her fingertips and engulfed the trees around them in a matter of seconds.

  Viktor’s legs twitched as he considered leaping forward and snatching Lili from the sky. He’d waited for this moment for so many years. He had come so close to licking the evil bastard’s blood from his paws. How could he allow Lili to steal away the sweet victory of vengeance?

  Yet as the glow around her body intensified, Viktor realized he had no other choice. He swallowed back his bitterness and sprinted over to Aster’s body. He draped himself over her to shield her from whatever horrors Lili’s powers might cause. The hairs on his body stood on end as adrenaline rushed through him.

  Andras tried to back away, but it was too late. His face froze in terror as his body twitched and trembled. He opened his mouth to scream, but no sound left his throat. His knees folded as he dropped to the ground. Viktor waited for him to beg for his life, but his mouth moved without sound. His neck swelled first, his skull seconds behind. His jaw fell open as his face twisted in agony. Moments felt like days until his head exploded with a wet pop. Inky demon guts splattered into quickly encroaching flames.

  Viktor’s head spun as the flames continued to climb up the trees and spread through the forest. A limb snapped off above his head and crashed to the ground. If he didn’t do something, Lili’s rage would burn them all alive.

  “Lili! Lilianna stop!” he shouted, though he wasn’t sure if she could hear him. “Lili, he’s dead!”

  As if he’d uttered a magic word, Lili’s powers left her as swiftly as they had arrived. Her body went lax and tumbled to the ground. Not even her hands reached out to break the fall. She slammed against the ground, her eyes closed.

  “Lili!”

  Viktor raced to her side. He leaned his head against her chest and listened. When the soft flutter of her heartbeat answered, he exhaled a sigh of relief. By some miracle, the little troublemaker had survived.

  But if he didn’t find a way to put out the flames they would perish with Andras. Viktor scooped Lili in his arms and racked his brain for ideas. Without Lili or Aster—

  “Son of Cimera,” Aster whispered.

  Viktor whirled to see Aster push herself up to a seated position. She rubbed her head, her face twisted in pain. Viktor’s throat tightened. How did she survive?

  “What a mess.” Her eyes flickered around at the flames. “Well, don’t just sit there. Help me fix this.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  Home, Bittersweet Home

  I had no concept of place or time when I first awakened. The last week of my life whirled together until I could no longer keep the details straight. All I could focus on was the searing heat in my chest. My throat burned as if I’d swallowed a star. My chest shrank, too small for my organs as they pressed against my ribs. I bolted upright with a gasp. My hands clutched my heart as I struggled to focus my vision.

  “Oh, thank Anja.” Viktor exhaled a sigh of relief. “You took a nasty fall. We thought you might not wake up.”

  Aster. My jaw dropped to my chest as Aster flashed me a smile and a small wave. I’d seen her in better shape; dark bruises decorated her neck. Leaves and small twigs were entangled through her hair. She leaned against the bark of a tree, her body beaten and weak. But alive. I jumped up and wrapped my arms around her as I pulled her into my chest.

  My eyes filled with tears. “How?”

  Aster giggled as she broke our embrace. Her eyes flashed to black as she smirked. “Cambions are a bit harder to kill than your average human. Guess no one told Sir Shithead.”

  I still didn’t understand. But I didn’t care. I made a mental note to ask her more about cambions as I
pulled her in for another quick hug. Her face felt cold against my cheek as she squeaked.

  “I’m glad you’re okay, too.” She squeezed me back. “Viktor told me how you saved us all.”

  “I did?”

  “You don’t remember it?” Viktor arched a brow. “You went all avenging angel on his demon ass. Look around. You nearly took out half the forest with him.”

  Only then did I peel my eyes from my friends long enough to survey the carnage around me. Flames engulfed the trees and brushes. Thick clouds of smoke hung in the air. Several trees snapped in half and fell to the ground. Ash and debris covered the grass and soil.

  “I did this?”

  Viktor nodded. “Not sure how. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  “Pretty badass,” Aster added with a grin. “I’m just glad you didn’t kill us, too.”

  “Of course not,” I snapped, but inside I didn’t feel so confident. From the sight of the area around us, I hadn’t put much effort into damage control. Would I have hurt my friends in my quest to destroy my enemy?

  “Good news is we still have this.” Viktor reached for the scythe. “Now that we don’t need to deliver it to anyone we can figure out what’s so special about it.”

  “Let’s get back to Carramar,” I agreed. “I’m more than ready for this entire nightmare to be over.”

  “Wait.” Aster pointed behind us. “We have to close the veil.”

  “How?” Viktor and I asked at once.

  “I-I don’t know. But we can’t go home and leave it open for the demons to prance back and forth between worlds. The moment Zanox realizes we made it out with his scythe he’ll come for us.”

  “Haven’t we learned anything from this?” Viktor’s eyes narrowed. “As talented as we are, none of us have the power to control the gods. Trying to is how we ended up with Zanox in your home the last time around.”

  “Lili?” Aster’s eyes pleaded for backup.