Blood Demon (Demon Assassin Series Book 1)

by A C Wilds

  “He’s correct. You are Uriel’s daughter,” Torque whispers.

  My gaze darts between them. “No, this can’t be happening. Tell me you’re joking?” I jump up, backing away from them both.

  A rustle sounds through the trees. Namir bumps into my back, his comfort flowing over me.

  You are the spawn of the angel. The demon he calls a lover is your demon half. Your smoke belongs to him.

  There isn’t enough air in all the realms for my lungs right now. I run, using my legs to propel me from this life, from the fucked-up things that have happened to me since I was created. From all the nights I’d go to sleep wondering who my parents were and if they loved me.

  How could they give me up? What was wrong with me? And now I know it wasn’t anyone’s choice. It was solely the choice of a fucked-up witch and her selfish desire to change the world. Her need for power birthed me into this life, and I want nothing more than to take her out of it.

  25

  Torque

  That didn’t go as planned. Pain inside my chest grinds around and around, making it hard for me to breathe. Her eyes when she realized the truth about who she was practically broke me.

  “You hid this from me for how long?” Uriel screams, pushing me further into the tree. The ropes of magic tighten. I stare at him head-on, not backing down.

  “Not long. Once I saw her demon smoke, I knew she wasn’t a true witch. It took a little digging and paying off a few people, but I got the whole story. I’m surprised no one figured it out sooner.”

  “Fuck!” His bellow rocks the trees. Holy fire lights up his body. For a moment, I think he’s going to go nuclear.

  “You have to calm down.” As much as I understand his plight, I have a kingdom to save. There is nothing I wouldn’t do for them. Even if the witch hates me forever, I’m glad I did it. I had no choice.

  “Do you know why I left him? It was because it wasn’t working. The soul merges. It wasn’t fucking working, and it made him crazy. I couldn’t do it anymore. I even suggested impregnating a female demon, and he went into a tirade for three days. The king of Dark brought his kingdom to its knees, and then he vanished.”

  Part of me understands the Dark king’s need to procreate. Once you’ve lived a millennium, it’s hard not to want to see your lineage continue. To create a child that will one day release you of these burdens, who will walk with you throughout the life that stretches out before you.

  “He won’t forgive this, Torque. He’s going to see this as an attack. He hates you and everything that’s transpired between the two kingdoms. It’s going to cement it.”

  “I’m not looking to be in his favor. I want him to see what she’s done. Rahna took your ability to have a child away. She stole your essence, then made a child out of a witch’s baby. She’s trying to play god. Now that she has the Holy Magic, nothing is stopping her.”

  His magic lashes out, and a copse of trees goes up in flames. The rage of an archangel unleashed on the world. The bond breaking free. I hide my fear but walk back to the mounts, giving me time to regain control.

  Anima is about half a mile from where we stopped, Namir walking next to her. With her black hair blowing in the wind, back straight, and head held high, she’s so beautiful at that moment. The slope of her hips calls to me as she struts forward. I want to rush to her, but I know it would be futile. She’ll never see me how I see her now.

  Namir growls as my nuckelavee gets closer. I hold up my hands, waiting for the angry demon cat to turn around.

  “You could have told her yourself,” I whisper. The cat’s flick of his tail is the only way I know he heard me.

  Ari screeches above. I cock my head, listening to her warning. There isn’t trouble, but the general now knows our location, thanks to Uriel’s explosion. Pulling some magic to me, I switch my sight to Ari’s. I want to see what she does.

  The clarity of the world around me blasts into focus. I can see every detail for miles. From thousands of feet above the ground, I can see the smallest mouse scurrying under the brush of a tree.

  Spotting the general’s forces, I try not to scream in anger. There are over a hundred troops stationed two miles from where we are. They’ve set up camp in the exact direction we have to go. Fuck!

  “Anima. We have to wait for Uriel. The general’s troops are in our direct path. We have to think of another way to get to the Darklands,” I say, waiting for her to turn around and acknowledge me, which she doesn’t.

  Sighing, I jump from my nuckelavee and jog to her. I place my hand on her arm, trying to direct her attention to me. Namir roars in my face, but I don’t back down. I will not get us killed because of my stupid error.

  Her smoke explodes from her skin, wrapping us both in darkness. Namir pushed outside the shroud she’s put us in.

  “If you would have told me it all, laid everything out for me in the beginning, I would have considered it. I’d have gone with you. Instead, you destroyed us.” The sorrow in her voice makes me break into pieces.

  “Us?” Hope is the only thing I have right now.

  “Our connection. Whatever this was between us or was starting to be. You’ve ruined it all. In a way, I am grateful for you giving me something no one else could—the truth. I’ve always wondered about myself, and you solved the puzzle. But what you did, how you did it, doesn’t make it acceptable.”

  “I didn’t mean for it to go this way. I’ve lived many lifetimes, and the only consistent thing is depending on myself. Mammon is the only demon I could, without a doubt, count on. He’s saved me countless times, but we all have our breaking point.”

  “You didn’t even allow me the time to prove that to you. You knew what I am, Torque. Can’t you understand that? For close to thirty years, I thought I was just another orphaned witch who could do some cool magic. But you’re telling me that my sires are an archangel who can kill dragons with a flaming sword and the king of the Dark! The fucking Dark, Torque.”

  I rub the nape of my neck, trying to get the words to come out. This will be the way I lose her—the last straw.

  “We are meant… this is meant to be.” I take a step closer to her inside this cave of shadows she’s erected.

  “No, we aren’t. It felt good for a time. To be awakened like I hadn’t before, but this is over, Torque. It can never be.” Sadness comes over her, and she shakes her head like she’s agreed with herself. She rises on her tiptoes, then pulls me into her.

  A light kiss is placed on my lips, but I can’t let that be it. I can’t let her go. I dive deeper, pressing our bodies tighter together. Taking over the kiss, I make it my own. Driving us to a new high, I invade her mouth with my tongue, searching and finding its price.

  The first brush of our tongues causes my blood to sing. Her pulse becomes the beat in which my heart is called home. I’ve needed nothing more than her at this moment. She was made for me. My equal in every way, but I won’t have her. She’ll never forgive me.

  A moan escapes her lips as she lets go for a moment. I capture her in my arms, her perfect size fitting against me. She wraps her hands around my neck, and we collide like an atomic bomb. The shadows turn thick and hot, my blood magic soaring with hers.

  Nothing and no one could separate us. This kiss is everything I could have imagined, but it’s not enough. I want more, want to be inside her, buried deep while she calls out my name. The thought makes me growl into her lips.

  She grips my neck tighter and leaps onto my hips, her core pressed snugly against my hardness. She begins to grind on me, stars exploding behind my eyelids at the thought of coming for her. Seeing her beautiful naked skin, licked by the moonlight, splayed out underneath me.

  I could howl in pain at all that it’s taking me to stand still and not lay her out in the road. Soldiers want to kill us, a witch seeking to change worlds, and a pissed-off archangel, but I couldn’t care less. I want Anima and nothing more. The thought scares me. For once, I’ve thought about what I want instead of my peo
ple.

  I break the kiss, holding onto her. Her silver eyes glow, brightening up the surrounding shadows. I search her face for regret, but only see passion and want.

  “Don’t walk away from this,” I say, lips a breath away from hers.

  “You’ve already put a mile between us.”

  “Allow me to bring us together again. This is worth it. I know you feel what I do. All of your essence wrapped up and ready to be given. Please, Anima. Don’t tell me no.”

  The shadows leave us as she slides her body down mine. Her eyes never leaving me, she says, “No.”

  26

  Anima

  Uriel meets up with us a few minutes later. I’ve tried to distance myself from Torque as much as possible. There is no reason for us to be together now. There is too much standing in the way of forgiveness.

  Uriel hasn’t acknowledged me either. I don’t think either of us knows what to do with the other. I have so many questions for him, but they have to wait. While I have feelings about what is happening to us, this must be so much worse for him. It’s not something I could ever imagine.

  “We’ll have to go through the valley on the western border to avoid the army waiting for us on the road,” Torque says.

  “I think if we go through the mountains, it will be better. The valley leaves us more exposed. We can hide in the mountains if necessary.” Uriel’s suggestion has Torque considering.

  “It will take us an extra three days to go that way. Do you think it’s wise?” Torque asks, turning around on his nuckelavee to see Uriel’s face.

  “We have no choice. I will not put her in danger. This is a safer option. We go through the mountains.”

  “Explain the differences. I’ll be the judge, considering neither of you thought to include me in this decision. Just because we’re all now aware of my origins doesn’t mean I’m a different person. I’m still here to take down Rahna.”

  “The mountains run along the southern part of the Dark. It puts us about three days off course. The Valley lies to the east and would only take about a day to cross, but we will be exposed,” Uriel says, his choice clear.

  “How exposed? And what are the dangers? The general seems to think the path we are on is the only path into the Dark. Why is he so sure about this?”

  “The Demon Realm is filled with creatures you cannot imagine. We’ve only encountered a small amount. The deeper into the Realm we go, the worse it will get. Both the valley and the mountains hold those threats. The sane way to move would be through the road, hence why the general is taking up camp there.”

  My mind drifts to what I’d do if this were another assignment without these two males contributing to the plan.

  “We go through the valley. It may be a greater risk, but we will keep two days of travel. The sooner we are out of the Blood territory, the better. Once we’ve made it through to the Dark, I’m assuming the general won’t follow?”

  “That’s correct,” Torque says. “The general’s fight is with me. He’s not stupid enough to go after Nox’s territory. The only way he got me out of power was because of the betrayal my people placed upon me.”

  Uriel snorts. “Is that what you’re calling it?”

  “Yes. They betrayed me for power and money. It’s as simple as that.”

  “You were never meant to be king. The general is Torque’s brother, his older brother. His father gave Torque the throne because everyone knew Scur was a bastard and didn’t deserve it. However, it was his birthright, and many didn’t agree with the late king’s decision.”

  “It might not have been my birthright, but my father saw the difference I could make in my kingdom. He knew Scur wouldn’t lead with a true heart.”

  “So how did he get you out?” I ask. If the people loved Torque so much, then there must be a good reason for him to retreat to the Mortal Realm.

  “He was killing everyone, mass slaughters. His reputation put the fear into the lesser demons. Some fought with him out of fear and others because they wanted the power he promised. I only promised peace within the kingdom. My war was with another.”

  “Scur thinks you’re too afraid to go another route. He considers you the weaker of the two. His bet is on your need to save others before you save yourself. We go through the valley. He’s going to be pleasantly surprised to see you’ve grown a sack since you’ve come to the Mortal Realm.”

  Uriel’s laughter makes my nuckelavee take a nervous step to the left. I turn my head, looking over my shoulder at the fallen angel. His face is too beautiful. I don’t know how we could share the same essence.

  “You truly are his daughter,” Uriel says, words spoken to me. A blush comes over my cheeks. No one has ever called me daughter before.

  Torque growls in his seat, but moves us eastward toward the valley. There is only one way through this war, and it’s blasting it from the inside. People haven’t been paying attention to the real threat in the room. When I explode, I’m going to take them all with me, especially Rahna. She’s mine to deal with it.

  Torque

  Two days pass, and there still hasn’t been an attack. I sit on the edge of my seat, waiting, listening, trying to figure out when and where, but there is nothing. It’s more unsettling than the wasteland we are moving through.

  Putrid dead things lay all around us. Earth darker than peat, mud cakes so thick on the horse’s hooves that we’ve had to walk most of the journey across. Ari is the only one who’s lucky enough to fly.

  “It fucking stinks,” Anima says, disgust on her face.

  “You’ve said that already,” I remind her. She’s done nothing but complain since we’ve stepped into this portion of our horrible mission.

  “Well, I thought you should know again. This way, when you do stay, you’ll fix this problem for the rest of your kingdom.”

  Confusion crosses over me, thinking back to what she said. “Stay?”

  “When the war is over and Rahna is killed, I imagine you’ll be taking the Holy Magic and getting rid of your brother. You had it for a reason. Don’t lie and tell me it was for Rahna. It wasn’t. She was an unforeseen obstacle.”

  “Definitely my daughter,” Uriel mutters.

  Anima snaps her attention to him. “You’re acknowledging me again? Whoa, if all I had to do was call out Torque on his shit, I’d have done it sooner. Should I call you Dad now?”

  Her sarcasm makes me flinch. This whole situation is fucked up. Nothing about this journey is going to plan. And I’m mostly to blame.

  “I… I don’t think I deserve that title. I’m sorry I was curt with you, but, from my perspective, I didn’t think you existed until a few days ago.”

  She studies him for a moment. “It wasn’t fair for me to lash out. The only parental figure I’ve known is Rahna, and she turned on me the moment I became expendable. Which means…”

  Her voice trails off as she thinks about what this could mean. Rahna has another tri-bred in case Anima wasn’t on board with the plan.

  “Fuck,” we both say at the same time. This could mean she’ll attack as soon as she can.

  “We need to find Nox as soon as possible.” The words are no sooner out of my mouth when the earth beneath our feet begins to move—the secretions of the clay-like substance bubbling up in front of us.

  The nuckelavees rear up in fear, flames bursting from their noses in hot streams. I almost release control of the lead, but catch it at the last second, steadying the beast.

  An angry growl comes from Namir, and his form becomes brighter in the haze. The white tyger, the demon cat of the realm, transforms into a size so large it’s like an elephant is dwarfing us.

  His claws sink into the mud, and his white coat shimmers with power. Anima grasps his side, handing the lead of her mount over to Uriel. She pulls her blade from her back. It sings with power as it’s released. Hubris, the sword of conceit.

  I want to go to her, but, at this moment, she’s the warrior she was created to be. Her fierce stance sends
a chill down even my spine. She’s a formidable opponent—a worthy match.

  The ground bucks one more time, and a giant worm breaks the surface. It has milky-white slimy skin, no eyes, and antennae sticking up from the top of its head. The creature roars, revealing fangs the size of my arm.

  “What the fuck is that thing?” she yells over the noise.

  “It’s a torgrot. Demon worm creature. Blind, but it can smell you. We’re going to have to kill it.” Uriel’s hands are tied, holding the horses. If we let them go now, we’ll never get to Nox in time.

  “Hold my reins,” I say, thrusting them into his direction.

  He shakes his head. “Let’s see what she’s got. Her tyger is there to protect her.”

  Pride shines through him as he leans against the nuckelavee, ready to watch the show. If we were in the Mortal Realm, I’d expect popcorn to be in his hands.

  A thrum of nervousness goes through me, but he’s right. Anima is an assassin trained to kill. The torgrot shouldn’t be too hard for her to take down.

  Namir splits from her, stalking the worm from behind, drawing it in his direction. The beast whips its head in Namir’s path as soon as it scents the cat moving. Anima slips away in the opposite direction, making sure she doesn’t gain its attention.

  Do you need me? Ari sends through the bond. She’s unafraid for me, but a sliver of doubt comes over her as she thinks about Anima.

  I think she can handle it. I’ll jump in if she needs me. Scout ahead. I’d rather not run into any more surprises.

  With a caw, she’s gone, wings flapping into the direction we are heading. The worm spins its head up toward the sky, and Namir takes advantage. He leaps into the air, fangs bared, and lands on the worm’s neck.

  A murderous growl rips from his throat. Anima is quick to follow through with the attack, jumping from the other side and landing with her blade stuck in the back of the torgrot.