by Sara Snow
“Baxton was on to something if all it takes to anger you is to send a demon your way,” my mom chuckled to herself.
We stared at each other for a moment, the air between us sizzling with tension. Then I stepped over my brother to stand before her. "If you’re thinking of doing the same, Mother, I'd advise against it." Her perfectly smooth face wrinkled as her brows pulled together.
"You might be a Sin and the current leader of this Legion, but I surpassed you in power long ago. Do you want to know how?" I leaned forward and placed my lips against her ear. "Because you never cared about me or anyone else. All you worried about was yourself." I pulled away. "I might not have trained here in the Demon Realm, but don’t worry about my skills. I learned control over my hunger without your help, didn’t I?” Her eyes widened at that, and I kissed her cheek before turning away.
“You cocky little shit,” she hissed, and I stopped, keeping my back to her. “Do you think I have to give you my Legion? I have many children, Cyrus, many. There’s nothing that says you have to be the next in line.”
“I think that decision was taken out of your hands the moment you made me attend that ball,” I said, inhaling deeply. Of course, that was a disadvantage for me as well. Because now that I had my father’s eyes on me, I had to take over the Legion if he demanded it. I might be stronger than my mother, but I was nowhere near strong enough to defy him . . . yet. “I’ll be spending my last three years on Earth in peace. And when I come back, I’d rather you give up control of the Legion peacefully, instead of making me kill you to get it.”
I could feel her power flare as I kept walking. But I ignored it, along with the shocked whispers from the other demons. No one knew the suffering I went through, the things I was forced to do when I left the pack to learn to control my power and hunger. To spare Elinor and Skye the details of the awful things I did, I’d locked that part of my past away.
But if my mother hurt the people I loved on Earth, and I became the heartless demon she always wanted because of it, she’d live to regret it.
Skye
After I’d finished cleaning my room and helping Mother with dinner, I ventured outside to sit on the back porch Cyrus built for me. I’d told him once how I’d love to have a place I could relax and just stare at the stars, and he started building the porch for me a week later. It took him two weeks to finish it all on his own, but he told me it was worth it. We’d spent countless nights here since, chatting as we admired the night sky.
And I found another use for it—one I considered even more critical. Because each time he visited the Demon Realm, I sat on the little bench he made and waited for him to come back. Since time moved a little faster in the Underworld, a day here could be a week there. Whenever days or weeks passed here without his return, it often left me wondering if he was coming back at all.
Still, we both knew that I’d wait here forever just to see him return safely.
Although I loved him, I didn’t deceive myself. I knew he was a demon from the Demon Realm, but Earth had always been his true home. It took us so long, so many years to admit our feelings for each other. Thinking back now, I shook my head at my own foolishness. How could I not have seen that he shared my feelings? Groaning, I held my head. I knew he had to leave. He had no other option. His mother would stop at nothing to make sure he took over her Legion.
So, what’s going to happen to us?
That was the question that had plagued me for years. But I already had the answer, already knew how the story ended between us—and I hated it. He and I would never be able to make a relationship between us public. I'd only hold him back if he stayed here, trapping him in a secret relationship, or trapping us both in an agonizing existence of being just friends.
This was just too complicated.
I had no idea what our relationship actually was. We’d admitted our feelings to each other, I allowed him to feed on me, we flirted and kissed . . . But what were we?
“What are you thinking so hard about?” I jumped to my feet, my heart skipping a beat as I stared into Cyrus's bright eyes, glowing like candle flames in the darkness. The side of his mouth curved as he stepped onto the porch and walked over to me. “Did you miss me?”
I hugged him, and he responded immediately, crushing me to his body. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
“How long were you down there? It’s been three days here,” I said as we remained in each other's arms, his heartbeat thumping in my ear.
“Four days.” He pulled back and pushed a strand of my hair behind my ear. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I answered softly. “Did you find who sent the demon?”
He guided me over to the bench, and we both sat down. “I did. It was my eldest brother.”
“Why?”
“Why else? To provoke me, of course.” He crossed his legs. “He won’t be doing anything like that again, though.”
“What did you do?” I asked, not sure if I really wanted to know. But he merely glanced at me and smiled. I rolled my eyes. “Fine, keep your secrets.”
I crossed my arms and tilted my head upward to stare at the night sky. But I could see him watching me in my peripheral vision.
He laughed. “We fought,” he finally said, and I turned back to him. The smile on his lips slowly faded and his brows pulled together for a moment. “And I won. Then I spoke to my mother for a moment before heading back. I, um . . .” He stood up and walked away. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about, I just haven’t…”
I felt my chest tightened with panic. Somehow, I knew I wouldn’t like what he was about to say. He turned back to face me. “I have three years left on Earth.”
I said nothing—I couldn’t have, even if I’d wanted to. We stared at each other for a moment before I finally looked away, his words swimming around in my mind.
“Three years?” I asked, and he hummed his response. “Your mother, right?”
"Yes. When I went to my father's ball, he made it a point to find me." I looked at him. That was one detail he had most definitely left off when he had told me about his visit.
"He was the one who told me I had to return in three years. And he wasn't just telling me, Skye. It was a command. And unlike my mother’s, this is one I can't disobey." He sat back down beside me. "I've wanted to tell you since I returned, but—"
“I get it,” I interjected. “I understand why you didn’t.”
“Because of the look on your face right now, yes.”
I gave him a tight-lipped smile, and he chuckled. “I, um, I don’t think I’ll be able to come back once I leave.”
“Yeah, I get that too.” I bit down on my lip as I tried to get a handle on my emotions.
I had been thinking about this before he returned. I always knew that one day he'd have to leave, but that didn’t stop me from bursting into tears. He gathered me in his arms, holding me as I sobbed.
Elinor was pretty much set to leave with Elijah, and now Cyrus would be leaving as well. With the Alpha gone and the announcement of Elinor’s marriage on hold, I’d tried not to speak of the matter too much with her. Especially once I knew she’d been seeing that vampire, Will. I couldn’t imagine how angry I’d be if my mother told me she was marrying me off to someone she chose for me—especially if that someone wasn’t my mate.
It still shocked me that the Alpha was doing such a thing—forcing his daughter to marry someone who wasn’t her mate. Maybe Elinor had been right to think that he was just trying to get her married off. Why else would he arrange a marriage for her?
The entire thing was hypocritical to me. Werewolves frowned upon non-mated relationships, and there was a good reason for it. And yet, the Alpha had broken that rule. But if anyone ever discovered Elinor’s friendship with Will, all hell would break loose.
I sighed.
Elinor was stubborn. I knew that better than anyone, so I was sure she’d be able to handle whatever the Alpha threw at her. And I had to deal wit
h Cyrus leaving in the same way. We were all adults, and I could fully accept the way things had to be. Even so, it had always been the three of us, through thick and thin. Now, one of us would move to another pack, and the other—the only man I'd ever loved—would disappear from my life forever.
My eyes widened at that thought, and I pulled away from him. I’d never admitted to myself that I loved him—but of course, I did. How could I not? I turned to look at him. His eyes were filled with so much regret and pain. And it reminded me that this decision had to be eating away at him as well.
I dried my tears quickly. “I, um . . . sorry. I knew you’d have to leave eventually, but hey, three years isn’t right now. We have time.” I frowned as he looked away. “We have time, right?”
“I’m leaving the pack as soon as possible.” He reached out and held my hand. “I handled my brother, but I angered my mother in the process. If I stayed here, I’d be putting you and the entire pack in danger.”
“So you’re leaving now? You can’t do that, Cyrus.” I suddenly felt panicked. “Werewolves aren’t weaklings! We can protect ourselves from anything your mother or brother or anyone else throws at us.”
"People died because of me, Skye. A young member of your pack died merely because he spoke to me. And I can't guarantee I’ll always be here to help if something happens. There are things in the Demon Realm that not even the Alpha could handle. I'm a prince of Hell, Skye. I don’t belong here to begin with."
I sobered up at that, and the anger I was feeling faded. He was speaking the truth, I knew, but it was hard to accept. I sighed, defeated. “Where will you go?”
He ran his thumb across the back of my hand. “I have wings, remember? I can go anywhere I wish.”
I pulled my hand away. "Yes, but where will you stay? You need a home." I got up and walked away. "You'll need a roof over your head, Cyrus. You can’t fly around for three years. Y-you have to feed.” My eyes widened as a burst of jealousy made my head spin with wild thoughts. I turned to face him. “How will you feed?”
He walked over . . . and kissed me. His hands shot out and cupped my cheeks before I could even react. Instantly my mind cleared of the tortured thoughts I was having, and I sagged against him, reveling in the feeling of having his arms wrapped around me.
Safe. That was how I felt when he held me, and I squeezed my eyes against the thought of him leaving. Finally, I broke our kiss and rested my head against his chest. We stood there in each other’s arms, not wanting the moment to end.
“I love you,” he whispered, burying his face in my hair. My body froze, my heart hammering away inside my chest, and a smile slowly blossomed on my lips as I pulled him closer. “I always have, but I’ve been a coward. I feared that I’d ruin our friendship if I told you and you didn’t feel the same,” he added.
I pulled back, my lips parting to say something, but he placed a finger against them. “Listen. I’ll be coming back from time to time to see you—and Elinor as well. You two mean everything to me. But I need to use the three years I have left here before I have to leave permanently, so I thought I’d travel to a few places I’ve been wanting to see. Maybe I’ll accept Theanos’s invitation to visit his father’s kingdom. I’ve never even seen a dragon.”
“Yeah, neither have I,” I grumbled. “You’re going to be miserable with me,” I told him, and he laughed.
“You’re right about that.” Pinching my chin, he tilted my head back. “But I’m sure I can work something out so you can visit. Um, would you?”
I nodded right away. “Of course! Are you kidding?” I tilted my head to the side, narrowing my eyes when he suddenly got tense. “Cyrus?”
“Would you come with me then? Would you live there with me?”
I stepped out of his arms, not exactly clear what he was asking.
He looked down at me, as if he was trying to gauge my reaction. “It’s not as bad as I always portray it. There are beautiful places in the Underworld—places I wish I could have run away to as a child. But I came here instead, and I don’t regret that. My point is, it’s not all dark clouds and crazed demons.”
I wasn’t expecting that. "Cyrus, I can't decide that now." I pointed towards the house. "I mean, my mother is here, and . . . I can't make that decision now."
I saw the disappointment in his eyes before it vanished under an unreadable expression. “No, I understand. I shouldn’t have just sprung that on you.”
Shaking my head, I walked over and took his hands in mine. “I said I can’t decide right now, but I didn’t say no.” I couldn’t hide the laugh that slipped from my lips as his face lit up.
“Do you feel the same about me?”
I closed my eyes for a moment. There was a time when the thought of confessing my attraction to Cyrus scared the hell out of me. He’d told me he loved me so easily, like the future didn’t scare him at all. Then why should I be afraid?
"I do," I answered. As I opened my eyes, I gazed up at him—the man who’d been the most important person in my life from the moment we met, from the moment he’d saved my life the first time. He'd proven his feelings for me with more than just words. "I do love you, Cyrus. I always have. And nothing will ever change that. But I am going to need you to tell me how you plan on feeding.”
He broke out laughing as I arched a brow, waiting for his response. He suddenly leaned forward and kissed my neck, sending a chill down my spine. Then he pulled my earlobe between his teeth as he snaked his hands around my waist.
“I’ll return whenever I need to feed. So, knowing that—” He kissed the spot just beneath my ear, and my eyes fluttered closed again. “Be prepared.”
9
Elinor
“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”
Will stopped walking and turned to me. He reached out and pinched my chin, tilting my head back gently.
“It’s a surprise,” he answered before leaning in to kiss me. But I pulled away.
His hand fell away from my chin as he smirked, then turned and continued walking. Goddess, I wanted to kiss him, but things had been moving way too fast between us. I had promised to marry Elijah, yet here I was, following a gorgeous vampire who I very much wanted to kiss through a forest on my way to Goddess-knew where.
What the hell am I going to do about this?
As soon as my father returned, so would Elijah, and my engagement would then become official. My father sent word two days ago that he’d be back in a few days and that the Enchanted with him had received a vision that the pack was under attack. My mother sent a letter back to him, telling him about everything that had happened and giving him the good news that Keith’s killer had been dealt with.
Since he hadn’t replied, he must be on his way home. We’d solved the problem—the whole purpose for attending the meeting to begin with—right here in our pack. A part of me wished it hadn’t all happened the way it had because Cyrus’s announcement that he’d be leaving the pack broke my heart.
As hard as it was for me, I recognized that it was much worse for Skye. It had taken me an hour to convince Cyrus to stay for a few extra days so we could have a proper farewell party for him—just the three of us. And I really wanted him to stay until my father returned, so he could say goodbye to Cyrus as well. A part of me was honestly hoping my father would do a better job of convincing him not to leave at all.
"Hey." Will held onto my arm. "You seem distant."
We stopped walking, and I looked up at the night sky. “There is just so much going on right now.” I looked at him, admiring his unusual blue eyes for a moment. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to your eyes being blue and not red like most vampires.”
“You’ll get used to it,” he replied with a shrug.
I gave him a tight-lipped smile. "I shouldn’t be doing this.”
“Taking a stroll with a friend?”
"Taking a secret stroll with a vampire, smartass. And hanging around a she-wolf is a bad idea for you too. Won't your
kind lose it, if they find out?"
“I know I’m a smartass, thank you very much,” he replied with a smirk.
“I’m being serious,” I told him, poking him in the chest.
His expression became solemn as he removed two small vials from his pocket. “I know you’re serious, Elinor. And yes, the other vampires would be furious.” He looked around us, his eyes scanning the forest. “They despise werewolves. Your Guards have killed many of our kind. But let’s not think about that now. We've come far enough. For tonight, Little Wolf, I don’t want you to think about what's happening now or what might happen in the future. Okay?”
I made a face. "Yeah, right. My brain is allergic to relaxing. I have to think about everything past, present, and future at all times. I have no choice."
He softly chuckled as he brought out two vials of liquid from his pocket and held up the red one up for me to see. I stared at the swirling solution, entranced. “Do you trust me, Elinor?”
When I gave him a blank look, he shook his head, pulling the stopper and tossing the vial on the ground a few feet away from us. I backed away quickly as a whirling crimson portal appeared. He held his hand out to me. “Trust me.”
He wants me to leave the forest with him!
“Will, I—” I protested.
But he stepped towards the portal, his hand still outstretched to me. “Please, trust me.”