Option two wasn’t good. Option two had Heron telling me he wasn’t interested in a serious relationship, but that we could always take advantage of our physical attraction and “have some fun”. I’d heard him say that to other females back on Calliope—I knew his lines all too well. He’d tried some on me already, after all. That was my worst-case scenario, in which my feelings were one-sided and I was bound to come across as a fool, after I’d pushed him away for being a superficial philanderer.
Oh, man, I’m in for quite the ride, no matter what he says…
Of course, there was a third option, in which I could keep my mouth shut and just ignore everything between us. But who was I kidding? With every minute spent in Heron’s presence, it became more and more difficult for me to just hold it in.
I’ll revisit this tomorrow, with a clear, rested head.
For the time being, I figured I was better off just letting it go. Just for the night, while I was still gradually melting in his arms, while he kept me close enough for his heartbeat to echo in my chest. His breathing was even, his face hidden in my hair.
He moved in his sleep, and his lips found the back of my neck. My entire body bucked, my eyes nearly popping out of their orbits, and my skin tingled all over. He didn’t do anything, but his lips settled against my neck, and that generated thousands of tiny explosions through every fiber of my body.
Oh, who the hell am I kidding?
I am falling so hard and so fast, I can’t even keep up with my own body anymore…
There was plenty to love about Heron, though. Beneath his boyish charm and playful smirk, he carried years of experience, of rough living and scars of war. He was strong and determined, and downright ruthless when those he cared for were in danger. His sense of duty was out of this world—Heron knew how to obey orders but was perfectly capable of challenging them, if they interfered with his ethical code, his desire to improve the world around him.
I had a feeling that, deep down, Heron wanted to love and be loved—more than anything. It was why our unintended Pyrope had had such an impact on him. He’d thought about it. Maybe he’d even dreamed about the day he’d meet his soulmate and taste her blood on his lips.
I closed my eyes, trying to put myself back to sleep. It would take a while. His hard body against mine and his sleepy lips on my skin were making it very difficult for me to fully relax.
So I drifted for a while, simply enjoying the moment.
Simply enjoying Heron’s arms around me.
Fiona
(Daughter of Benedict & Yelena)
I came to after what felt like a second. It wasn’t. Zane had carried me up to my room and put me in my bed. My dress was still on, but he’d removed my shoes, as evidenced by my toes wiggling freely.
Son of a…
How did he keep fooling me with that damn yellow powder? I need to get better at this…
The lights were dim, and I could hear the fire crackling in the fireplace. Oh great, he lit a fire, too. Making sure I’m comfortable in my defeat. I groaned as I stretched my arms out, cursing under my breath and lifting my head off the pillow.
My heart jumped at the sight of Zane sitting in a chair that was too small for him. He was quiet, a dark look in his red eyes as he watched me.
“As if you couldn’t get any creepier!” I spat, sitting up and scowling at him. “Now you’re watching me sleep, too?”
“I was just waiting for you to wake up.” He shrugged, shifting his weight in the visibly uncomfortable chair. The wood creaked as he supported part of his weight on one of the armrests. “Just being respectful here. I figured it would be rude to just plop you in here without saying a proper ‘Good night!’, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Oh, now you’re being respectful! After you knocked me out for… what, the fourth time? I’m losing track here!” I scoffed.
“I assumed you were into Vincent because of his manners,” he replied matter-of-factly, “and probably his fashion sense, too. The latter I can do nothing about, but I can try to be a little bit more gentile. As much as I like the way you crinkle your nose when you’re angry, I prefer you when you’re smiling.”
It took me a few seconds to register the compliment, but it didn’t make me feel better. If anything, it confused me even more. What was his end game? What did he want from me?
“You could start by not blowing yellow dust in my face whenever I ask you uncomfortable questions,” I shot back. “I’d classify it as more important than bidding an appropriate farewell.”
“Duly noted.” He nodded, then smiled. “You should get some sleep. I think you’ll have a very busy day ahead of you tomorrow.”
I moved to get out of bed, but stilled as I captured the hidden meaning of his words.
“What do you mean? What’s happening tomorrow?” I asked, my tone flat.
“How am I supposed to know?” He raised an eyebrow, as if daring me to get all riled up.
“You just said… Ugh, never mind.” I shook my head and decided to sulk, crossing my arms over my chest. “You’re all cryptic and full of smoke, as usual. Completely useless.”
“I wouldn’t say completely useless.” He leaned forward, his gaze drilling into me. “I still have a few tricks up my sleeve.”
“You still haven’t told me where you got the swamp witch magic from,” I retorted, attempting a different angle. Maybe persistence could be the key to my success. Zane didn’t seem like he was going anywhere, and he’d specifically admitted that he couldn’t stay away. Perhaps I could use that to my advantage.
Worth a shot…
He rolled his eyes and leaned against the back of the chair, generating another round of loud creaks. I was expecting to see that thing give way under his massive frame any minute now.
“Can we, for once, not talk about such difficult topics?” He groaned, as if he were the one frustrated, not me. The nerve! “For once, I’d like to just sit here and look at you… to just bask in your beauty.”
If it were anyone else saying such things to me, my creep-o-meter would’ve been screaming and flashing bright red signals. And yet, there was something in the way he spoke—maybe in his low, husky voice and smooth tone—that just put me on a different kind of edge. It made me feel extremely self-conscious, and, at the same time, it heated me up from the inside.
What was it about him that turned off my defense mechanisms and prompted my other senses to flare up? It was as if my consciousness expanded whenever he was near. He had danger written all over him, but I couldn’t bring myself to treat him as a hostile force. Zane basically disarmed me, and it scared the crap out of me.
“Well, that wasn’t creepy at all,” I muttered.
“I’m simply being honest.” He stood up, and the room seemed tiny all of a sudden. My muscles tensed as he stepped forward, closing the distance between us. He noticed my reaction, and raised his hands in a defensive gesture. “Relax, Fiona, I’m not going to hurt you or be anything but respectful toward you.”
He moved closer and sat on the bed, next to me. The mattress swelled beneath me, lifting me up as he sank into it. I stared back at him as he studied my face, once more looking for my every expression, for anything that could maybe tell him what I was thinking.
“That chair was a literal pain in my ass.” Zane grinned.
I almost smiled, then pressed my lips tight and looked away. I wasn’t done with the sulking part.
“I really can’t wrap my head around all this,” I muttered. “I should kill you on sight.”
“You could try.” I heard the confident smile in his voice before I even saw it stretch on his face—which, by the way, looked incredibly handsome in the dim glow of the room. Dark shadows and amber strips of light played against his rugged features, bringing out his cleft chin and sharp cheekbones, and adding dramatic contours to the blade of his nose and his almond-shaped eyes. I felt a sudden urge to touch his black hair, which lay tightly braided down his back. Only then did I notice the fine gold
thread woven over his horns. This was no second-class daemon I was dealing with; that much was obvious from his outfit—gold adorned the belt holding his dark brown leather loincloth over his narrow hips, and even the straps of his sandals.
“You’re the enemy, Zane,” I breathed.
“I’m not your enemy,” he replied, inching closer. His gaze dropped to my lips.
“What do you want from me?”
“For the millionth time, I don’t know yet,” he murmured, his face barely an inch from mine. I held my breath and had no idea what to do next. My body refused to react, but my rising temperature was similar to the surface of a sun. “But I promise I will let you know as soon as I figure it out, Fiona.”
“This is… strange,” I managed, my heart pounding.
“The fact that I’m here? Or the fact that you’re allowing me to get this close?”
“I… I don’t know.” My voice was barely audible, while my mind screamed at me to get a grip. “There must be something wrong with me.”
“But it feels right, doesn’t it?” His eyes found mine once more, flaring red as the air between us became supercharged. I feared lightning bolts would shoot out if he came any closer.
“I… Why are you doing this?”
“Because you’re not stopping me.” He grinned.
A few seconds went by as we looked at each other, then time nearly stopped when Zane’s lips parted. I had a feeling I knew what was coming next, and my heart was too hyped to take it. Too much was happening at once.
“Don’t,” I said to him, looking into his eyes.
He pulled his head back slowly, then cocked it to one side, visibly amused.
“Or what?” he replied.
“You won’t like my answer.”
There you are, Fiona! Where have you been? I’ve missed you.
“Hm. I guess I’ve found your limit.” The shadow of a smile passed over his face. “Good to know. I love a good challenge. Now, off to bed, little vampire…”
He moved, and I instantly knew what was coming next, before he even brought a fistful of yellow powder up to my face. I slapped his hand away, the dust scattering away on the floor, and he laughed hard.
I glowered, the tension back in my muscles as I regained my senses and original anger. Zane had been planning to knock me out again.
“Like I said, you’re learning fast.” He gave me an appreciative nod, then stood and walked over to the window. “Get some rest, Fiona. Keep your distance from Vincent. I’ll see you soon.”
“Wait, what do you mean? What’s your deal with Vincent? Why—” I didn’t get to ask the third question. Zane had already opened the window and jumped out.
My lungs filled with the cool air. I looked outside, but there was no sign of him. Just shadows and flickering streetlamps. And a starry sky above, with three moons that seemed to have secrets of their own. That was Neraka for you—everything was hidden, even what was there in plain sight.
And Zane was the perfect example…
Harper
(Daughter of Hazel & Tejus)
He could see us.
The king of daemons could actually see us through the red garnet of his golden staff. And he was grinning at us, not at all surprised. As if he had expected to see us here, somehow.
“Oh crap…” I breathed, my limbs suddenly soft, and my heart sinking. Caspian’s hold on me tightened, as he too realized the horrific amount of trouble that we were in.
Cold water splashed us from behind, but given that we were using the original invisibility spell, it didn’t do anything other than confuse the daemon that had tried to reveal us. I understood then what was happening, even though I had no way to explain how: they knew we were here. They had known we would be coming. Us being here, right up to this moment, had been part of Shaytan’s plan. I could see it on his face—the tremendous satisfaction of having drawn us out.
“We need to get out of here. Now,” Jax said.
The daemons created a circle around us, the crowd tightening as they drew closer, baring their fangs and claws and preparing to attack.
“Well, that’s strange… What sort of spell are you using, little mice?” King Shaytan growled, keeping his eyes on us through the red garnet, then barked orders at his soldiers and the daemons surrounding us. “Use the lenses and capture them alive!”
Some of the fiends took out round, red lenses, and brought them up to their eyes to see us through them. Oh, crap!
They started pointing at us, sneering as the rest of the crowd got riled up, scrambling for dirt and even drawing blood from their palms to smear and reveal us—at least partially. They came at us all at once. The tighter the space around us, the harder it was going to be to get out of here in one piece.
“Split up—we’ll meet at the top! Blaze, you know what to do!” Jax breathed.
Caspian pulled me after him as we darted out of the mass of daemons closing in on us. We dodged their attempts to reveal us with mud and blood, and ran as fast as we could. The fiends were spry, though, and stayed hot on our tails, as the ones with the red lenses kept shouting and pointing at us.
“The columns! They’re running past the columns! There!” I heard one screech, as the crowd spilled into the streets.
All we had to do was hold on and not get caught, until Blaze could get to the top of the tower and douse them all in deadly fire. We took a sharp left turn, and the daemons tumbled down the alley after us, snarling and laughing maniacally—as if they were on a fun hunt of sorts. It sent shivers down my spine, but it also riled me up.
I shot out several pulse barriers over my shoulder, enough to knock them back a couple of feet. They were fast, but they had their limits, and this sentry ability of mine was one of the few effective defense mechanisms that I could rely on. It helped put a dozen more feet between us, but they kept chasing us through the city.
“This is a coordinated effort,” I muttered as we turned right. “They know exactly what they’re doing here!”
“We can analyze this later,” Caspian cut me off, and jerked my hand.
I ran ahead, prompting him to pull me back and slip us through the crevice between two black stone buildings on the left, before the daemons turned right after us. It was his good use of that split second that got us out of their way. His quick thinking kept us hidden in that nook, while the hordes of daemons kept running forward, roaring as they searched for us.
Those red lenses must’ve only served to see invisible creatures directly. They didn’t allow them to see through the walls—otherwise they would’ve captured us already.
Caspian pushed ahead through the crevice, and I held onto him until we reached the opposite end. We ended up in a narrow little alley, with tall buildings and dozens of side streets extending both left and right. We moved through the maze of black stone giants, catching glimpses of daemons, commoners, hunters, and soldiers alike, roaming through the neighboring alleys as they searched for us.
We turned left again and found a small covered terrace, bordered by a half-wall. The crowd was moving farther from our location, but it still seemed like a good idea to duck and take cover on that terrace. We had some waiting to do before Blaze got to his vantage point.
“We’ll wait here for Blaze to do his thing,” I murmured, pulling my knees up to my chest and supporting my back against the half-wall.
Caspian pulled me close, our hearts thundering in our chests as the gravity of what was coming next finally sank in. The fate of our team… our survival was largely in Blaze’s hands. Our invisibility spell was going to wear off soon and, worst of all, it didn’t fully protect us from the daemons, given those damned red lenses.
A dozen scenarios played themselves in a loop inside my head, all at once. Few led to my survival, and that made my blood freeze. Caspian’s grip on my shoulders tightened.
“We’ll get through this,” he whispered in my ear.
The dread clawing through my stomach said otherwise.
Hansa
We shot through the tightening crowd toward the east side. I held onto Jax as he guided me toward a wide alley leading away from the square. We avoided spurts of blood and muddied hands—the daemons were trying to mark us, while those with red lenses kept pointing at us, directing the others after us.
We drew our swords and slashed our way out of the last dozen square feet of fiends trying to get between us and our exit, then kicked and elbowed left and right until we made it out of the crowd. Several bodies dropped behind us, causing a stampede as they all rushed after us.
Jax and I ran fast, our feet barely touching the ground. Hunters and soldiers were hot on our trail, along with those wretched red lens holders. It took several sharp turns to put some distance between us and our pursuers, but we eventually made it out of their sight when Jax pulled me into a dark alley.
There was an abandoned cart there, right next to what looked like a cellar door. I looked around the corner, seeing the daemons getting closer—the ones with lenses led the way, scanning the area. They were less than fifty yards from us, and approaching fast.
“What do we—” My voice trailed off. I watched Jax as he pulled the cart in front of the cellar door. “What are you doing?”
“Down here,” Jax replied, then opened the cellar door.
Without a second thought, I jumped in, followed by Jax. He pulled it shut, and darkness enveloped us. We kept close to each other. It was a small space, with barely enough room to lie down, but it would do for the time being.
The ground above thundered, but we seemed to be safe down here. I heard the crowd of daemons rumbling nearby, but the cart that Jax had moved had successfully obscured our little escape hatch. They moved farther down the road, shouting orders to spread out and find us.
My heart was beating so fast, my lungs were having a hard time keeping up.
“How… How did this happen?” I murmured, the adrenaline still making my arms and legs shake. That had been a ridiculously close call, and we weren’t even out of the woods yet. We only had a few minutes before Blaze got to the top of that tower and burned the entire area down. Only a few minutes to process what had just happened. “How did he know? How did the king know that we were there? I mean, it was a big crowd. I get that the red garnet allows him to see invisible creatures, but… how did he know we were there? Was this planned, Jax? Were we expected?”
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