I stepped forward, fire flaring bright around my hands, so hot the air rippled.
Malakai moved in beside me, calm as ever.
“Go on kitten, show it who it’s dealing with,” he smirked, glancing down at me. I huffed, as I sent my fires out, forming a spiraling inferno that crackled with heat. The blast tore through the clearing, the shadow demon tearing apart from the inside out. A screech pierced the air, and it balled a fist of shadows, swinging it through the air, aiming at the whole group. A wall of dirt flung up, stopping its attack. Lionel and Eve’s rifles sounded, quartz burrowing into the shadow. We couldn’t see wounds, but we heard the sizzling sound of the gems burning something. I pushed another wave of heat, surrounding its entire body this time. Its final shriek rattled the trees, then faded into nothing.
Smoke hung heavy in the silence that followed.
Nate exhaled, shoulders sagging. “So… breakfast, anyone?”
“We already had that,” Eve snorted.
“He means second breakfast,” Ashley chuckled, dropping to a fallen log, brushing black ichor off her face. “If you’re cooking, sure.”
Eve shifted her rifle, shaking her head. “I’m just glad the demons are uglier than us. Mostly.”
Lionel said nothing, reloading with quiet precision, though I caught his eyes flicking towards me for half a second, a silent check in.
Malakai, still breathing steadily, turned his wrists to show the singed rope and how it was somehow still intact. “See? I kept my word.”
I gave him a look. “Barely.”
He smirked. “Barely still counts.”
The forest was covered in smoke, sunlight beginning to cut through the curls. We were all standing, which, for us, counted as a good day.
By the time the sun started bleeding towards the horizon behind the trees, we’d found a clearing just wide enough for a fire and seven worn bodies. The air had a faint stale smell, and the forest was thinner, as though the earth itself knew what lay ahead.
Ashley dropped her pack with a groan. “I swear my bones are plotting against me.”
Eve was already seated by the fire, rifle balanced across her knees. “That’s what happens when you’re not careful.”
Ashley shot her a glare. “At least I hit theenemies.”
The words hung there, tension sparking between them once again, and for a moment, no one moved. The fire crackled, loud in the silence.
Eve’s smile died, slowly, painfully. She looked down, busying herself with the rifle’s sights.
“Yeah,” she said quietly. “At least you do.”
Nate looked away, his jaw tight. Ashley’s expression softened for half a second, guilt flickering through her eyes before she turned to her pack again, pretending to dig for something.
Malakai broke the tension with an exaggerated sigh. “And here I thought dinner would be awkwardafterthe demons asked to join in.”
That earned a reluctant snort from Ashley, a small truce. “Are you always this charming, tied up and all?”
“No, I’m usually a lot more fun tied up,” he said, flashing a grin. His wrists were still bound, rope darkened by soot, but he didn’t seem the least bit bothered.
“You could’ve burned through that an hour ago,” I said, stirring the fire with a stick.
He smiled faintly. “Youtold me to not break the ropes.”
I looked up at him, at the lazy, half-amused warmth in his eyes. He was impossible. Impossible, and yet… my pulse betrayed me.
“Careful,” Ashley snickered, catching the look. “She might start liking you again.”
Malakai didn’t miss a beat. “She never stopped.”
My lips pressed together in a straight line, just enough for him to notice. I turned away, hoping the rest of them never caught on.
