“But she would always be with you, always a part of you,” a dark voice whispered inside of my head.
I clenched my teeth.
No.
Instead, I turned my gaze to the blood swirling around Lionel, my blood. My jaw tightened as I forced the threads to release, caging the demon inside of me that was on the verge of escaping. The blood snapped back, leaving a strong red glow on my skin.
Lionel stepped back, breathing hard. “You think you’re the only one who’d risk everything for her? Don’t be stupid!”
For a moment, neither of us moved. The only sound was the fire, spitting sparks between us.
“Why do you think we’re all heading towards the Demon King’s castle like a pack of idiots?” Lionel kept shouting. “We have no plan, no back-up or any guarantees of getting back alive. But we’re all stillhere, trying to save Ethalyn.”
I smiled, a small, sharp curve of lips. “Good. Then stay alive long enough to prove it.”
Ashley rolled her eyes and kicked at the dirt. “Boys and their damn hero complexes.”
Eve holstered her weapon, but not before throwing me a glare. “If you lose control again, I won’t hold back.”
“Wouldn’t expect you to,” I said coolly.
Lionel shook his head, sitting back down by the fire. “We rest. In an hour, we move.”
I lingered on the edge of the shadows, the hunger still thrumming inside me, quieter now but far from gone.
The others eventually drifted into uneasy silence.
I stayed awake, staring towards the black horizon, where I felt the other end of the bond. The pulse of her magic tugged at me again, faint, but alive.
I breathed it in, let the fire under my skin settle, and muttered into the night, “Hold on, kitten. I’m coming.”
CHAPTER
30
—Malakai—
It was hard to tell if it was night or day, just a thin gray smear behind a wall of black clouds in the sky.
The ground turned brittle underfoot as we moved, every step throwing up dust that shimmered faintly with demonic residue. The air pressed heavier as we made our way down into the ravine, until breathing felt like dragging smoke into our lungs.
“She’s that way,” I said, pointing towards the densest patch of fog.
Lionel frowned. “Are you sure there’s even a path through—”
“I don’t need a path.” I was already walking.
The tether between Ethalyn and I pulsed weakly, faint as a dying ember. Each beat twisted tighter in my chest. I could barely feel her anymore. It wasn’t distance, it was suppression, the same way a scream muffles under water.
Ashley jogged up beside me, her eyes studying me like a hawk searching for weakness. “You’re shaking,” she muttered.
“I’m fine.”
“You always say that right before something explodes.”
“So take cover.”
Behind us, Nate groaned. “Could wenotprovoke him before breakfast? My other shoulder’s still working, and I’d really like to keep it that way.”
