Page 90 of Fated to the Demon Lord

The point of a glowing blue sword went straight through his head. His eyes bulged and his mouth opened in a silent scream that never came.

He dissipated into nothing.

I blinked hard, trying to concentrate through the pain radiating up from my snapped leg. Lanzin stood over me, shoulders tense, sword in hand. Except it wasn’t Lanzin. Black lines snaked over his arms and neck. And his eyes—I recognized those orange glowing eyes.

Vaelor.

He’d bonded with his brother’s body.

One of the flying demons behind Tricken pulled back, terror on his face. “He’s bonded with a body! He’s—” Vaelor swung again, and this demon ended his words in a scream as he too, evaporated. The third tried to get away, but it was too late, and Vaelor soon disposed of him as well.

Raxus stumbled back with a snarl as Vaelor turned on him.

“Enjoy it while it lasts. You won’t be the only one with a bonded body for much longer,” Raxus snapped. His hateful gaze landed on me. “And then I will get what I came for.”

Vaelor spread his brother’s wings and lunged, but Raxus disappeared into the mist before Vaelor’s strike landed. The mist that was Raxus swept off into the trees.

I gripped my leg. The pain raged so hard I worried I’d pass out.

Vaelor, controlling Lanzin’s body, swore when he saw my leg. He dropped the sword and grabbed two fallen branches and approached me.

“I’m going to immobilize your leg,” he said in Lanzin’s voice.

I merely nodded, sweat pouring from my face and wishing the damn agony would stop.

He tore my dress, creating two strips.

“Vaelor, I—” I screamed as he adjusted my leg to get the branches in place.

“Don’t speak. This will be quick.”

No. I needed to tell him how sorry I was that he had to kill his brother for me. And not only that, but he’d be reminded of that every single day he woke up or looked in the mirror. What could be worth that? Nothing. He had to hate me. Resent me.

He tied the bandage around my leg, and all words left me as tears came to my eyes.

Some of the pain eased once he had it tied off. He picked up his sword and sheathed it. Now that the spirits were gone, it no longer glowed blue. He grabbed my bag off the horse and slung it over a shoulder before he came back over to me. He lifted me into his arms. I released a cry and blackness edged in.

“Don’t worry. I’ve got you,” Vaelor said. The wings of his brother’s body spread. “But we cannot stay here.”

He glanced at me—Lanzin’s face framed by his warrior braid, Lanzin’s hands that were rough and calloused. But Vaelor’s eyes. I read the question in them.

I grasped him, holding on tight, and nodded. He took off into the sky, and the world faded to black.

Twenty-Four

He dropped me off in a cave in a hidden grove up on a high mountainside. Through my cloud of pain, I watched him turn away without a word, spread his wings and take flight. I’d caused him to go too far. What was stopping him from leaving me for good? I deserved it. I thought I might help him, and all I’d caused was… this.

A short time later, Vaelor returned with a female demon. She had small goat-like horns and a woman’s top half, but underneath her skirts, I made out furred legs and hooves. “Hello, Denara. I’m Resha. I’m a healer and I’ve come to treat your leg.”

She did a quick examination. I cried out when she touched it. “Here, take this,” she said. “It will help with the pain.” She popped the lid on a small vial filled with a silvery-looking liquid.

Before I had the chance to reply, she shoved it in my mouth and I took a gulp.

“Human bones are weak, but they also don’t require long to heal. The fact that you are a hedge witch helps. With the right ingredients, your power will help you recover.” She pressed some weed bark into my hand. “Chew this twice a day and you should be healed within two days. And here is a blanket to keep you warm.” She handed me a bearskin blanket.

Before the pain medicine kicked in, she was gone, and so was Vaelor. When he returned, relief curled in my chest.

“I’ll be nearby,” he said, but then turned away, Lanzin’s dark wings spreading. “I simply… need some time.”