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Convinced the sirens weren’t going to return, I headed toward Elias. Two of the vamps remained, the other two were who knew where. Probably fled the same way the sirens had. I guess it was hard to find good hunters nowadays. It was eye opening to see these hunters who had stellar reputations fail so spectacularly. It made me question how they even gained their reputation in the first place.
I froze and a million thoughts flooded my mind. Reputation. It was all an act. A public face. How much of the queen’s reputation was just that? Carefully placed rumors and threats? What did we really know was true and what wasn’t? How much was smoke and mirrors?
We had to get out of here. This needed to end now. Hackles raised, I charged into the fray. The vampires fighting with Elias saw me coming.
Sasha lifted her hands and took a step back. “Well played, Skylar.”
I bared my teeth and took a step closer to her.
She grabbed the other vampire and pulled him away. “A good hunter knows when to walk away.”
“We took this mark, we need to finish it,” he said.
I shifted back to human. The change came quicker and a little less painful than last time. Either I was improving or I was too caught up in the moment to notice.
Quickly, I called my hellfire to life. The flames danced on my hands and I moved closer to the vampires. I was naked and goosebumps spread over my skin but I ignored it. “You ready to meet the final death?”
Sasha charged me, a glint of silver flashing from the knife in her hand. I released the flames, letting the magic flow through me. It came rushing out and I eased it into a circle around her.
Sasha was surrounded and she froze in place. I was breathing heavy, surprised that I was maintaining such strong control.
“Take a step,” I dared her.
She dropped her knife to the ground and I flicked my fingers, sending flames to the fallen knife. They devoured her weapon, eating away at the metal with ease. I tried to hide my own surprise at how powerful the flames were.
“Are you prepared to die to take me in?” I asked.
Sasha lifted her arms in surrender.
“You will not pursue me again. Or I will kill you,” I said.
“If she won’t, I will,” Elias said.
“I don’t even know who you are,” she hissed. “She was the only mark. You’d be free to go. Or we could split the bounty.”
A blinding flash of light illuminated the darkness and I lost my hold on my magic. When the light cleared and my eyes readjusted, Sasha and her sidekick had been reduced to bits.
“Was that necessary?” I asked.
“She wasn’t going to stop coming for you,” he said. “The second you let your guard down, you’d have been stabbed from behind.”
I didn’t like the fact that we had two dead hunters in the parking lot, but my instincts told me he was right. She was buying her time, not surrendering. If she’d wanted to let me go, she would have fled like the others.
“Your control is getting better,” Elias said. “That necklace might be helping.”
I reached for the stone hanging around my neck. I’d forgotten about it. It was warm to the touch now and the magic pulsing through it wasn’t as strong as last time I’d held it. “I think you’re right.”
“It’s a good tool until you can learn better control on your own,” he said.
“Elias?” We had a million things to do and it wasn’t the best time, but I had to ask. “You mentioned my mother. You said your dad might have sent her here. Did you know her?”
“I knew of her,” he said.
“What kind of demon was she? What was she like?” I asked.
“She was a member of another royal house,” he said. “My father had said she was exiled for making an attempt for our throne. But now it seems that was all a lie. And it probably isn’t a surprise to you, but most of her house was made up of fire demons. Though, there were some incubus members as well. I wouldn’t be surprised if you have blood of both types.”
The new information felt like a strange new part of me. As if I suddenly became aware of a new limb. It was as if it had been there all along, but now I was able to use it.
I knew I’d never get her back, but this changed things. “Does that mean I have family in your realm?”
“It does,” Elias said. “When this is over, I’ll take you if you’d like.”
My heart felt light as a feather. I’d felt so alone after I lost my father. Now, I had this new family with my mates. They’d replaced a hole that was deeper than I knew. On top of that, there was the possibility of meeting my blood. People who knew my mother, who were her kin.
It was more than I could have hoped for. My throat felt thick and tears threatened. If only we weren’t in the middle of trying to save the world. “We should go.”
“I’ll find us a ride,” Elias said.
