Page 65 of Blood and War
Like a mantra, she repeated the words.Don’t run. Don’t be afraid.
She had to push forward. To face whatever it was that was inside. Whatever it was that she needed to see.
All around her the air smelled stale. Musty, yet burned. The trees, despite the raging inferno that must have swept through the area, stood solid. It was shocking to see them still so tall. Strong. Even though a fire had very clearly torn through the woods, they’d refused to fall. Refused to bow down to the forces that sought to end them.
She could feel herself drawing strength from them. From the thought of it. They were broken and charred, their habitat utterly decimated, yet they stood.
I am strong, and I will get through this.
Demitria took in a breath, peering around the darkness. She may be flawed, but she was not broken. Being here was proof of that. After all that she’d endured, she was still standing. She pushed forward. As she did, the mist around her lightened, the darkness lifting enough that she could see her surroundings.
Demitria was in the thick of the trees, but had wandered into an open clearing within. Whatever had been beckoning her inside had vanished. That tug pulling her deeper was gone. Or had she just gotten where she needed to go? Raising her sword higher, readying it, she let her eyes scan the area. Searching for something. Anything that could have called to her.
“We meet again.” She couldn’t move as the wave of fear tried to root itself within her and take hold of her body.
I am strong, and I will get through this.
She repeated again.
I am not afraid.
Before her stood the creature who had murdered her parents. The creature who had taken her hostage and brought her to the Demon Lord. The creature who had tried to eat her alive. Reim smirked at her, a terrifyingly toothy grin as those crimson eyes shone bright. Wicked. That familiar numbness tried to take over once again. A dark prodding at the wall she’d resurrected.
“While you were following the darkness so blindly, your friends entered after you.” The demon circled her, its smile never wavering. “They shouldn’t have come here.”
“It was you.” Demitria took a tentative step forward. “What did you do to them?” She demanded, holding back the tremble in her voice.I am strong, and I will get through this.
“You’ve been told the human soul holds great power.” Reim circled her. “Your people proved to be quite…delectable.” The demon licked his lips, his forked, snake-like tongue a deep shade of purple. Her people? Had he eaten her people? Stolen their souls to get to her? “What if I were to give you a choice? Their life for yours?” Reim ran a clawed finger down her arm as he circled her once more, like she was his prey. Light enough that he hadn’t broken her skin, yet hard enough that her body remembered the toxins that had nearly killed her as that familiar revulsion filled her. Demitria suppressed the shudder that threatened to overcome her.
“What did you do?” She asked, the lithe, inky, humanesque body stopping before her. Watching with those terrifying eyes.
Reim held up a familiar gold object, and her blood ran cold. “Stupid, stupid human.” The demon twirled the pocket watch in his taloned fingers. “It’s a shame he and your Horseman followed after.”
It had captured Kellan and Jace. Maybe even the others, too. Were they being held by demons, somewhere in here? How the hell had she not heard them come in? Surely, she would have heard them shouting after her.
“If I give myself up, will it end the war?” She’d do it. If it meant stopping the Dark King, she’d give herself up. Wanting him to die had been her goal, but stopping the war? She could save humanity. Kellan or Jace wouldn’t be happy, but she knew they’d find a way to kill him when the time came.
“Stupid girl.” It laughed. “We are beyond that point. He’s here, raising his army as we speak.”Shit. Were they too late? Had this entire search been for nothing after all? Had Eire been right that they were just wasting their time? The demon stepped into her, so close she could feel the cold press of his body, her hair standing on edge as every nerve ending seemed to misfire. Wrong. The demon felt so wrong to her.
“You’re lying.” Gods, she hoped he was.
“Enough about the inevitable.” Reim growled. “I want to play a game.” Another clawed finger trailed across her neck, and every inch of skin itched where he’d touched her. “Let's make this interesting. One lives, one dies. The choice is yours.” With another terrifying grin, Reim stepped back. The mist receded again. In a tangle of shadow and charred branches, Kellan and Jace lay pinned. Heads lulled to the side, unconscious, as blood seemed to pool around them. Her heart raced at the sight of them. Near ready to explode from her chest as a panic began to set in. Was this the power of a human soul? Of several? Had it given him so much power that he’d captured a Horsemen?
“Don’t make me choose.” She wouldn’t choose between them. Couldn’t, for that matter. Jace, the permanent figure in her life. Her best friend. The one who had been by her side for as long as she could remember. Kellan. Whatever they had brewing between them was something she couldn’t explain. And despite the rules saying otherwise, she wanted to explore what it was. To know all there was to know about him. To explorehim.
Like hell she would choose.
I am strong and I will not be afraid.
Her stance widened, blade poised.
I am strong and I will not be afraid.
And for the first time, Demitria pushed on. Launching herself at the demon. “I will not be afraid!” She roared. The deadly edge of her blade skirted across the demon's shoulder. Not enough to render him incapacitated, but she’d drawn blood as that black substance oozed from the wound. She swung again, and he dodged backward. His steps never faltered.
Back and forth they went, trading blows. She hadn’t landed another since the first, but she’d been lucky to avoid the poisonous claws. Demitria knew what it could do to her if itbroke skin. She wouldn’t let that happen. Not here, not now. Not ever again.
“I can smell your fear.” Reim taunted, resuming his circling of her. Like a hungry shark readying his strike. She wouldn’t fall for it. Wouldn’t let him touch her again.
