Zazion growled and knocked my hand away from his throat. I let him.
Chuckling, I nodded to the blazing pillars of fire piercing the deep red night. “You think you can pull this off?”
The demon wings shifted behind me and I could feel his black eyes boring into the back of my head with loathing. “Taking great pleasure in dragging you in chains through the camp? Of course.”
Snickering, I cracked my neck side to side, “Should be fun.”
Snapping his fingers, heavy chains landed at my feet and I could not restrain the visceral growl, nor the instinctual step back I took at the fucking metal that made me weaker than a newborn pixie. I did not relish the feel of my newfound power being sapped out of my body and the instant hollow feeling that came along with it, the same feeling Remnant was experiencing right now.
“You act like a human with arachnophobia,” Zazion said dryly, stepping next to me.
“Fuck off, I’m not hyperventilating demon.” But I feared that Remnant would be, her panic attacks had been less since we officially accepted our bond but that did not mean the scars suddenlyhealed. Flashbacks of my chained soulmate still haunted my own memory.
I clenched my fist still feeling the way my hand broke, pummeling the unforgiving metal over and over again until it cracked. Our soulmate bond was supposed to be a glorious moment but for me it was tainted by my heart breaking for the beautiful fae that begged for her life to end.
At least, I had been able to give her that moment. A moment to heal and a moment to choose. Goddess what I wouldn’t give to hear her laugh in the Cave of Lovers again.
Zazion cleared his throat, arching his brow at me. “This was your idea, remember?”
“Just give me a goddess damn moment,” I growled.
The demon’s horned head snapped up to the skies, his nostrils flaring at a new scent besides campfire ash. I smelled it too, like sour grapes baking in the sun, the same scent of the arrogant feathered companion to the demon queen—the one who killed Remnant’s firedrake.
“What the fuck is he doing out here?” the demon muttered, a spark of flames lighting up in his eyes.
My brow arched, “I take it you two are not fond of one another.” I crossed my arms growling. “This isn’t some sort of lovers quarrel is it?”
Zazion’s tale swished out and he snorted, “I’d rather fuck an imp but our Queen feels differently.”
I snickered, I was starting to like this demon, and instincts told me that even after this journey, I’d be seeing him again. So naturally, curiosity had me pushing further…my cat personality peeking through, oh the irony. I could practically feel Ethereal rolling his eyes, muttering about death wishes. “So what then? You pine on the sidelines hoping she one day sees you and wakes up to what the angel truly is?”
The demon tilted his head, “Demons do not pine, that is meant for the tortured souls here and it matters not how I feel. My queen is happy with her angel and I will always ensure her happiness. Even if it means I must be on the proverbial side of the angels.” Then he growled, pointing at me. “I don’t even know why we are speaking of this, we have no time for it.”
Grinning, I gave him a wink, “I have that effect on others…” I shrugged, holding my arms out wide, “You sure you don’t just want to kill him now? I’ll help you.” I narrowed my eyes on the demon, my look lethal, “He’s a dead angel boy anyway. You know that right? Either I help you kill him, solve all your problems, help you get the girl or I hunt that bastard down on another day for killing my soulmate’s firedrake. I will take great pleasure handing her the knife to gut him just like he did that dragon.”
Black eyes bored into mine, a wide grin too bright against his deep red skin spread across his face revealing sharp fangs. “Times up fae,” Zazion purred, snapping his fingers.
I snarled at the iron chains that suddenly cinched around my entire torso, the hideous sound of the clanking metal and the immediate loss of my power heavy on my solid frame and my mind.
This was the only time to be fucking grateful for wearing a goddess damn shirt. Although it had lost much of its brightness, something I hoped Riella would not be too upset about. I glanced back at the cave and then snarled.
“Get me further away from here. I don’t want that bastard anywhere near my daughter.”
Zazion snickered with no sense of urgency in his demeanor, “Unusual for one to trust a demon over an angel. What kind of fucked up world do you live in?”
“One where pretty things are true monsters inside. Your angel is rotten, I know you smell it.”
“He’s not my angel and all things stink here, its fucking Hell. Speaking of pretty—”
I saw his fist coming, I could even make out his sharp black tipped claws but my shifter side was drained from the iron and there was no way I could avoid the contact that sent me careening to the side.
My nose shattered on impact, the force of the demon’s hit even fracturing the other bones in my face right before I hit the ground with a loud thud.
Blood poured down my throat and I growled, rolling onto my back and ignoring the way the irons into it, I glared at the smug demon.
“Did that make you feel better, demon?”
“Shut the fuck up fae and play your part,” he hissed, waving his hand. I growled low when a gag dug painfully into my mouth, shooting sharp pain through my fractured face.
