A Devious Descent (The Deviants #1)

CHAPTER 7

Zarreth

I pace the barn with clenched fists. The minute I realized she was bleeding, I couldn’t go through with it. Fuck! Why can’t I kill her? Why am I so fucking attracted to her?

The air shifts a second before a cloud of white smoke appears. Ronin materializes before my eyes, holding a bloody head. The stench of rotten eggs permeates the air.

Ronin tosses the head at me. “Have you seen anything like this before?”

I catch it and turn it around in my hands, studying the features. It smells like a dead hellhound but looks like a human with fangs. “No. Where the fuck did it come from?”

“I’ve been hanging around the Horde of Shadows, seeing what kind of intel I can get, when this fucker came out of nowhere,” he explains. “It was in plain sight, foaming at the mouth. Charged right at me, so I ripped its head off.”

The Horde of Shadows is the only demon horde allowed to live in the Human Realm because most of them have no wings or horns, making it easy to blend in. Dante, their overlord made a deal with the Elders centuries ago to protect the Human Realm in exchange for their blessing to live here.

“Does Dante know about it?” I ask. “There could be more out there.”

“That’s what I plan to find out. I doubt Dante would let these things run around. He has a good thing going with the Elders. He wouldn’t want to attract their attention.”

“Do you think Aradon has something to do with it?”

“I don’t know, but if he does, that’s all the more reason to kill the Realm Eater now, and be done with it,” Ronin growls.

I try controlling the rage bubbling beneath my skin, but I can’t stop the low growl from escaping my throat. I drop the head and stalk toward Ronin. “We can’t kill her.”

“What the fuck has gotten into you? You need to calm down, you’re eyes are turning black,” Ronin says, taking a couple steps back.

I blink my eyes a few times, managing to suppress my anger. “I can’t do it. I fucking tried, and I can’t. Maybe we can get our hands on a pair of binding cuffs and find a place to hide her….”

Ronin cuts me off. “So, we’re turning into Aradon now, huh? Holding demons against their will, taking away their fundamental rights. You know what happens when a demon’s powers are suppressed for too long. She would be better off dead.”

I bare my teeth, letting my fangs lengthen. “Don’t fucking say that again,” I growl.

“Why are you acting like this? You sacrificed yourself for decades so our horde would be safe. Why can’t you…” Ronin stops mid-sentence. He looks like he’s hit with an idea. “Holy shit! She’s your mate.”

I shake my head. No way. “Frankie Hart is not my mate. She’s not even fully demon.”

“If that’s true, then what’s your reason for not killing her? You know how dangerous she could be.”

Shit! He’s right. I’ve had plenty of opportunities to kill her, but I can’t bring myself to do it. I’m too drawn to her. But there’s no way the Realm Eater could be my mate, is there? There must be another explanation for my attraction to her.

I huff. “Just give me a few days so I can sort this out. If, and that is a huge if, she is my mate, then we need to find another way. We need to kill Aradon.”

“Ha, if it was that easy, he would have been dead decades ago.”

I ignore Ronin’s comment, even though it’s true. “For now, can you find out if Dante knows anything about that hellhound, hell-human, whatever it is?”

“I’m already on it.”

I wave my hand, sending the head up in flames.