Chapter 27
Daisy
The pastries taste like sugar-dusted clouds.
Soft, pillowy, melt-on-your-tongue perfection with a tiny zing of citrus at the end.
I chew slowly, not to savour it, but because my appetite packed its bags and left somewhere between “I appear to be a greater actor than I initially thought” and “such a weak, fragile thing like yourself.” Wow.
Oscar-worthy, truly. Someone get him a little gold statue of a middle finger engraved with my name.
It shouldn’t sting—he’s a demon, he’s cruel, it’s literally his whole thing—but it does.
Because last night didn’t feel like acting.
It felt soft. Gentle. The way he dried my hair, the way he climbed into bed behind me to keep me warm.
I slept better than I had in months. Then this morning, his hand stroking softly down my back when he thought I was still sleeping.
But he just had to go open his stupid, perfect mouth.
Whiplash. That’s what it’s like being around Korithax. Hot and cold, kind then cruel. It was genuinely a guessing game as to how he was going to treat me next, and it was becoming real tiring real quick.
I sip my coffee, still deep in thought about his behaviour, when he strides back into the room. “Finished?”
I nod, not missing the tone in his voice. Guess we’re sticking with grumpy asshat today. Great.
“Let’s go.”
I rise to my feet, and before I can brace myself, his arm wraps around me, the horrible sensation of realm travel shredding through my body again.
The moment we land, my legs give out. The ground lurches, the world around me spinning violently as black spots speckle my vision. Jesus, I hate teleporting.
“Holy—” I mumble, disoriented.
Korithax catches me before I hit the ground, strong arms wrapping around me, his heat enveloping me.
“Breathe, Daisy,” he whispers against my hair.
I do as he says, his spicy scent invading my nose as I breathe in deeply.
Slowly, my vision returns, the spinning dulling enough to register how tightly his grip is around my waist. When I finally blink fully back to awareness, we’re face to face, his onyx eyes staring down into mine.
There’s concern etched into the furrow between his brows as he slowly looks me over.
He sets me straight gently, keeping his hands braced on my arms as I find my footing, ensuring I don’t fall over again.
“I’ll ask if the healers here have anything to help you with realm travelling. The further we get from Earth, the worse it’s going to get.”
“Great.” I mutter sarcastically, testing out my balance as he releases my arms. When he steps out of my line of sight, the realm comes into view, making my breath stall in my chest.
We’re standing on the edge of a cliff overlooking a world straight out of a fantasy novel.
The sky is dusky, cast in purples and deep indigos.
The northern lights ripple overhead in shifting hues of greens, pinks, and violets, moving through the atmosphere like ethereal silk.
The air is crisp and smoky, scented like pine and distant bonfires.
I can hear the soft sound of chimes drifting through the breeze, echoing through the mountains.
“Wow,” I breathe.
“This is Aurora’s Veil. A realm of perpetual night and dusk.” Korithax says beside me.
He points toward a distant structure across the expanse of land that is dotted with little glowing lights that look like cosy log cabins.
A large castle carved from stone and glowing crystal, like the northern lights were trapped in its walls, sits nestled deep in the mountains.
Towering spires reach into the sky, each glowing faintly, their outlines blurred by bright starlight and drifting mist.
“Kaelith, otherwise known as the Duskwalker, rules here. He is not a cruel man… unless you are afraid of the dark, then you should maybe watch your back. He likes to terrorise those who fear the night.” I look at him for any sign of him joking, but his face is as serious as ever.
My eyes widen at the thought. I’m not afraid of the dark… I don’t think.
“This realm provides dusk and night to Earth.” He says, looking back out to the realm in front of us. He starts walking without uttering another word, and I follow along behind him.
After a few minutes, his voice pulls me out of my mindless gawking, “We need to be at his castle, but my magic is almost fully depleted now. Even flying with my wings won’t work because of my lack of energy.”
“So, what do we do?” I ask.
He scans the treeline, “We try to find a Nyveryian.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s like a horse, but... not. If we can tame one, we can ride it to the castle and arrive much quicker.”
This was all so much to take in, my head reeling from everything I’ve seen and learnt in the last twenty-four hours alone.
Would I get used to seeing such different and beautiful places, with such weird and wonderful creatures?
So far, it feels like I’m stuck in a permanent dream, but I don’t think even my brain could conjure up places so beautiful.
Here I was, a regular girl, travelling realms with a seven-foot demon prince as my companion and soon-to-be husband.
I’m still not entirely convinced I haven’t been drugged, and I’m just tripping absolute balls in some hole back at home.
I wish I could bring Talia and Ezra here, especially to one of the log cabins.
We could drink hot chocolate and watch the aurora above for hours on end, whilst forgetting all of our worries.
Maybe one day I’ll ask Korithax if I can bring them here. Maybe.
We begin our descent down the mountain, each step careful on the uneven trail. Since the night doesn’t lift here, I find myself tripping every other step, huffing with irritation.
“Daisy, look,” Korithax says, pulling me from my momentary tantrum.
I look up from where my eyes have been focused on the ground and gasp.
Glowing moths drift lazily through the air, their bodies dusted with what looks like stardust. It falls from them as they flutter through the sky, leaving a beautiful trail of shimmer behind them as they dance and weave through the night sky.
“It’s absolutely beautiful here,” I whisper in awe.
He nods, continuing on the path. I hear him occasionally sigh when he hears me stumble over something else that lies unseen on the floor.
I hope my eyesight improves when I turn immortal because I am getting really sick of this.
I trip on another part of the uneven path, and I swear I hear him growl.
“What?” I snap.
“I just don’t understand why you can’t watch where you’re going. You’re really slowing us down with your constant tripping.”
I halt, making him stop in his tracks and turn to face me, his jaw ticking slightly. “Because I’m clearly doing it on purpose,” I reply with a snark, crossing my arms.
He huffs a breath through his nose and just shakes his head, turning back around to continue stomping down the mountainside.
“Insufferable ass,” I mutter under my breath, following behind him.
“I heard that,” he responds.
Of course, he heard it; his ears are large and pointy. I bet he had the hearing of a bat. “Stupid bat ears.” I whisper. I see his shoulders moving like he’s silently laughing to himself, and I flip him off behind his back. Ass.
After a long stretch of silence, I decide to try and ignore my growing irritation by bombarding Korithax with questions.
“Sooooo… What about you?” I ask.
He quirks a brow, looking over his shoulder at me. “What about me?”
“Well, we’re getting married, and I don’t even really know you. Other than the fact you’re going to be the King of Hell, and you’re kind of an ass.”
He scoffs. “What do you want to know?”
I grin, catching up to him to walk by his side. “We’ll start with the basics.”
He doesn’t look at me, but I see a smirk tug at the corner of his mouth. “Go on.”
“Favourite colour?”
“Really?” He frowns, slightly turning his head to look at me, the colours of the aurora above flickering in his jet-black eyes.
“Just answer it. You don’t always have to be moody,” I reply, rolling my eyes.
He sighs, “Uh… black?”
“That’s not a colour, it’s a shade. But sure. Black. Mine’s yellow.”
“Didn’t ask.”
I roll my eyes again, ignoring the way it makes the corner of his mouth twitch up. Evidentially he just likes to irritate me. “Favourite movie?”
“I don’t watch movies. There isn’t exactly electricity or televisions in Hell.”
“Oh. Yeah. Wow, no TV, no internet? I think I’m changing my mind about all of this.”
“What? You can’t. You signed the—”
“Korithax,” I cut him off, grinning. “I’m kidding. We can always visit Earth, right? Maybe we can watch movies together there. No horrors, though, please.”
He looks at me for a moment, his brows furrowing. “You may come and go as you please. I’ll remain in Hell.”
Right. Because why would he want to come to Earth and watch movies with me?
I nod, quieting again, deciding it was best for me to just shut up.
He doesn’t try and continue the game either; he just occasionally frowns as if he’s lost in thought.
I debate asking him what he’s thinking about, but he’d probably just say it was none of my business and huff at me again.
An hour of silence later, he suddenly throws out his arm, stopping me dead in my tracks as I collide with the thick muscle of his bicep. “Wha—”
“Shh,” he whispers, putting a finger to his lips. He points to a thick line of trees to the side of us with his other hand.
“I can’t see anything,” I whisper, looking to where he’s pointing.
“Fucking mortals and your shit eyesight.” He mutters.
I scowl at him just as a sharp crack—a breaking of a twig or a branch—sounds from the trees. “Is it one of those horse thingies?” I mumble.
He shakes his head, emphasising the finger on his lips to remind me to shut the hell up. He slowly raises his arm, reaching behind his head. A quiet noise sounds as he draws an onyx sword from beneath his cloak, the metal gleaming dully in the twilight.
“When I tell you to run, you run. Do you understand me?”
“What?” I breathe, panic instantly coursing through my veins.
“Daisy, listen to me. Run when I say so, straight down the mountain.” The seriousness of his tone has me stiffening. “I’ll catch up to you. Stay still until I tell you to move.”
At that, the creature steps into view. A hulking wolf-like beast, its body made entirely of smoke and shadow, with eyes glowing an unnatural amber colour.
Its paws are the size of my head, the claws on the end alarmingly long and glinting.
They look like sharp blades poking out from the mists of its toes.
Its snarl is guttural, saliva dripping down its maw from jagged fangs.
My heart thunders in my chest as I watch the beast slowly prowl towards us.
“What the shit is that?” I ask between panicked pants.
“A Nyxmaw,” he whispers.
Its nostrils flare as it begins to sniff, amber eyes landing directly on me. My entire body freezes as our eyes clash, terror taking over as it throws its head back and howls—a sound so piercing my ears ring.
“NOW, DAISY!” Korithax barks.
Fight or flight takes over, and I burst into a fast sprint, my eyes just catching a glimpse of Korithax’s sword blazing to life with a bright blue flame. I don’t look back, focusing on each step as my lungs burn. I keep running, hearing more creatures howl in the distance.
He’ll be okay, he’s the Prince of Hell. He can handle himself. My feet don’t falter as I run faster than I ever have before, straight down the pathway. My breaths come in heavy and fast as my cloak billows behind me.
Suddenly, something slams into the side of me, knocking me onto my back with a whoosh of air forcing out of my lungs at the impact.
A scream rips out of me as I’m pinned to the floor, the male-looking creature above me both beautiful and terrifying.
Its skin a pale, grey tone stretched across a beautiful face with eyes like glinting steel.
Sharp canines protrude from its mouth, curled into an insidious smile.
He tilts his head, stroking fingers that end in deadly sharp claws down my face in a caress.
“Well, well,” he hisses into my ear as he leans down, inhaling the scent of my hair.
“What do we have here? ”The creature leans back, tilting his head side to side like a serpent ready to strike as terror claws down my spine.
He inhales slowly, eyes glinting in the starlight as they widen at my smell.
“The king will pay handsomely for you,” he says in a guttural voice that makes the hairs on my arms stand up.
He laughs, cold and cruel, before grabbing me in his tight grip with one hand, his claws digging into my side so tightly that it causes me to scream in agony.
The creature launches into the air, dark tattered leather wings beating furiously as I struggle to try to get out of his grip, the wind ripping at my hair.
I try to scream for Korithax, but the sound doesn’t come as a hand clamps over my mouth, cold and sharp as he digs his fingers into my cheek.
Tears blur my vision as I feel warm blood beginning to trickle down my frozen face.
This definitely wasn’t a dream anymore; it was a nightmare.
After what feels like an eternity of being pulled through the sky by piercing claws, I’m suddenly dropped from mid-air.
A scream tears from me as I fall, painfully hitting the ground hard on my knees, agony jolting up my legs.
I whimper, trying to scramble to my feet.
I look around desperately, praying there’s no more creatures surrounding me as I push my hair from my face.
A shadowed figure stands nearby, voice crackling like a low-burning fire.
“Well, what do we have here?”