Chapter 2 #2
A vein throbbed in the man’s jaw as he tracked her movement, each second feeling like an eternity under his haunting glare.
Then he snarled, the sound making Elara stumble. Her father’s hand gripped her hip, steadying her.
The man hissed, clutching his chest as if a blade had burrowed its way into his sternum. His scarred, bloody fingers massaged the spot, and he cursed in a foreign language under his breath, looking to the sky and then back at her.
Something hardened in his features, narrowing his eyes.
Slowly, reluctantly, he lowered his axe, his jaw ticking. His eyes flicked from Alruna to her and back again. Soft vibrations rumbled through her fingers as Alruna purred.
The corner of his mouth twitched, and Elara froze, a cold prickle chasing itself along her nape.
No.
It was impossible. No one could see Alruna beside her.
No. No. No. No.
The vision from her dreams slammed into her in a dizzying rush, making her knees buckle. Those mercurial, multicolored eyes were his eyes. Shadows crawled along his chiseled back, making him gleam like the vision from her dreams.
It couldn’t be this. It couldn’t be real.
Heavy feet pounded into the dirt, the man moving closer, eating up the last of the space between them. A thick cloud of cedar and leather wafted from him, and she hated how pleasant it was.
Hated him.
Hated this moment.
An arm wrapped around her waist, her father trying to protect her, pulling her back into his chest. But it was too late.
Nothing could save her from this moment. Destiny. Fate. Whatever nightmare led to this. Led to him. Her visions had warned her of this, of him.
Only at the time, she hadn’t realized he was to be her executioner. Some lonely, barren part of her hoped it was a visage of someone who could love her as she was.
Love her despite the dreams and the sparks.
How na?ve she’d been.
And how horribly wrong.
Feeding off her fear, the draugar stirred, their rumbling laughter whispering in her ears. She covered them, shaking her head.
“Father falls. Mother fades. Brother suffers. You wove this fate. Open the path, Seiekona. Let us claim you.”
Alruna snarled, the sound piercing the distant screams. Her hackles rose. Her shoulders rounded as her glittering eyes melted into pure gold, warding off the voices until they were quiet once more.
Something shifted in the air around them. It was no longer stagnant with warning. Instead, it was warm and hushed, crackling like an impending storm.
The demon ran a hand through his rust-colored beard, his expression giving nothing away as he watched Alruna with too much curiosity.
Eventually, he spoke, the deep, accented voice infesting the depths of her soul.
“Anything?” he asked.
A heavy weight settled in the pit of her stomach as she blinked. Nails dug into her waist, her father’s grip tightening.
“You… You understood me?” she asked, her voice no more than a shaky whisper, gone with the wind as soon as it came.
Something sinister twisted in his silent smile, revealing long canines that made him more beast than man. Ignoring her question, callused fingers glided through a strand of her scarlet hair. The gentle motion was at odds with the sound rumbling beneath his ribs.
“Don’t touch her,” her father snapped.
“Papa. No. Don’t,” she implored.
“Smart girl,” the demon purred, venom mingling with the chilling amusement dripping from his words.
Finally, he released her curl, watching as it fell back into place. The blood-stained blade of his axe glinted as he raised the steel toward her throat. She swallowed uselessly around the growing lump, fingers buried in Alruna’s fur.
Instead of dragging the blade across her flesh, he pressed the flat of it into her chin, tipping her head back. His looming figure towered over her.
If this were to be the moment of her death, she refused to show fear. Her jaw ached as she clenched her teeth. She forced the tumbling feeling in her stomach to shift into a burning resolve that made flames lick her palms.
Through thick lashes, she met the demon’s gaze. Flecks of polished obsidian mixed with the brilliant colors.
“I don’t have much, but whatever you wish is yours. All I ask is that you leave my father unharmed and spare our village.”
The trees and surrounding mountains blurred as her vision tunneled on the man before her. Someone who held her fate at the tip of his blade.
A predatory smile slid across his features, sending her heart plummeting into her stomach. What gleamed in the recesses of his gaze didn’t bode well for her.
It had been reckless, foolish, and there was no going back.
Whatever this demon wanted, he’d get.
“Oh, little flame. You have made a dangerous offer.”
Staying quiet, Elara focused on steady, even breaths, not wanting to give him any satisfaction. A chorus of high-pitched cries carried on the breeze. Followed by mocking laughter making her wince.
The creases around the braided man’s eyes faded, appearing to find no humor in her reaction. He lowered his weapon, gaze flicking once more to Alruna before settling on Elara’s.
“You wish me to call off my warriors?”
His warriors. Her eyes darted to the gold cuffs on his arms and the jewels in his hair. This demon wasn’t a mere raider. He was their leader. Chief. King. Whatever they called him.
Their king. Her devil.
Strong fingers tangled in the hair at her nape, tugging her. Hot breath fanned over her lips. Pain prickled out from the spot, and she inhaled a harsh breath.
“Yes,” she hissed, snarling at him.
The pad of his thumb feathered over her lower lip, and an unfamiliar feeling heated at the base of her spine.
Something that burned like betrayal and regret.
“As you wish. But what I want in return is you. You are mine, little flame.”