36. Serafina
THIRTY-SIX
The stench of sulfur is the first thing I’m met with as I step through Atlas’ shields. Then blood and, finally, ash. So much fire and ash. The outer rim of the forest is on fire, the blaze reaching dangerous heights as hordes of lower-class Demons mindlessly attack Dragons and Shifters of all kinds. I blink at them in surprise, my sword materializing in one hand, a knife in the other as I watch the bloodbath in front of me.
For some reason, I was expecting only Dragons to be fighting, but there are at least two or more dozen Shifters of all species fighting on the ground along with dozens of Dragons. They are attacking in formation, the ones on the ground circling the Shifters, making sure they’re not overrun by Demons, while the ones flying overhead dive down, half spraying the Demons with fire, while others simply plow into them, snatching up the Demons like pests in their talons.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many Dragons in one place. They are rare to begin with, especially in the States, but more common here since this is their birthplace and the home of their Royalty.
Hundreds of lower-class Demons surge toward the school, their blood-red eyes and black, almost-bear-like bodies easy to pick out between the Shifters and Dragons. They attack like mindless blood-crazed animals. No order, only death and violence.
When I see a Demon a few yards from me tuck its malformed head down and charge in my direction, I lift my hand and flick my blade, watching in sick satisfaction as it spirals through the air, lodging itself deep into the Demon’s right red eye. The Beast drops, dying instantly, its body sliding on the ground a few feet until it comes to rest in front of me. Walking around it, I pat its dead, filthy head as I collect its soul, letting it feed my magic as I walk further onto the field, my mind on one thing and one thing alone.
He won’t be where the silly lower-class Demons are. Knowing Ryland, he’s going to be in the thick of it, fighting either a Hound or some High-class Demon.
A flash of red catches my attention, and I watch as a familiar red-cloaked man struggles with a girl, throwing her to the ground near the line of trees before wrapping his hands around her hair and dragging her screaming into the forest.
A shout of anger is followed as Ryland runs after him, wearing only a pair of black combat pants and work boots, his hair a mess, tattooed torso covered in black and red blood. He shouts something over his shoulder at his men just as he runs into the forest, gold blades in hand.
“Fuck!”
I dash after them, fear etching itself into my soul as I twist and run, darting between Demons, killing two more before I finally reach the forest edge. I hesitate, looking behind me, wondering if I should tell Atlas where I’m going. He knew I was looking for a murder scene before, and I still managed to get in some trouble before Ryland showed up. But when I hear the desperate cries for help from the girl echo from the dark forest”s edge, I curse and run in, knowing I’ll have Ryland in there as backup.
The sounds of the raging battle outside the forest dissipate almost immediately, the forest swallowing the sounds the further I run into its depths.
“Shit, where are they?” I whisper to myself, hand gripping my sword tighter when the wind rustles the branches above me.
“Right here,” Darius” voice says right to my side, making me jump and swing, arcing my sword and making contact with something soft.
Red light explodes to life around me, lighting the dark night with Demonic magic as Darius curses, bringing his scythe up to block my next blow and shove me back. The sounds of footsteps and voices suddenly fill the air around me, as the small clearing I’ve found myself in is lined with dozens of High Demons. Their gray and red armor is more uniform than I’m used to seeing for Demons.
“Sir?” one of them says, stepping forward, but Darius waves him back, shooting him a look that would rival one of my own.
“You will be killed for this,” I hiss under my breath. “It doesn’t matter what continent this university resides on. Silverwood is a domain of the Fae Council and is under their protection. You will be personally hunted for this attack,” I snarl, bringing my sword back around and looking at the blood dripping from my blade with grim pleasure. I look around for Ryland, but I don’t see him anywhere.
“I’m not killing the girls,” he grinds out. “And the Council has a bigger problem to worry about, trust me. That brother of yours in particular. Which is why I’m here,” he adds, slightly hunched over, blood seeping the front of his shirt.
“Leave Gabriel out of this. Where’s the girl?” I ask, looking around. I know he had one. I saw him yanking her into the trees.
“No, and there isn’t one. I told you. I’ve never harmed or taken a Fae girl,” he coughs and smiles, standing back up and pulling himself together far faster than I would like. I frown at him, noting how swollen his nose and eyes are. There is some bruising there from when I headbutted him earlier, but nothing too bad. At least I know he can be hurt.
“You got something right there,” I mock, touching my nose and smiling when he glares. “Now, where is the girl? I saw you yank her in here by her hair!”
“Funny,” he says without a hint of humor in his voice, hand moving to hover over his swollen nose before it drops back to his side. “And I figured your hero complex would win out and threw an illusion to get you out of the fight.” Fuck. Does that mean Ryland was an illusion as well? Darius smirks and nods. “Oh yes, and the little… Dragon friend of yours. I figured it might take a little reassurance if you were heading back into the woods alone without backup, considering what happened earlier between us. He was an added illusion. One of my best, if I do say so myself.”
“Hero complex?” I snort, trying not to panic at the idea of being here by myself. To be fair, I can kill several people at a time, but there is safety in numbers, and Darius has that. I won”t be able to fight off every Demon by myself. Darius nods.
“Yes. Poor little Fae girl wants to save the world but is born the villain. So she suppresses herself nearly to death to be something she’s not.” Darius waves a hand, and a burst of red magic covers my skin, stripping my glamour down and showing off every sin, mark, and cry for help that I try to hide. My magic crumbles like a rock as my mind blanks, the fear I try to suppress flaring as I yank my arms back into the depths of my cloak, desperate to hide them. “They should have helped you instead of letting you fend for yourself,” he whispers, a small frown tugging at his lips as he takes in every scar.
“Fuck you!” I snarl, trying to regain my composure as I form a dagger in my hand and throw it straight at his chest. Darius jumps back, alarm filling his features as he barely manages to reach out and snag the blade out of the air a hair”s breadth away from his heart. He stares down at his chest, then the dagger, which I instantly let dissolve so he can’t use it on me, and then glares up at me. Gray red eyes gleaming with hatred.
“Are you that ready to die, Serafina!? Because I’m not! Why do you think I keep coming back here for you? Why the hell would I bother when I could simply kill you?!” he roars, stomping toward me. “It’s not because I enjoy this stupid game!”
I shake my head, more confused than ever. I keep my eye on him as he moves around me, his scythe held at his side, the magic he conjured separating me from the school.
“Then why?!” I bring my sword up between us protectively, my dagger already back in my other hand.
“Because I can’t kill you,” he stresses the word kill and shakes his head. “And you can’t kill me!” he roars as I try to think of what he could have done to link us this way. “How do you explain wanting to be near me when we are in close proximity?” he asks, and I glare at him, refusing to let him think I want to be next to him. I’ll fucking kill us both before admitting that out loud. “And the thought of my death? How does that make you feel?” he asks and I instantly think back to when I thought I had killed him. The way my stomach had knotted, my heart stalling, my lungs refusing to draw in a breath of air until I toed the man over and realized it wasn’t him.
“A death spell?” I ask, thinking back on the night before, wondering if he had time to cast it. I never heard him utter a word that would suggest he was casting, but I have no idea what this person can do, so it might have been possible. That is if he’s telling the truth. Darius shakes his head, his smile growing as he bends his head toward me, bringing our lips so close I struggle not to flinch away from him.
“Worse.”
“And why should I believe you? Where is your proof?” Darius smiles and gestures for me to put down my dagger and sword. I press the point of my dagger into his side, smelling the sharp hint of blood in the air, but Darius only laughs and nods, holding his hands up in surrender. “Very well. I only wanted to tell you the proof without ending up shish-kabobed on your little knife. But I see you love inflicting pain as much as receiving it, so I’ll allow it for now,” he concedes, like he’s the one in charge here.
“Talk faster,” I grind out, my anxiety spiking.
“Once upon a time,” Darius starts with a sarcastic wink. I sink my blade in more, knowing it”s really starting to hurt when he winces. “There was a corrupt councilman who craved more power for the Fae world and himself.” I freeze, narrowing my eyes on the man in front of me. Darius knew my father?
“The councilman had a son, one who was powerful. So powerful that the boy lived through magic testing and power sharing, something that no one before him had. Not only did he survive the testing, but he also had simple Demonic magic twined with his own, making him even more powerful. The problem was the boy had a soft spot for his mate. So the councilman broke their mate bond and sent her away. Remove the mate, remove the soft spot.” I grind my teeth, upset that this Demon has so much knowledge of my family. “When the boy stopped listening to the councilman, he decided it was time to try and have another heir. A Reaper who wasn”t so weak. However, the baby was a girl.”
Darius looks down at me with something that almost looks like sympathy, and I shake my head, wanting him to keep talking.
“When the councilman had her tested, she came back with a zero percent chance of being a Reaper, so he had the mother killed and tossed the daughter to the side. She was only good for one thing. Keeping the son in line or the girl pays for his mistakes. As the councilman”s son grew, so did his magic. His mate was eventually returned to him, and the councilman feared he was about to lose his hold on the boy. He had created a weapon so powerful it was about to destroy him, so he decided it was time for a new experiment. Only this time, the Councilman had new allies. More than a simple High Demon at his disposal. So he had his daughter brought in for testing,” Darius whispers, and I swear my heart stalls in my chest, my lungs freezing, making it impossible to breathe.
Flashes of bright fluorescent lights swim through my mind. The screaming… so much screaming. I watch as Darius reaches out and pushes a strand of wild hair back from my face, tucking it behind my ear before he keeps talking. I ignore the burst of warmth from his touch, shoving it deep until it freezes with my anger.
“Instead of normal Demonic magic, one of Royal blood was forced forward, there was a magical exchange,” Darius pauses, his face growing tight as he swallows, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. “Only, the councilman’s daughter was stronger than the silly half-bred Royal Demon girl, and the girl died, giving the councilman”s daughter all the magic she possessed. When the Demonic magic grew out of control, the councilman brought in another, and a bond was formed to stabilize the strong Royal magic.” Darius lets his hand drop as his charming expression shifts into one of anger.
“And now, my life is tied to the girl who possesses my sister”s magic,” he says with an angry snarl as his hand clamps around the wrist holding my dagger and yanks it from his side. Bright red blood oozes from him, dripping from my blade as he shoves me back with such force I stumble and crash to the ground. Darius strides toward me, a red cloak forming around his shoulders as his long, black and red scythe appears in his hand.
“You stole not only her magic but her soul, and I watched my little sister die as I was bound to the table next to her,” he grinds out. Jumping to my feet, I shake my head. No, there is no way this is true. I would remember that, right? Darius only nods back and laughs.
“No!” I snap, knowing it’s a lie.
“Yes!” he hisses, his hand moving to grab me again. “Your father saw you do it and immediately questioned what happened. He felt her soul being reaped, only he thought it was me since you weren”t supposed to be a Reaper. He thought I was trying to save her from her fate and destroy his chances of success. So in order to keep me under his and my father”s thumb, I was taken and bound to you.”
“I—I didn”t! The first soul I reaped was…” I trail off, blinking furiously, trying to clear my darkening vision. This is a lie! It has to be. But how the hell does he have all this information? Stuff that not even my brother knows about!
“What happens to a Reaper who has reaped without forming a mate bond or magical connection strong enough to bind them to reality?” Darius asks.
“They go insane. Surrender to the bloodlust,” I whisper, and Darius nods.
“You were six, Serafina. How come you haven”t gone insane? Why are you still functioning? Sure, our physical distance has given you control issues, but you’re still here. Your magic hasn”t taken over yet. Why is that?” he asks, and I shake my head in denial. Everyone in my family doesn”t know I’ve reaped my first soul. They don”t know that I need an anchor, so they wouldn”t know that my functioning shouldn”t be happening. “It’s not because you were lucky,” Darius hisses, spinning his scythe in one hand as he eyes me with disdain. “It’s because of me—us. We give each other the anchors we need to be the monsters we crave without losing ourselves to the bloodlust.”
“No!”
“Yes,” he snaps back, looking equally upset over the fact as I feel. “Now, you come with me, and I won”t help add to the death count here tonight,” he offers, hand outstretched, and for the first time, I have the urge to take it—to save who I can.
“You’ll call the Demons back from the school?” I ask hesitantly, all while knowing there is no guarantee. Even if I take his hand, he could simply lie and keep on letting students die.
“I will call back my men,” he promises and sighs when I hesitate. “And your Dragon friend can live,” he adds, making my heart stall.
“What? What have you done to Ryland?” I snap, worry clouding my judgment as I lunge toward Darius, only for him to spin and grab me by the neck. There is a sting of a pinprick, and suddenly my magic starts to drain from me, shutting down as Darius slowly removes a needle from my neck.
“What did you do?” I cry out as I try and fail to yank out of his grip. I watch in horror as my sword melts from my hands, then my cloak, leaving me in my leggings and black tank top I was wearing before the fight. Without the help of my magic, my arms feel heavy, the strain of fighting weighing heavily on me as I stumble. A cold rush of nothing fills me, leaving me feeling empty as whatever Darius injected me with takes over.
“You should have taken my offer,” Darius whispers into my ear, magic wrapping around my wrists and ankles, keeping me in place as he hauls me into his chest and then nods at his men. “Let”s go. Tell the Hunter to kill the gold Dragon and pull back our men before Malik or one of the princes sees us,” he commands, lifting me off my feet, ignoring as I scream and try to kick, but with my feet and hands bound, there’s nothing I can do!
“Stop fighting me,” Darius snarls as I try to throw myself out of his arms. Anything to break free. I have to get to Ryland! I watch in stunned horror as the trees of the forest glow red and shift, the world spinning as Darius holds me tightly to him. Looks like my luck may have just run out. Teos is going to kill me if I survive this.
Darius
I smirkat Serafina as she strains against the binds holding her captive, her magic locked away with the magical blocking serum. I nod at the men tying her up as I yank my shredded shirt over my head and press it to the deep gash on my belly, hissing through my teeth from the pain. My magic is already starting to heal it, but it will take time.
“I’m going to kill you,” she snarls, eyes wide and wild as she glares death at me. I grin and nod, moving closer to her and wondering why I can’t seem to shake this weird feeling when I draw near her. I gesture toward the open doors, silently instructing my men to leave as I crouch down in front of Serafina.
“I have no doubt that you will try. But you are outmanned, and outmagicked,” I point out, my hand darting out to circle the column of her narrow neck. I can feel the flutter of her pulse under my hand, and it”s thrilling to know I hold her life in my hands. I’m careful not to squeeze too tight this time; still unsure what”s going on with her magic and ability to withstand normal injuries. But there is something about the idea of her life in my hands.
With one simple squeeze, the snap of her neck and her life will be extinguished. It’s a Reaper thing, I suppose. I have no doubt Serafina would have the same thrill if our positions were reversed. Unfortunately, if her life ends, so will mine. Not that I want to actually kill her. I may hate her with every part of me, but I don”t wish her dead.
“You have no idea what you”re doing. Count your fucking days,” she threatens, and I laugh, letting her throat go and walking back over to my desk, nodding at Alastor and waiting for him to leave, shutting the door behind him before I turn back to my pretty little captive.
“Oh. And who will kill me? That Dragon shifter you seem to care for? Really, Serafina, who runs into a Demon-infested forest for a boy?” I chide, unable to keep the bite of anger I feel out of my voice as I ask her the question. Her eyes flare with a rage that I can’t help but adore.
Oh, she’s so feisty. I love it. It will be a delight to break through her shields and see what truly lies beneath the mask she wears to keep her friends and family happy.
I lean forward, pressing my hands against the desk as I look at her. “I have news for you. He’s dead. I had him dosed with the same serum I did you, and the Hunter has already reported back to the castle. He can”t burn the Demons Bane out of his system without his Dragon magic. So that leaves…” I stall for added effect. “The Reaper brother?” I ask and grin. “I can only hope that he comes. It will make it easier to kill him when he’s here, and I don”t have to track him down.”
Tossing a few papers out of my way I move the mouse on my desk, waking up my computer to start going over the files I had sent to me on the Covington family group.
“Ryland is not dead,” she snarls, looking more like a feral animal strapped to the cushioned chair than a young woman. “And Gabriel won”t have the chance to kill you. I’ll do that myself.”
I look up at her, surprised at the amount of venom pouring from her when she”s this hurt and without magic. I grimace, hating how her blood makes me feel out of control, then sigh and walk to her, knowing I won”t be able to concentrate on anything until she’s healed.
“And what if I told you my death would cause your own?” I ask, watching her carefully.
“You act as if that would stop me,” she scoffs, surprising the hell out of me. Did she not understand what I just said? But as I look into her eyes I see an odd sort of detachment there. I pause, looking at the broken woman in front of me with a hint of concern, letting my magic wrap around her, trying to feel whatever I can from her dark magic that is currently silent, dormant in her chest.
“Your magic is completely altered. Warped and fading,” I whisper in realization, trying to see more then cursing when I can”t press past the magic serum I gave her. I growl under my breath as my hand moves back to her neck, and I let my magic seep into her. She fights it, and I grin, feeling my teeth sharpen with the urge to lean forward and bite, pinning her in place so I can do what I want. I shove down the instinct and raise an amused brow as she curses and tries to kick me.
“I’m only trying to heal you. Why waste your energy stopping something that will only help?” I point out.
“You get your damn magic off me!” she snaps, the blood dripping down her cheek, looking like some kind of morbid tear. “I can”t stand it,” she adds, and I shake my head, letting my hand fall from her soft skin and turning away, hiding what her touch does to me, all while reassuring myself it”s not my choice to feel this way. It’s the bond between us.
“Now that”s a lie,” I chide, moving back to my desk and sinking into the overstuffed chair that looks more like a throne.
“If I knew you were a Demon Prince, I would have killed you the moment I saw you. You are nothing but trash. Garbage feasting off the lives of the innocent,” she spews, her words falling from her lips like poison off a blade. The words are far too similar to the ones my father threw at me my entire life, and I can”t help the flicker of anger that surges up in me. Flicking my wrist, my magic explodes from me, racing toward Serafina and wrapping her so tight that she gasps and then groans in pain.
“It bothers you that I’m a Demon? When you yourself are practically one as well?” I point out, and she shakes her head.
“I’m a Fae.”
“A Fae with Royal Demonic Magic,” I add, trying to contain my anger, which is becoming more difficult by the second. “How are you any better than me? I’m also a Fae with Demonic magic.”
“You”re a damn Demon Prince! You take the lives of innocents, kill those who have done nothing to deserve it. You are the worst of all the Demons! I’ll never be anything like you,” she screams, her emotions getting the better of her.
Standing, I press my hands to the desk in front of me, an odd glee pulsing through my body as I lean toward her. “And you, my darling, are my Soul Tie. Do you know what that means?” I ask, watching her dirty face, obsessed with how stunning she looks covered in blood.
“Only a Demon of Royal blood can complete a Soul Tie, which is the same to Demons as marriage or mating is to the Fae. You say I’m the worst of them all, that you are so much better than me?” I scoff and grin, my teeth sharpening as I lick at my lips.
I watch as that information registers over her beautiful, shocked face, her lips parting in horror as the color drains from her face. “Our fathers did us a disservice when they tied our souls together. There would have been a chance to break the tie if I’d found you fast enough. But you were always out of reach. If you want to be mad at someone, blame your brother. They were only trying to recreate whatever your father did to him and his mate,” I add, letting my frustration show through as my horns slowly begin to grow at my temples.
I sit back in my chair and look back at my computer, relishing in the pained silence. “I may be a Demon Prince, Serafina. But you are my Princess. My equal in this fucked-up world. The moment your Fae form fully emerged, it locked our Soul Tie into place. Binding not only our physical lives but every aspect of our magic together, making you a Zephyr, not a Covington.” I gesture around my office, then smirk at her. “Make whatever peace you must in order to accept your new reality, Serafina, because death is not an option. For either of us.”
Her stunned and horrified expression is all that stares back at me as she manages a single, jerky shake of her head. She’s pale and trembling, and I grin, reaching deep into myself and grabbing hold of the magical tie that runs between us, tugging it enough that her eyes widen, and she trembles in her seat. It’s much easier to access with her this close, and I nod in satisfaction as she stares at me almost vacantly.
“Welcome home, my darling wife.”
To Be Continued…