Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
Nina
I’d been restless all night.
I gauged on the treats that appeared daily on my table. I tore through cream desserts and biscuits. The sweet pastries, flavoured with a hint of spice, had become my favourite.
I poured myself tea, though it wasn’t the special kind that Kob stored in the kitchen. It would do. Savouring the warmth rolling down my throat, I settled into the chair before the fire.
I understood why the Domain of Temptation thrived. Pleasure wasn’t a trick; it was bliss. And I needed the delightful distraction after what had happened between me and Leander.
A light knock tapped at the door.
I groaned. What wonderful soul was interrupting my rest this time?
My door opened before I could reach it, and Selene slipped inside, her wide eyes looking panicked. Her hair was soggy and tangled, and she wore her usual leathers. Her face was streaked with charcoal splotches. For a woman who’d survived the Domain of Fear, she looked exhausted.
“I didn’t mean to intrude,” she said, though that was precisely what she was doing.
“I wasn’t expecting you.” The words scraped out unevenly. “What are you doing here?”
“Some creature called Kob told me where to find you.”
“Of course, he did,” I mumbled. “So, what are you doing here?”
“I thought—” She shook her head and retreated to the door. “Sorry, it’s stupid. I don’t know why I came to you.”
“Hold on,” I said. “You’re here now, so you might as well stay. I needed company to stop me from eating all the desserts that kept materialising anyway.”
Her eyes were wide with confusion.
“You have food?” she breathed.
“Yeah, why? Don’t you?”
“No,” she whispered. “I have to sneak across the waters to the fruit trees when I’m hungry.”
My mouth slipped open, and I shut it quickly before she noticed.
“I have plenty. Come and eat.”
She looked at me completely caught off-guard.
“Please,” I urged.
Selene nodded and sat before the fire.
Desserts appeared on the table, as they had done all night.
We sat quietly for some time snacking on more biscuits and desserts than I’d ever seen in my life.
Selene was studying the fire burning low in the hearth and said, “I need your help, Nina. I can’t win Dimitri’s relic.”
“You’re his Champion. You should know his domain better than anyone.”
“That’s the problem. I do.” She turned to face me, her eyes hollowed with fatigue. “His domain isn’t made to be conquered. It’s made to consume you. He says I have to face my fear, let it take control, but every time I try, it’s like drowning.”
“Maybe don’t fight it,” I said quietly. “That’s the trick. You have to . . . go with it. You can’t win by resisting their sin.”
Selene laughed to herself. “It’s like these trials are meant to slowly destroy us.”
I nodded.
A small smile ghosted across her lips. "You're not what I expected, you know. I feel like we'd have been friends . . . in a different time and a different place."
"Me too."
She cleared her throat. "I'd better get back to Fear. I guess the next invite will be arriving soon."
"Take some food with you," I said.
Selene glanced at me guiltily, and her eyes grew hungry as I loaded weeks' worth of food into a holdall.
Not a minute after Selene left, my balcony doors flung open.
A burning leaf appeared, transforming into an invitation dripping with blood. The metallic scent filled the room as I read.
Champion, you are hereby summoned to face an infernal trial in the Domain of Torment.
My hand burned where I’d touched the parchment, the sting a grim reminder of what lay ahead.
I sat in front of the fire and let drowsiness settle over me, knowing I'd need every ounce of energy I could muster before confronting the next demon.
***
I stepped outside to train, as I had done every morning that past week. I wore my hair in a braid and my two daggers strapped to my thighs. All I needed now was more weapons, and I’d be ready to face Torment.
The courtyard was quiet, bathed in the red light of Hell. I stood at the edge of the training ground, beside the wall of daggers, slipping small blades into my belt, each sliding smoothly into place and out of sight.
“You look like you’re headed to war,” a familiar voice drawled.
My fingers curled around the next blade.
Leander strode across the courtyard in long strides.
He was dressed as lethal as always in dark silks and supple leathers, an easy arrogance woven into his movements.
His blonde hair was ruffled from sleep, but those brilliant cobalt-blue eyes were wide and awake.
“I’m going to Torment,” I said, sliding the last blade into a concealed pocket in the lining of my waist belt. “Why are you here, Leander? You made it clear you can’t help me in The Cycle.”
“I’m here to train. Want to join me?”
I glanced over my shoulder. “Not really.”
“Not going to ask me about my relic?” he said.
“What is there to talk about? I failed your trial.”
“Then try again.”
He walked up beside me to face the weapons and unbuttoned his shirt.
I froze. “What are you doing?”
His smirk widened. “Training. Or did you think I came here to watch you stab at shadows?”
My jaw clenched as he shrugged the black fabric off his shoulders. His skin was lightly golden, marred by faint scars crisscrossing his torso.
“You could’ve kept your shirt on,” I muttered, trying to keep my gaze anywhere but on him.
“Where’s the fun in that?” he said, tossing the shirt aside.
He turned his back to me, and there, etched into his skin, was a serpent. It was a fitting image, for the demon who had deceived me so well. After all, he was the Demon of Temptation. I kicked myself that I didn’t realise it sooner.
I grabbed a long sword from the weapons on the table, my fingers tightening around its hilt. “I’m not in the mood to fight you. I just want to get ready for the next domain.”
“And I want to see if you can keep up.”
Before I could respond, he lunged. I dodged, stumbling back as he closed the gap between us. He didn’t strike, but his movements were fast, fluid, and precise, forcing me to react.
“Is this necessary?” I snapped, raising the sword defensively.
“Absolutely.”
He smiled like he knew a secret. I smiled back and ran through my shortlist: stab, shove, humiliate. Today felt like a stabbing day.
I swung my sword in an arc, aiming for his side, but he sidestepped quickly, catching my wrist and twisting it just enough to make me drop the blade. I gritted my teeth, trying to pull away, but his grip held firm.
“Focus,” he murmured, his voice dangerously low. “Your opponent won’t give you time to think.”
I twisted, slipping out of his hold and stepping back. I aimed for his legs this time, forcing him to leap to avoid the strike. For a moment, I thought I had the upper hand, but he closed the distance again, his chest brushing against mine as he knocked the blade from my grip.
“Too slow,” he said, his breath warm against my ear.
I shoved him back, glaring. “Stop holding back.”
His eyes gleamed with something that made my stomach twist. “As you wish.”
The following exchange was a blur of motion. I was barehanded as I ducked, pivoted, and struck out, but he met every move with infuriating precision. At some point, I tripped, or maybe he swept my legs out from under me, and we both hit the ground in a tangle of limbs.
My breath came in gasps as I tried to push him off, but he caught my wrists, pinning them above my head. His weight pressed against me, his face inches from mine.
“You’ve got better,” he said, his voice softer now, almost teasing. “But you need to stop thinking so much.”
The heat between us was stifling, and for a moment, I couldn’t think at all. His eyes searched mine, his smirk fading into something more serious.
He released me and stood, offering a hand to pull me up. I ignored it, pushing myself to my feet and brushing the dirt from my clothes.
I ignored the sword in the dirt behind him and decided I’d rather pick new weapons from the table to my side if it meant keeping my distance from him. I ran my fingers across the selection and opted for twin daggers.
“Your soul exists in this realm,” he said. “And your soul is infinite, but it can be damaged and even destroyed if you’re not careful.”
I glared at him. “Yeah, I get it. We can die all over again. Tell me something I don’t know.”
He smiled. “Let’s go again.”
I positioned myself with my daggers in front of me, feet side by side, where it felt natural to do so. I was sweaty and needed to catch my breath, but Leander – he was a solid, topless warrior who hadn’t worked up a sweat whatsoever.
While I was admiring Leander, I was slow to react against him as he lunged forward once more. I dodged it, but he was quicker and shoved me in the shoulder.
“Form’s not bad, but your grip on the daggers is too tight. It makes you rigid and slow.”
I twisted and lunged for him. But Leander sidestepped at the last second and grabbed my wrist. He was faster than he should be, a demon’s speed, but I used his grip against him, twisting around and wrenching myself free.
I attacked with my dagger, but this time, he blocked with his forearm, and we slammed into each other before he knocked my blade aside.
I barely had time to scoff when he swept my legs out from under me.
I hit the ground hard, dust rising in the air.
Leander crouched down, bracing an arm over his knee as he twirled my dagger between his fingers.
I reached for it, but he tossed it just out of reach.
“You really don’t know how to play fair,” I muttered, pushing myself onto my elbows.
Leander crouched beside me. “No one plays fair in Hell.”
I frowned. “That’s supposed to be wisdom?”
“I’m trying to be helpful.” His voice was sincere. “Hell endures because it must. It isn’t good or evil. Mortals call it wicked because this realm punishes them. Demons despise the realm for the control it has over them. But very few accept that Hell bows to nothing and no one.”
I regarded him. “How does that help me in The Cycle?”
Leander smirked. “Madalena understands Hell better than most. She wasn’t always the Demon of Torment, you know.”
“What was she before?”
He tilted his head. “Depends on who you ask. Some say her husband was killed in a war she never wanted. Others say he was murdered by those closest to him and left for the crows. Either way, she burned for vengeance. A whole decade of pillaging and slaughtering followed. At first, it was justice. Then, it was a pleasure.”
My stomach twisted. “What happened after?”
“She died,” Leander said. “On the battlefield with a hundred thousand soldiers at her feet.” He let the silence stretch between us before adding, “And when she arrived here, Hell made her into something new. A demon. A force of her own making.”
His gaze flicked to the dagger I wielded. “So, what’s the lesson?” he said.
“That Hell bends its own rules?”
“Exactly.”
Silence stretched between us. I pushed myself to my feet. “I need to go.”
Leander rose as well. “Running away already?”
“I’m not running. I have a relic to collect.”
I narrowed my eyes, trying to shove past him, but he caught my wrist. It wasn’t forceful, just enough to make my breath hitch.
“Do you always take what you want?” I murmured.
“That’s not what this is.”
“Then what is it? Are you trying to stop me from competing in The Cycle?”
“Do you think I’d let you walk into Madalena’s domain if I could stop you?” His voice was coarse. “The Cycle says you go, so you go.”
Something flickered in his expression. His grip loosened, but he didn’t let go. Instead, his voice dipped into something silkier. “But I do want you to stay. Stay here and take what you want from me.”
My heart slammed against my ribs. “What?”
“Take me.” Leander’s eyes dropped to my lips. “I won’t stop you.”
“Don’t offer something you don’t mean to give,” I snapped. “What do you take me for?”
“I’m offering myself freely,” he said.
“And what about your relic? Will you give that up willingly?”
“Ah, well, you must earn it, little Champion. Succumb to Temptation, and I’ll give you what you want.”
Take him now, and earn his relic? Is that what he meant? The lines were blurred. I felt humiliation burning through me.
I could have kissed him. Or killed him. For a heartbeat, I nearly gave in. But I couldn’t trust Leander. I had no idea if he was letting his guard down or testing me.
“Right now, I don’t want anything from you.” I wrenched myself free and left Temptation with a slight ache in my heart.