Chapter 21
Twenty-One
Standing at my bedroom windows, I stare out at the gardens, arms crossed over my chest as though it will hold back the deluge of feelings in my chest. The stunning view should be moving something inside me, yet I don’t see it, my thoughts clouding my mood.
I should be seeing Ella or getting ready for the ball, instead I am brooding in my room.
When I was dancing with the prince earlier, it felt like something had changed between us, and that terrifies me.
Not only the new feeling he invokes in me, but he has earnt a place in my heart next to Ella and Abbie.
Caring for people is dangerous as it leaves me open to getting hurt.
On the other hand, they bring a new light to my life, a brightness that makes me want to actually live my life and not just survive it.
My attention shifts as the air in the room becomes tense, static making the hairs on my arms stand on end.
It’s an unsettling feeling, but one that I have come to associate with Kit.
My heart does a little jump in my chest and I adopt a scowl to hide my reaction.
Turning to face him, I ready myself for whatever quip he will inevitably send my way.
Only, the figure standing behind me isn’t Kit.
Gasping, I press my hand against my chest and stumble backward, bumping into the window in my effort to place more space between me and the female demon currently watching me.
Tall and lithe, there is no disputing that she’s a demon.
Whereas Kit only has a few demonic features, looks wise he could pass as a human.
This female is another story. Bright red skin, sharp-looking tail and legs that end in hoofs instead of feet, she is everything the stories warned us of.
She has long black hair with gleaming horns protruding from the lush strands and eyes that seem to be wholly black.
I could get over her appearance after the initial shock. What truly makes her terrifying is the pure malice that radiates from her as she examines me. From the disgust written across her face, she clearly finds me lacking.
“So,” she croons, her voice rich and feminine, “you are the little mortal Kitan is obsessed with.”
Kitan. She must mean Kit. It is clear that she’s aware of who I am, does that mean that she is a friend of Kit’s?
He’s never mentioned another demon before and he told me himself that he’s possessive, so it doesn’t seem likely.
Moreover, my instincts are screaming that I’m in danger.
I don’t know why she’s here, but it isn’t for good intentions.
Reaching down into the pouch of gems strapped to my waist, I grab a handful of crystals, needing their strength. “Who are you?” I demand, proud that my voice stays strong despite my fear.
Throwing back her hair, she laughs. For some reason, my question seems to amuse her, although she stops laughing abruptly and levels me with a scornful look. “Do you really think that someone like you deserves my name?”
Someone like me? I assume she means because I’m human, but why would she be so scathing that I asked for her name. Demons have true names. Caleb’s words ring in my mind and I vaguely remember him telling me that the owner of a demon’s true name can control them.
Ignoring her slight, I glance around for anything I could use as a weapon and try to get more answers from her. “Are you a friend of Kit’s?”
“Kit? Is that what he told you to call him? How cute,” she laughs bitterly and bares her sharp teeth at me, taking a step toward me. “I wouldn’t call us friends, but we have known each other for a long time.”
She extends the last words, emphasising them, and her wicked grin tells me exactly what sort of relationship her and Kit had.
They had been intimate. Instantly my dislike of her shoots up.
Before, I saw her as a threat, now she’s a bitch.
A dangerous bitch that could slice me in two with her claws, but I’m indignant and it gives me a strength I didn’t expect.
I won’t allow myself to question why I feel so angry all of a sudden, or why it was prompted by the knowledge that her and Kit had that sort of relationship.
Narrowing my eyes, I widen my stance, preparing myself for if I have to dive out the way of an attack. “Why are you here?”
“I am getting rid of a problem for Kitan.” Her brows raise at the change in my attitude and understanding flashes in her eyes. “He cannot see what you are doing to him and his power.”
I have no idea what she’s saying, but I know she’s referring to me. My heart rate speeds up and I instinctively know I’m in danger. “I don’t understand.”
She takes another threatening step toward me. “What was the deal you made with him?”
“Don’t tell her,” Kits words ring in my mind, completely taking me by surprise. He sounds so quiet, as though he’s far away. Am I really hearing him, or am I just imagining it? Whatever the answer, the advice feels right.
“That is between Kit and I, and none of your business.”
I brace myself, preparing for her to lash out at my belligerence.
Surprisingly though, she seems taken aback, a hint of amusement in her expression.
“Wise, mortal, not to tell me. Perhaps you are not as stupid as the rest of your kind.” Humming thoughtfully, she taps a clawed finger against her lips.
“This makes things tricky. Usually I would just kill you, but as I don’t know the nature of your deal, I could hurt Kit in the process.
” Externally, she looks pensive, as though this is a true dilemma.
The dark, wicked delight in her eyes tells me otherwise.
“Never mind, that just means we shall have to get a little creative.”
Her grin is pure evil as she takes another step toward me.
Startling like a rabbit in a snare, I jerk in the opposite direction.
I need to get away from her. Get into a public area, cry for help.
As soon as I think this, my body freezes up like I’m in a vice.
Pain wracks through my body, locking up my muscles into spasm.
She wants me to cry out; to hear my pain and torment, I can see it in her eager posture and devilish smile. Bitterness and spite strengthen me. I’m not going to give that bitch the satisfaction. While it’s uncomfortable, it is also manageable, so I grit my teeth and don’t make a sound.
She raises a brow in surprise and steps closer, her tail whipping behind her angrily. “Not so talkative now?”
Faster than my eyes can track, her tail whips out and lashes against me.
My plan to stay silent instantly goes out of the window, pain like I’ve never experienced before lancing through my arm as my skin tears and rips.
Barbs, that is why it hurts so much. She has a barbed tail, and every time she whips me, it rips open my skin a little more.
I don’t think its caused enough damage to affect its function, but it will certainly leave a scar.
She whips me again with her tail, on my other arm this time and a scream forces its way from my throat.
My body is burning, desperate to move, to fight. To do anything other than just be suspend and completely useless.
“Last chance mortal. What was the deal you made with Kit?” She sneers his nickname and although I want to quake with fear and exhaustion, I refuse to back down. Growling in the back of my throat, I spit in her face.
Her retaliation is instant, my head snapping to one side from the force of her blow. I taste blood in my mouth, my cheek burning and eyes watering, yet she’s not beaten the fight out of me just yet. Taking a deep, ragged breath, I lift my head to look at her, one eye swollen and my mouth bleeding.
“Fuck. You.”
My limbs are suddenly released and I collapse in a heap on the floor, the crystals rolling from my hand. Blood rolls down my arms, pain making it difficult for me to focus. I try to scramble up, but my injuries are making it difficult for me, draining my strength.
She watches all of this with distain, shaking her head, finding me pathetic. Walking over, she pins me to the ground, lowering her mouth so she can whisper in my ear. “I guess I’ll have to find your mark then.”
No. Panic laces through me, my instincts telling me that her seeing my mark would be bad. Kit once told me it would protect me, yet in this situation it is only going to enflame her anger more.
Using her sharp nails, she cuts through my clothing, starting at my shoulders.
The fabric falls away, leaving bloody trails in my skin and exposing the top of my mark.
Her eyes light up as she sees the back of my shoulder and flips me over, straddling my back so I’m pressed into the floor.
I thrash as hard as I can, needing to get her off me, but nothing seems to work.
The ripping of fabric as she continues, not at all affected by my thrashing.
Cool air touches my exposed back and I know my time is up.
Something changes in the room, as though all of the oxygen has suddenly been sucked out and I am gasping for air. The demon’s anger is something tangible and heavy, warning me that something terrible is about to happen.
“This is a soul bond.” She spits, the way she says it making me realise that there is more to this than I originally believed.
When Kit first marked me, he explained that it was how demons made deals, sealing them in flesh.
The fact I can hear him in my mind and feel him when he’s close… is that because of this soul bond?
The demon screams like a banshee, my glass of water smashing on the other side of the room at the ear-splitting pitch. I struggle beneath her, trying to get away from the awful sound but I am trapped.
“You sold your soul to him?! Disgusting pieces of trash, you have no idea what you’ve done.” Her claws dig into my shoulders, carving deep grooves into my back. “There’s no way to undo this, so I guess I’ll just have to carve it from your skin.”