Hunted By the Demon’s Vow (Immortal Hunters #1)

Chapter 1

Chapter One

Vhaena

WHORE

One of these days, I’m going to kill that fucking bird, I thought to myself, glaring at where the raven was perched in a nearby tree.

It was bad enough people already hated me, but now they also had to listen to the annoying squawks and eerie mimicry of the raven that followed me everywhere.

The asshole never left me alone.

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms, then turned back around to face the group waiting before me.

“Vuh… Vuheyna Scoren?” The man butchered my name as he read off the parcel he had pulled from the pile on the cart. He must have been new because I’d never seen him before.

I didn’t hesitate to correct him on the pronunciation, as it was second nature to me by now. “It’s Vay-nuh,” I said flatly.

People had gathered around the cart the moment it arrived in the town center of Nillah, as it did weekly. I ignored the fact people practically leapt out of the way as I passed them, moving to the front of the crowd. And I also tried to ignore their hushed whispers and disgusted looks.

“Slut.”

“Filth.”

“Tramp.”

I kept my eyes forward, avoiding the stares as I approached the parcel cart.

“Sorry about that,” the man said, with a gentle smile. “Pretty name, though.”

“Thanks.” My lips pressed into something that wasn’t quite a smile as I took the small package from his outstretched arm. The wood of the cart groaned under his weight when he leaned down toward me, the sound too loud in the awkward quiet.

Tucking it safely in the bag at my hip, I couldn’t help but notice my parcel was one of the smallest in the load as I began to walk away.

With my low wages, I wasn’t able to afford great luxuries like exotic furnishings or nice clothes.

It never really bothered me. Not since I was little at least. And definitely not once I learned people couldn’t buy manners or a pleasant personality.

At this point, I was nearly convinced that riches only came at the price of human decency.

“Whore.”

I hated this town.

I skirted around to the other side of the horse-drawn cart and decided to take the long way back, avoiding as many people as I could. I had learned how to do that well over the last year, knowing which houses to duck behind and which streets to steer clear of.

The crunch of the gravel beneath my feet drowned out the year’s worth of whispers constantly replaying in my head.

I rolled my shoulders and tilted my head up to the sun, letting the rays blissfully kiss my cheeks.

I admired the new buildings along the way.

I couldn’t deny the beauty of the fachwerk designs, with their visible wooden frames, the stone and brick nestled between the timber, and the large overhanging roofs.

The familiar gurgling croak of Neo had my eyes snapping open to find him gliding in the wind above me. I rolled my eyes, but only half-heartedly. It wasn’t that I hated him, but I also hadn’t chosen him to constantly be around either.

The black raven had randomly appeared about a year ago.

He was perched on my windowsill one night, and then returned for four days straight.

That’s when my dumbass decided to give him a few bites of fish.

Since then, he hasn’t left. At least, I assumed it was a he.

I didn’t know for sure. I hadn’t exactly gotten intimate enough to check—not that I knew the anatomy of a bird anyway.

But I decided he had to be male because he was always around but never helpful. So I called him Neo.

When I arrived at the house I’d grown up in, Neo took his usual perch on the porch railing to wait for me, talons digging into the rotting wood. I needed to get Vosten to replace that for Ma soon. And, by the amount of moss covering the reed roof, that would need to be replaced, too.

“Ma,” I called as I closed the door behind me. I had to shove it with my shoulder to get it to shut fully, reminding myself I needed to add that to the endless list of things to fix in the house.

No answer.

“Ma?” I called again.

My mother lived alone. My twin brother Vosten and I had tried to convince her to move in with one of us after Pa died, but she refused to leave her home. Which was why we regularly came by to check on her and also why we had nightly meals with her here.

The house was small but homey and welcoming. While most people wouldn’t have liked the living room and kitchen crammed into the same confined space, I always found it comforting how close everyone was when we were all together. Cozy.

Not spotting my mother, I headed to her room—one of the two in the house, separated by the bathroom, with the other being my brother’s and my old room from when we were kids.

I pushed through the half-open door to find her lying on the bed, the afternoon sun shining down on her.

Every time I saw her still, my heart stopped, terrified that, after years of fighting for her life, her time had finally come to pass from this world.

I stared, unmoving, holding my breath. It was only when her chest finally rose and fell that I was able to exhale again. Relieved, I crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Ma. It’s me. Wake up,” I gently coaxed.

Her left eye opened enough for me to see the flecks of brown mixing into the green—a hazel that mirrored the color of mine—and the left side of her mouth tilted up upon seeing me.

“Vhaena,” she slurred, glancing at the clock. “I didn’t expect to see you until this evening. Why aren’t you at work? Don’t tell me that old geezer fired you…”

I chuckled. “No. Not yet, at least. I told Finley I’d be in a bit later. The postal cart came today, and I was expecting a parcel.” I laid the small package on the bed and began untying the twine around the wrapping.

Ma sighed. “Please tell me you didn’t spend your hard-earned money on another…concoction.”

“It’s called medicine.”

“You can call it whatever the hells you want. It still tastes like a horse’s ass.” The still-functioning side of her face twisted in disgust as I held up the now unwrapped glass bottle.

At least it hadn’t broken in transit this time. I couldn’t afford another one for a while, even just this small amount. The bottle fit within my closed fist, and I hated what little there was.

“Well, this is a new mixture, so hopefully it won’t taste quite so equine, though no promises it won’t be ass-like in flavor.

Regardless, you need to take one drop a day.

It’s been helping, and I’m optimistic this one will help even more,” I said with a warm smile, praying the hope in my voice didn’t sound as forced as it was.

She nodded her head and opened her mouth as I carefully squeezed the dropper until a single droplet splashed on her tongue.

The truth was, there was no cure for her ailment, and the medicine wasn’t doing a damn thing—but I had to keep trying.

Pa used to spend every last penny he could spare, trying every kind of medicine available that had any possibility of helping her condition.

And when Pa wasn’t around anymore, Vosten and I took it upon ourselves to ensure she still had medication.

After several years, we had dug our way into a financial pit we couldn’t crawl out of.

And to no avail. But I wouldn’t give up. And neither would Vosten.

There was rumor of a healer in Murkwell who could help.

I wanted to take Ma to see him, but seeing as we were in Nillah—a three-week trip by horse—there was no feasible way to get her there.

So for now, I did everything I could. Including giving her expensive medicine that showed no tangible results.

Maybe if the demons did more than ruin lives, it could have been possible…

Ma coughed, gagging on the liquid as she struggled to swallow.

I helped her into a sitting position and pushed aside the hair from her face before I brought a glass of water up to her lips so she could wash it down.

Some of the water leaked from the right side of her slumping mouth, and I dabbed it dry with the cloth she had on the bedside table.

Then I lifted her limp arm that had fallen on the side of the bed and placed it back underneath the quilted blanket.

“I have to get to the kitchen, but I’ll be back tonight for dinner.” I leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead before standing. “Is there anything you need? I really hate leaving you here alone.”

It didn’t matter that she had been living on her own for seven years.

I still felt the guilt every single time I left.

But she was strong-willed and stubborn, as always.

Yet I couldn’t help but wonder when the time would come that she would need help more than just a couple of visits a day to manage.

While she wasn’t getting worse, she wasn’t getting better, either. And she was getting older.

She swatted at me playfully. “Oh, go on. Get out of here. I’m perfectly capable of getting anything I need, and I’ve got my weapon here in case I need it,” she said with a smirk, nodding toward the twisted stick leaning against the bed.

“That’s a cane,” I said with a raised brow.

“Just because it’s intended to help me get to the bathroom before I piss myself doesn’t mean it isn’t multifunctional.”

I chuckled. That was one of the many things I loved about her. She didn’t let her condition dampen her spirit. Leave it to her to turn an ordinary object into a weapon.

“Okay then. I’ll see you tonight,” I said, then slipped back out the door.

Seeing her always made me happier. Not even Neo flying overhead bothered me as much as I went back into town.

I quickly made my way to the Pearl River Kitchen—though not as quickly as I would have liked.

Several months ago, I had to sell off my last horse just to get by until I was able to convince someone to give me a job.

It had taken me twice as long to get into town now.