Chapter Ten
Daemon
NO RULES
Nillah was located a day’s travel from the docks in the town of Azmar along the coast of the Nalzure Sea.
It was where many of the Umbra Ministers lived, as the Ministry headquarters was located there.
I had been here several times over the years with my father for various meetings, eager to know about my species and their secrets when I was little.
But the more I had learned, the more appalled I became, and the more I wanted very little—and eventually nothing—to do with them.
Azmar was a vibrant place, filled with trade coming in from the ports and diversity of people from all around the world.
Vosten, Vhaena, and I had come here for a weekend getaway once after we completed school, getting drunk on imported liquor and passing out on the beach.
My heart thudded sharply, knowing Vosten wouldn’t ever have the chance to see that side of her again, and I wondered if I ever would either.
The one where she was fun and free, adventurous and confident, without a worry in the world.
I doubted she ever imagined coming back here like this…
After taking care of Vosten’s body, I buried my grief along with him and gathered a few things. My clothes were stained with my best friend’s blood, so I quickly changed before leaving. I secured a horse, then came straight here.
The salty evening air cooled my heated skin as I got closer to the sea.
The town was eerily barren. While the people of Azmar usually filled the streets all through the night, everyone was preparing for the upcoming Hunt.
It was so quiet that each clop of the horse’s hooves against the cobblestone street was like thunder, the only other sound being the gentle waves rolling onto the sandy beach.
Just outside of Azmar, there was a secret dock hidden within Teufel Cove.
That was my destination, but not until after I paid the Umbra Ministry a visit.
It didn’t matter that I was arriving unannounced; I would demand to be seen by the Ministers.
I knew they were there. This was Vorajag, the eve of the Hunt, and a night the demons honored.
I slowed my horse to a stop when I saw Reiner walking down the street toward me.
Fuck. Not that it was his fault, but I hated the guy.
“Daemon,” he greeted. His hood was pulled low over his head, and in the darkness, I could hardly see his face, but I knew it was him.
“Reiner,” I returned. “No celebrating tonight?”
“There were a lot of us out the other night. I need to make sure no one discovered anyone’s identity.”
I stiffened. This was his job; to search for humans to kill, and demons who failed.
I cleared my throat. “Right. Well, I’ll just be going now.”
Urging my horse to keep moving, I ended the awkward encounter.
All demons were welcome at the Ministry, and I didn’t bother knocking after I dismounted my horse and burst through the double doors of the Ministry headquarters, a large estate—practically a mansion—crafted of dark stone three stories high with sizable spires along the peaks of the roof.
The first person I saw when I entered was Draven Kachel, one of the Ministers who had been there to extend me my invitation.
He was one of the tallest here, just a few inches taller than me.
His bulky figure was wrapped in rich, dark skin that made him impossible to miss.
He leaned against the wall with a drink in his hand and a blank expression beneath the white hair framing his dark face.
He eyed me, but didn’t say a word. After a short moment, he nodded toward the stairs, clearly knowing who I was looking for.
I nodded in thanks. My boots echoed in the foyer as I stormed my way up the grand staircase.
Demons were gathered in small groups, conversing with each other in various rooms and celebrating the success of the night before.
They didn’t pay me any mind as I made my way past, my sights homed on Cahir Rochter’s office.
My pulse raced, unsure if my plan would work.
I had declined their invitation, a disgrace to our culture and this tradition.
I planned on pleading with them—telling them I made a mistake and begging them to allow me to take Asher’s place.
My brother would find out Vhaena was one of the women sacrificed to the Hunt, if he hadn’t already.
Part of me couldn’t help but wonder if he had anything to do with it…
I had no doubt he would target her, torment her just to watch me unravel, and slaughter her without hesitation.
I had no idea what his reasoning was for such disdain toward her, only that he had fed into the rumors like kindling to a fire, his distaste for her plain as day.
What I feared most was that he knew what she meant to me.
And I’d given him every reason to hate me by pushing him further and further away these past years.
I had tried not to at first. I had tried to make him see reason as to why the traditions of demons were horrid and vile. But I had lost him to the culture of our kind. If only I could just make him see…
The most unsettling thing of all was I had no idea what ability he had. It wasn’t something demons openly shared with one another, but rather others would discover it during a demon’s first Hunt.
A new-found urgency, fueled by rage at the unwelcome visions of what Asher would do to her on the island where there were no rules, had my feet quickening.
I burst through the office doors and found Cahir at his desk, speaking with a younger demon—his great-nephew, Agnar.
Cahir was in his robes as usual, with his black hair slicked back.
His great-nephew was dressed like he was ready to go to the Hunt, black clothes with a hood hanging at his back to cover his short curly hair when he got to the island.
I was dressed similarly, as would be the rest of the hunting demons.
Several others gathered around the seating area, speaking with each other, but I didn’t bother to look at who they were.
The sound of their voices mixing in the air roared through the space.
Draven came up from behind and pushed past me to join the others as I entered the room and approached the Umbra Minister’s desk.
“Ah! Mr. Corse. How—”
“I need to speak with you.”
“Can this wait until morning? We’re celebrating, as you can see, and I’m taking the night off from all official business.” He smiled brightly at me.
“It can’t. This is about the Hunt. I need to go,” I demanded.
Agnar snickered, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned against the wall in the corner. I guessed the news of my rejection had already spread.
Cahir’s smile fell. “Daemon…” He struggled to find his words. “That’s not possible.”
“Make it possible, because I am going. I just need access to the island.” Demons had tried to force their way into the Hunt in the past by sneaking onto the island but had been met with a gruesome punishment for disrespecting the tradition.
I couldn’t risk death. Not when I needed to be alive to protect Vhaena.
“Mr. Corse.” I whipped my head around to find Draven. He sauntered his way over from the group he was chatting with, a glass filled with amber liquid resting in his hand. “What seems to be the problem? This is a night of celebration, a night of no rules.”
Though the Hunt didn’t begin until tomorrow for the rest of the world, for demons it began the moment the women were captured. And the night before was like a holiday for our kind.
“Exactly!” Cahir exclaimed.
Draven was highly respected. The demon community was small, and we pretty much all knew each other.
“I recant my declination. I wish to accept the invitation,” I said firmly. I wasn’t leaving here without being granted access to the island. No matter what I had to do.
“Let me out, and I can help. I can get us there,” my demon said, eagerly crawling his way up. He had been suspiciously quiet all day.
“Mr. Corse, I’m sorry,” Cahir said with a huff. “Once you passed on your invitation, it was then extended to your brother. You knew this.”
Draven pursed his lips. “I’m sure an exception can be made to allow two demons from the same bloodline to join?” he asked Cahir.
Why is he helping me?
“Well, yes. It has been allowed in the past, but that isn’t the issue.
I’m afraid there are no more openings. All slots this year are occupied.
We have a limit for a reason. The hunter-to-prey ratio would be too disproportionate otherwise.
That’s why we carefully developed the current system and why it’s by invitation only.
Besides, we only have twenty masks, and they’re already claimed,” Cahir said apologetically, meeting my eyes. “Perhaps next year.”
“No,” I snarled through gritted teeth. “It needs to be this year—”
“Then it’s too bad there aren’t any positions available…currently,” Draven interrupted, speaking to Cahir. But the way he tilted his head, the way his eyes flicked to me with a hint of a smile on his lips…
I raised my chin, trying another tactic. “The woman from Nillah. Where is she?” If they wouldn’t allow me to go, then I could at least get to her and take her back. They could find someone else.
Cahir’s brows pinched, and he glanced down at a sheet of paper, tracing his finger down the list of names. “Nillah. Nillah. Nillah… Ah, yes! Vhaena Scoren, retrieved from her parents’ home. Resisted capture, resulting in the fatality of one male.”
One male… My best friend had been reduced to nothing but a number on a page. How many lives were taken to feed their twisted pleasure?
I needed to stay focused on Vhaena. “Yes. Now, where is she? Where is Vhaena?” Where is the woman I vowed to protect, the one my best friend gave his life to defend?
“On the ship with the rest of the women, of course,” he stated, as if it was ridiculous I’d even asked. “Where else did you expect her to be?”
“Why was she taken? You must have made a mistake.”
“She was voted for.” His brow raised like it was obvious.
I shook my head. “That doesn’t make any sense. She wasn’t even on the ballot—”
“She didn’t have to be,” Agnar said from the corner, with a wicked gleam in his eyes.
I whipped my head to him. “What do you mean?”
“Are you so dense that you didn’t even realize what was going on in your own town? I heard she was so overwhelmingly hated for being a slut that the citizens wrote her name down instead of choosing one of the other pathetic criminals the town’s council offered.”
I was going to tear his head off. “That’s not true…”
“Regardless of why she was voted for, the fact of the matter is she was, indeed, chosen as the sacrifice for Nillah.” Cahir shrugged. “At least she’s young, so she should make for good sport.”
“Sport?! She’s a fucking person!” I slammed my hand down on the desk and threw everything off it across the room. I fucking hated this tradition. I hated how demon society cared so little for the life of innocents—so long as they got their entertainment each year…
“Not anymore,” Agnar chuckled. “She’s nothing but prey now.”
I took a deep breath, gathering the fury building in me.
“Not for the likes of you…” I said darkly, as my eyes slowly dragged to Agnar. It really was too bad there weren’t any positions available…currently.
“What is that supposed to mean?” He pushed off the wall and balled his fists at his sides.
“You’re going, aren’t you?”
“Hells yeah, I am. I wasn’t stupid enough to decline the invitation in the first place. You missed your opportunity to hunt down your little human friend, but don’t worry, I’ll handle her—”
Without a second thought, I reached out and gripped his throat, digging my fingers into his flesh with the claws that emerged, and tore out his throat.
Agnar fell to the floor, frantically grabbing at his neck and gurgling with his last breaths. His body became still, and his arms fell to the side.
I blinked in surprise. Not at what I had done, but at how easily I had done it. I had let my demon closer to the surface than I ever had before. It was so natural, it was terrifying. I didn’t even know my claws could emerge so instinctively…
“You didn’t know because you don’t trust me enough to show you what we are,” my demon said proudly.
I turned to face Cahir. That was the last heir in his familial line—Agnar’s father, Thorsten, having died right in front of me years ago in a field next to my best friend’s father.
“A night of no rules, right?” That meant they couldn’t punish me for murder.
The minister’s mouth gaped at his great-nephew’s lifeless body spilling blood onto the carpet with disbelief before looking back up to me with pure rage in his glistening eyes.
“Looks like there’s a spot open now. I’ll see you at the Wal of Two Tears.”
“Happy hunting,” Draven chuckled low enough only I could hear and backed away, returning to the group behind me.
With that, I spun on my heel and left. It was time I found Vhaena. No one was going to hunt her but me.