Chapter Forty-Two
Daemon
MANIPULATION
“Funny how words can be twisted into such lies,” Asher spat.
I backed away from Vhaena, holding her gaze as she stared in confusion.
I couldn’t breathe. Rage had smothered the air from my lungs.
He had touched her—raped her. My own brother.
The moment she spoke those trembling, raw words, something inside me split open. My blood raced hot through my veins, and my heart fractured. I believed her. I would have always believed her. I just wished she would have trusted me a year ago.
My feet shuffled across the ground until I was next to Asher.
I knew there were cracks in him, fractures that seeped out bitterness and sin. But I never knew the true extent of his depravity. Or maybe I had. Maybe I had somehow known all along just how vile he was.
“Intuition. We know corruption when we see it,” my demon said.
“She tricked you, brother,” Asher said, smiling.
Fucking smiling.
“I tried to protect you from her. I proved what a nasty little slut she was, and I figured you would never want to touch her once you learned she was spoiled.”
He had started the rumors—his words had done more damage to her life than any blade could. How he had convinced everyone with a lie… I had no idea.
He was the true threat against her.
“You don’t get to hold me back anymore,” my demon rumbled.
“I wouldn’t dare try. Not this time.”
“You worthless bastard,” I seethed, and Asher’s head snapped toward me. “You orchestrated this. You wanted her to die in the Hunt.”
“I told you, I was only doing you a favor so you didn’t lower our family name more.
Humanity has had too much of an impact on you.
It was bad enough you ran around with that little human friend of yours, dragging him along like you could lift him from the slums of society.
I saw the way you looked at Vhaena and the way she looked at you.
I knew it was only a matter of time before you ruined your life for her.
” He shrugged. “But I guess it’s too late for that now.
Once the Ministry finds out you cheated the Hunt to save one of the women and you let her see your face, you’ll both be done for.
There’s nothing you can do to save her or yourself from the Ministry.
” He paused, looking right at me. “Except, she’s seen me, too, and I can’t allow that.
So maybe there’s a saving grace for you after all. ”
I knew he never intended for her to survive the Hunt the moment he had taken off his mask in front of her.
“He threatens us and her? His life will end. Right here and now.”
“You’re going to die, Asher…” My voice was unlike myself. Dark. Sinister. And entirely the demon I was born to be.
My brother didn’t have time to react before I launched at him. In an instant, my fingers had turned to claws and my horns erupted from my skull.
Our bodies collided with a crunch as I took him to the ground. We tumbled through fists and claws, tearing at each other with snarls. I caught a glimpse of venom dripping from his fangs and just barely evaded them, the white tips scraping along my skin.
I had rage. I had purpose. I had someone I needed to protect.
“You don’t want to fight,” Asher said in a strange, haunting voice.
His demon.
“You don’t want to harm me. Your own flesh and blood.”
I paused mid-strike, looking down at my brother.
I saw him as a boy, memories of our childhood flashing before my eyes.
I didn’t want to hurt him. I wanted to save him from himself.
I wanted him to be better, kinder, more empathetic to the rest of the world.
But I had failed. Somewhere along the way, he had turned into someone that I no longer recognized.
His eyes were unyielding. “You won’t lower yourself to murdering your own family just for a woman.”
Was it really worth killing him? Even in revenge. Even to keep her safe. Was I willing to take yet another life just for her? His life?
“Something’s wrong…” my demon said slowly.
I shook my head, trying to get my bearings straight. My thoughts didn’t feel like my own. They felt false. Intrusive.
“You know she’s not worth the dirt you’re standing on.”
I slammed my eyes closed. I didn’t believe that. Not really. But I couldn’t get the thought out of my head now that he’d said it—
Oh, hells…
“I think we know how he convinced an entire town to turn against one woman so fiercely with nothing but a single rumor.” My demon came to the same conclusion I had.
Manipulation.
It wasn’t a common ability, but it was one of the most dangerous.
He may have had five slashes—a powerful ranking—but I belonged to the seventh circle of Hell: Ruin. I was stronger. I had had no idea what his ability was, what he was capable of and what I was fighting against. Until now.
“The Hunt is her mercy.”
“Don’t let him speak!” my demon demanded.
I punched Asher in the mouth, and his teeth turned red from the blood crawling across them. I needed to stop him before he convinced me otherwise. Before he convinced me to do something worse.
My eyes rolled to the back of my head for a moment as I called upon my ability. The ravens answered.