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“The Old Ones speak to you?Andthey’ve tasted you?” His eyes flit over my body. “How very interesting.” He casually swipes out, his claws cleanly slicing through my dress and the skin beneath.

I jerk, swallowing my scream as my blood wells.

“I don’t often meet curious mortals,” he says. “A pity you have to die. I will enjoy feasting on you though.” Asmodeth leans forward, his teeth and tongue hot on my injured flesh.

I draw my power together, and all at once, I shove my hands and my power at him. “Get off me.”

Clouds of my orange magic blow the demon back clear across the spell circle. I hear the smack of flesh as his body hits the ground.

I force myself to my feet, but just as quickly as I rise, Asmodeth does as well. A low, demonic growl rises from him, and when he glances at me, his eyes flash red.

I raise a hand. “Stop,” I command in Sarmatian, my power rushing out of me.

The demon freezes in place, his body going still beneath my spell. It holds for mere seconds before Asmodeth breaks through it, then barrels toward me once more.

I draw more power from beneath the soles of my feet.

Empress, the voices below hiss out,amage…mistress…queen…how we hunger…

“Explode.” I cast the spell at the demon, aware it will hardly affect him.

BOOM!

It detonates against his shoulder, throwing him against the wall of the spell circle for a moment.

Blood drips down my torso, but I’m too focused on Asmodeth to heal myself. My hand hovers over my thigh, where my dagger rests hidden.

In battle, you cannot solely rely on magic to save you.Memnon told me that long ago.

I will myself to believe it as Asmodeth closes in on me. I draw in a breath, growing calm as the demon reaches me. This time, I don’t cast a spell, and I don’t dive away. I let Asmodeth crash into me, slamming my body against the walls of the circle.

If the demon is surprised by my sudden lack of fight, he doesn’t stop to question it. His mouth opens, and his lips peel back, his gaze fixed on my throat.

All at once, he lunges for it.

Now.

I withdraw my dagger, and just as those sharp canines close around my neck, I sink my blade into his throat.

Asmodeth lets out an unholy cry, releasing my bloody neck. I yank the dagger out, and black blood spatters onto my dress and skin. Once more, I slam the blade into his throat.

The demon shrieks, then falls from me, my dagger making a wet noise as it exits the wound. Asmodeth hits the ground hard,and as he lays there, he weakly places a clawed hand against his neck. Blood rapidly spills out from between his fingers.

The whole building trembles, and someone somewhere is shitting their pants right now that they underestimated my mate.

I breathe heavily as I stare down at Asmodeth. I don’t believe demons can be killed, merely sent back to the Underworld.

I round on the demon’s body. Though every fiber of my being is screaming at me to run from this creature, I move to straddle him, my dagger still loosely held in my hands.

Weakly, he swipes at me, his claws parting my flesh like a knife through butter. The pain bursts to life along my arms and torso, but I ignore it, raising my dagger.

I bring it down sharply, letting my magic guide my movements. The thin blade cleanly slides between Asmodeth’s ribs and impales his heart.

The demon’s scream echoes through the room, the sound terrifying and not of this world.

I draw on both my own blood and the demon’s, the crimson liquid burning up as my power devours it. And then I call on the magic beneath the earth, pulling it into me.

We give you power. Give us something in return.