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“You know nothing of my world,” I said heatedly.

“I’ve met enough demons.”

“They are not everyone!”

Asher exhaled, running a hand through his hair. “So they wouldn’t kill me. They’d simply torture and imprison me.”

“I am the heir apparent. Beloved of the primus dominus. They wouldn’t dare go against my wishes.” At least, I hoped. Considering they’d seemed just fine with killing me, I wasn’t so sure.

“And what would your wishes be?”

“You have done horrible things,” I said, looking him dead in the eyes. “But so has every Infernarus I know of, save a few.” Most Infernari were killers by the age of twelve. “I don’t want more death and pain. I want you to see my world, I want you tounderstand... if you could just see my world...”

He held my gaze for a long time. Just when I thought he’d laugh the idea off, he said solemnly, “Okay.”

“I need you to vow it,” I said.

“I vow that in return for locating the portal, I will go through it with you and see what’s happened to your world.”Before I destroy it.

I might not be a clever human, but I heard the hunter’s unspoken words clear as day.

“A blood oath,” I said. “Before I tell you anything further, I want your blood.”

“You’re not getting a damn drop my blood, demon.”

My lips curled back, and it was all I could do to refrain from hissing at him. I was giving him his precious portal.

“Then you will get no information from me, you human swine.”

Asher raised an eyebrow. “‘Human swine’? That’s the best you got, Lanie?”

“My name is notLanie. It’s notdemoneither.”

“Pretty hypocritical of you to get angry at the names I call you right afteryouinsultme.”

I stared at him, remembering all over again who this man was. “Your lying human words mean nothing to me, Jame Asher. I want your blood so that if you go back on your word like you have in the past, I can curse you.”

Asher grimaced, like I embodied everything he found wrong in the world.

We stared each other down, at an impasse. Time drew out, and still I wouldn’t look away.

“Blood oath or nothing,” I bit out.

Finally, Asher cursed, breaking eye contact to stare out the window. His leg began to jiggle. He ran a hand through his hair, ruffling it. My gaze unwillingly drank the sight up.

“And you know where the portal is?” he asked, those stormy eyes of his returning to me.

“Not yet.” He had an instant to look incensed before I continued. “But I know someone who can lift the memory spell.”

He huffed a laugh. “You know someone who can lift the spell,” he repeated. “That’s cute, but Lana, whoever this demon is, they won’t help you, not after what you did back there.” He jerked his head toward the way we came, toward where Clades had fallen.

I swallowed down something thick at the Infernarus I left behind. My friend.

War has made both him and you do worse.

“She is not an Infernarus,” I said. “Notexactly.”

Asher raised his eyebrows. “What’s that supposed to mean?”