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If a family had once dwelt here, the general had gone out of his way to erase them. At least on the inside.

Arianna wrapped her arms over her chest and shivered. She eyed the flint resting atop the logs in the corner and hesitantly padded toward it, stacking several logs into the fireplace before striking the flint to breathe a small flame to life.

She remained kneeling before the fire, letting the heat warm her chilled body. Rain still pattered against the roof in an endless torrent.Would it ever stop?

Maybe not. Maybe the gods had, had enough and would flood the earth, forever ridding Alastríona of the filth within.

A piercing scream had Arianna shooting to her feet. She dashed toward the tiny window beside the door and scraped away the frost to peer outside, heart thundering in her chest.

Another scream followed by shouting males.

The sounds drew closer.

And closer.

Her throat went dry.The general. Her skin pricked as she desperately searched for somewhere to hide. She could feel his power radiating from here and the rage that accompanied his scent.

She darted from the window and sank to her knees in the corner opposite the bathroom. Arianna turned her wrists up and bowed her head, exposing the base of her neck.

Moments later, the door burst open and slammed shut hard enough to rattle the dusty vase sitting upon the dresser. She froze, scarcely risking a breath.

Blood. Spice and blood and flame.

Arianna raised her head just enough to risk a glance and wished she hadn’t. Her throat clenched at the sight of flaming red hair and fear snaked down her spine when those emerald eyes caught the firelight, dancing as if they hadn’t had enough blood to sate an unquenchable thirst.

Without ever meeting him, Arianna knew exactly who stood before her and whose floor she knelt upon.

She should have known. She knew who resided in this camp, but she’d never thought him to be a general. Arianna hadn’t once guessed who the warriors had offered her to as a sacrificial lamb.

His magic shifted across the floor, tiny particles of sand and earth swirling with each breath. The stories didn’t do him justice, even the ones her mother had told her as a little girl. She’d always been told to avoid The Demon at all costs, to flee as fast as her legs could carry her and pray he didn’t give chase.

But there was no fleeing now. Nowhere to hide as his piercing gaze rooted her to the floor.

Beautiful and deadly, he entered the room like a blade poised to strike. Honed muscles rippled with lethal promise, his steps measured and sure. He scented the air, then knelt, clasping his hands together as he studied the female invading his territory.

Arianna pressed her forehead to the floor, her hands splayed out before her, and tried not to cry out when his magic crawled up her arms, wrapping around her fingers and wrists.

Her body trembled and she couldn’t breathe. Even with magic, she knew enough from Talon to understand she didn’t stand a chance against him. His magic was a rare sort, one even those from Brónach tried to eliminate at an early age.

He couldn’t bend life, not like the rest of his people. The Demon was cursed to pull from the earth itself, wielding sand and chunks of rock to slaughter his enemies. Rumor claimed he favored the former. A curse from a cruel god no one remembered.

Her heart continued to pound as she sat there counting the seconds, listening to his deep breathing as he took in her scent and essence. He knew his enemy. He’d slaughtered countless Fae from her country, and Arianna knew deep in her bones that he’d see past her half-breed camouflage.

His magic wrapped around her torso, grating into her skin and Arianna pressed her forehead into the floor harder, willing him to let her live. Let her live long enough to see Talon again.Let her live, let her live, let her live.

Chapter Four

Arianna

Her breathing fell in short, rapid gasps. Arianna kept her eyes clenched and prayed to anyone who would listen. Anyone who might spare her for one more day.

His drowning scent filled the cabin, and a low, animalistic growl rumbled from his throat. The particles of earth moved beneath her dress now, wrapping around her neck, and a strangled sob escaped her before Arianna could stop it.

Everything froze.

Please, please, please.

She never imagined she’d spend her last moments on a dirty floor kneeling before the most feared male in Alastríona. Nor did she think it would happen when she was the mere age of eighteen.