Page 11 of Demonic Division (The Sundering Duet #1)

11

Dagny

I bend my knees into my chest, curling deeper into Cyprien’s blanket to stave off some of the cold slicing into my bones. I’ve learned to count time by the moments between shallow breaths, which is how I know it’s been at least three days since I’ve seen another being, living or otherwise. Three days I’ve been cowered in the corner of this damp prison, utterly alone with nothing to do but sit minute by minute, fumbling the pieces of my sanity in frostbitten fingers. Calling out for a red-eyed demon that refuses to answer.

The bucket of ice Cyprien left for me is nearly empty, as is the jar of pickles, the peanut butter, and crackers. With no indication that Cyprien will be back with more any time soon, I’m forced to ration what little sustenance I have left.

How long can a person last without water, anyway? Two days? Three?

My tongue feels like sandpaper as I swallow, and my eyes travel to that last little bit of ice in the bottom of the bucket. I’m on borrowed time already…

Before I have time to spiral, I shake those dark thoughts away, focusing on my breathing. “It’s fine,” I whisper into the dark. “Everything is going to be fine.”

If you can fear, you can also be brave.

My mind travels to the memory of the night Cyprien took me—of all the things and people I left behind. But when I try to count them off on my fingers, I’m left with empty hands. Nothing to show for my efforts.

Perhaps Dr. Marjorie will wonder where I’ve gone—and maybe she’ll even miss me for a while—but I don’t have any friends or family who would search for me. The last of my loved ones died with my sister, and the bitterness in my heart has made creating new relationships next to impossible. The saddest part is, I’m actually no more alone down here in the dungeons than I was in the human realm. No one will come for me; no one will save me. And it’s my own making. My own self-constructed prison.

My lips part in a gasp as something tugs at my chest, ripping me apart with pain. It’s gone in the next moment, and I clutch a hand to my heart, my eyes searching the shadows for more than just monsters this time.

“M?” I whisper, my voice a desperate plea. “Are you… are you there?”

He still doesn’t answer.

I slide to the floor, rolling to my side as the tugging thread wraps around my heart and squeezes. I close my eyes forcefully, taking deep, even breaths as I attempt to calm my mind.

You’re fine. You’re going to be fine. Just fine. Just like always.

But even as I say it, I know it's a lie. I know I’m going to die here in this strange place. The only question is when.

I’m in the process of my ten-thousandth breath when a gentle scratching breaks the silence. I pick my head up, surveying the shadows through the slit in the blanket. There’s a shuffle, claws scraping stone, and then M's face appears between the bars of his cell.

My heart jumps into action at the sight of his glowing red eye, and without thinking, I scramble toward my own bars. I clutch the frozen iron in my palms, pushing my face between the spaces in order to get a better look at him.

“ M .” His name is a whisper, rolling off my tongue in a desperate plea. “Where have you been? I… I’ve been calling for you.” My cheeks heat at the memory—of me crying out for the demon in my darkest moment—of his deafening silence. “I was worried you might have…” Died is the word my mouth refuses to form, but I don’t need to.

M chuckles, gleaming white canines peeking through the shadows. “You should not worry for me. I’m harder to kill than it may appear.”

I pull my face back from the bars, my neck heating with embarrassment. “I didn’t mean it like that…”

He laughs again, the sound gentler than before. “I know you didn’t, little one. And I’m sorry if I truly did cause you to worry.”

I wrap the blanket tight around my shoulders, attempting to hide my face. “Why didn’t you answer me?” I whisper, dropping my eyes to the ground. “Why…” I needed someone. Why is no one ever there when I need them?

The smile drops from M's face, and his mouth sets in a grim line. “I was not aware.” M rubs a clawed hand across his face, his brow set in a deep frown. “I have been down here so long without food, without light, without companionship…” The last word comes out barely above a whisper, but it shocks my heart as much as if he’d screamed it. “Sometimes, my body enters into a hibernation-like state… I cannot hear, I cannot smell, see, or think. I cannot respond to outward stimuli, and therefore, I could not hear your plea .” His eyes find mine, glowing with raw pain. “I’m sorry if I caused you pain.”

The emotion in his voice causes me to pause. This creature who doesn’t even know me is offering me more kindness and understanding than I’ve received in my whole life. He’s apologizing for something he has no power or control over, all because I was a little bit spooked without his presence. The more I think about it, the more ridiculous I feel, but I can’t just sit here and waste his sincerity.

“There’s nothing to apologize for,” I whisper, inching back toward the bars. “I was being ridiculous. Weak ?—”

“There’s nothing weak about you, wildfire,” he interrupts. “Those are lies I will not tolerate from your lips or anyone’s, for that matter. Nor should you.”

The intensity in his stare has the back of my neck heating. I clear my throat, tearing my eyes from the demon and turning my attention to the last of my food reserves. I grab the peanut butter and crackers and shove them through the bars, still unable to meet his gaze as I offer him the snacks.

“Do you want some? It’s not much, but if Kaebl hasn’t fed you, then…”

M's warm laugh fills the air, and I jerk my eyes back to his face, my mouth falling open in surprise. “What’s so funny?”

“You’re just adorable. That’s all,” he says, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. “Very sweet, too.”

I slowly draw the containers back through the bars, shame heating my face. “You could have just said ‘no thank you.’”

M shakes his head, expression alight with amusement. “I’m not laughing at you, little one. It’s just that… I can’t eat that.”

“Oh.” I blink. “What do you eat? ”

M doesn’t miss a beat. “Souls.”

My stomach twists. “I’m afraid I only have the one, and I kind of need it.”

M laughs, the sound rolling over my skin in a sinful caress. “That you do. Plus, there are much better ways to enjoy a soul as sweet as yours.”

I’m almost afraid to ask. “And that is?”

His smile widens, but he doesn’t answer. “You should eat. I can hear your stomach growling.”

Shrugging, I take a seat on the ground and pull out the last of my crackers. The soft sounds of chewing fill the silence while M watches me eat, a ravenous glint in his ruby-red eye.

I slowly drag my eyes across his body, a swarm of questions entering my mind. It hits me that I’ve never ever seen M with a familiar. Kaebl has a snake, and Cyprien his bunny—but I’ve yet to see the red-eyed demon’s.

“Do you have a familiar?” I ask, the question bubbling from my lips before I have time to think about it. “Like Cyprien? I’ve never seen you with one.”

He nods slowly. “Nya. She doesn’t like the dungeons very much.”

“She’s not stuck here with you?”

“She is not. Spirits born from the human realm are… harder to control.”

“And Nya… she’s from my world?”

“Her spirit is, yes,” he explains. “When my original body was sundered, the last of my loyal knights brought my pieces to your world. There, he bound each one to a spirit of the forest and gave each piece life. So each of us has a familiar.”

I nod, chewing slowly on the new information. “What does Nya look like? ”

I wait for M's response, and when it doesn’t come, I search the shadows for him. He’s not paying attention to me anymore. His eyes have glossed over with a faraway look, and his lips move wordlessly, uttering a language lost to time.

He blinks, and it’s like it never happened. I would think I imagined it if it were not for the serious set of M's mouth. “Dagny, you need to listen to me very carefully.”

“Why?” I ask, my neck prickling at the urgency in his voice. “Is something wrong?”

“Yes,” he murmurs, blinking rapidly. “He changed his mind.”

He shakes his head, gripping the bars fiercely with his clawed hands. “I don’t have much time. He’s coming. Coming to take you away from me.”

“Who is?”

He shakes his head again, his eyes taking on a wild glint. “You cannot trust him. You cannot trust his words. No matter how he tries to poison your mind, don’t let him. Fight him, Dagny. As only you can.”

“I don’t understan?—”

“He will tell you he’s in the right—that I am no more than a bloodthirsty monster deserving of my fate. But I will not have my story twisted by the lying tongue of envy. You must know I only did what I had to do. I only did what was necessary to stop him from erasing me. I never wanted to kill Fenryr. I would not have if there was any other way.”

My mouth dries at his confession. “I… who is Fenryr?”

M reaches through the bars, his fingertips grasping at air, desperate to touch me. “Remember what I told you, wildfire. And if you get the chance… come find me. There is so much more we need to talk about. So many more secrets I need to share. ”

“What secrets are you talking about? Why can’t you?—”

But before I get to finish the question, the dungeon door slams open, spilling light across the stone floors and causing me to squint. Instinctually, I look back to where M should be but am greeted with nothing but shadows—like he was never there in the first place.

A shiver runs down my spine as Kaebl steps into the corridor, his footsteps light despite his massive bulk. He stops in front of my cell door, golden eyes cruel and swirling with shadows that mirror the darkness surrounding us. The golden fissures running across his exposed forearms cast a gentle light onto his face, illuminating his godlike features. At this distance, I could reach out and run my finger along those strange markings, but I still have enough sense left to know that would be catastrophic for me.

And still, something inside me is pulling, begging me to touch them. To touch him.

I fight against the powerful desire, stumbling back a step as Kaebl waves a hand in front of the bars, causing the lock to slide open. Without a word, he throws open the door of the cell and grabs my arm, dragging me out of the cell and up the stairs like an incessant toddler, all the while listening to the sounds of M's taunting laughter.

Right when we reach the top, M's voice rings out, full of defiance. “You can’t keep her away from me forever, Kaebl.”

Kaebl’s shoulders tighten, but he doesn’t respond as he pulls me through the door and slams it shut.

The laughter dies.