Page 9 of Demonic Division (The Sundering Duet #1)

9

Dagny

I lay my head back against the stone, trying and failing to adjust my position so my ass isn’t pressing so uncomfortably against the floor. I blow out a breath, forcing my eyes closed as the heady scent of rot and copper threatens to make me hurl.

I know that smell all too well. Blood. Death.

My arms curl around my middle, and I clench my jaw to silence the chatter of my teeth. I hate how easily Cyprien lured me into a false sense of security. He had me trusting him— wanting him—only to dash all my hopes by leaving me in this dungeon.

Not to mention the maniac he left me alone with.

My eyes pop as another round of whistling breaks the silence, bouncing off the stone walls and rattling the inside of my skull. It’s a dreary tune at best—downright depressing at worst—yet it calls to some secret part of me. Something long lost or perhaps just familiar but uncomfortable all the same.

“Hey, demon guy…can I ask you a favor?” I bring a hand to my forehead, willing the throbbing in my temples to ease.

The whistling stops, only to be replaced with a dark chuckle. “It’s M. And for you, princess? Anything. ”

I purse my lips at the new nickname. “I think I liked bunny better.”

“I’m sure you did.” His low voice carries the hunger only a man locked away for years without the touch of a woman could hold. It terrifies me. It… excites me.

“Back to the favor.” I clear my throat, shoving my tangled hair from my forehead as his rumbling chuckle fills the space again. “Could you maybe… whistle a happier song?”

His laughter ceases as that glowing red eye reappears again, far softer than our last encounter. Far warmer. “You want something happier?”

I nod at first, startled by the sudden change in demeanor, before realizing he can’t see me through the shadows. I manage to push out a “yes” through the pressing darkness, choking on the cord tugging violently in my chest.

There’s a shuffling noise, and to my surprise, I notice the stranger moving toward the bars of his cage into the light.

My breath catches in my chest as I take in his features. Just like Kaebl, his face looks like it was carved by the gods themselves—only, where Kaebl was whole, this man is not.

He’s covered with scars—the worst of which is the one that runs from the tip of his right brow down to the apple of his cheek. Where a normal eye should be is a pitch-black orb, seeming to see nothing and everything all at once as the pinpoint pupil spins wildly around the socket.

But his good eye… It’s beautiful—like molten glass—an d I can’t help the ball of rage that forms in my gut, thinking of the person who took the other. He finds my gaze from across the dimly lit corridor, and my bones warm at the heated look in his eye.

“Wildfire… I think that’s a much more fitting name,” he whispers. “In fact, I think it’s the only one that will do.”

My cheeks heat, and though I try to look away, I can’t. I’m captivated by the flames in his glowing eye. “Why is that?” My voice comes out raw, but I can’t find it in me to care. All I need is his answer, his voice filling my head, filling my veins.

He tilts his head, and his messy red hair falls away from his neck, revealing a fresh, bleeding wound. I want to reach out, to help him, but his voice stops me once again. “Why? Isn’t it obvious?” A sinful smirk tugs at his chapped lips. “For the match you lit in this cold dead heart of mine. A pyre burning so bright, neither the sun nor stars could ever hope to imitate.” His expression changes at the mention of the stars, softening his gaze while tightening his lips until his smile has reformed into a nearly invisible frown. “One I don’t think will ever be quelled.”

All at once, his smirk is back, so sudden I question if it ever left in the first place. His nostrils flare as he looks me up and down shamelessly. “It’s been too long since I’ve been in the presence of such a sweet-smelling soul.”

My throat bobs as I take a step back. “You can smell my soul?”

“Of course, little one.” He stops to take another breath. “And may I say, I can tell you’re delicious.” His pupil lengthens to a catlike slit, showcasing the white of his eye as he takes another deep breath. I watch in a mix of desire and terror as he reaches an inhumanly muscular arm through the bars of the cage, a clawed index finger reaching across the distance between cells. “Won’t you come closer? You’re so, so far away. Reach through the bars—I want to see what you feel like now that I’ve smelled you.”

I swallow hard, forcing myself to remain in place. “I think I’m good right here.”

His eyes flash bright red as he drops his arm to his side, the inky tattoos melding with the shadows once more. “Perhaps some other time.”

“Perhaps not.”

“Why? Are you afraid of me now?” he asks, his voice cloyingly sweet. “Or of the way I make you feel?”

I don’t waste a beat. “Yes.”

M throws his head back, his throat bobbing with his laugh. “Careful, Wildfire. The truth will get you killed in The Far Place. And I’d rather avoid that, if possible.”

I swallow thickly, something in the back of my mind telling me to run, to get away from this person. This thing.

“Why? You don’t even know me,” I say, but my words fail to hold any conviction.

His smile widens. “Perhaps I want to.”

I shake my head, gesturing to the bars between us. “I don’t think that’s such a great idea.”

“And why not?”

“Well…” I hesitate to find the words. Because you’re a demon? Because you’re likely a dangerous criminal? Because that knowing smile is really starting to creep me out? “I just… it’s not a good idea, okay? That’s all there is.”

“Hmm. Pity. I was so looking forward to it.” He steps back from the bars, retreating to the shadows.

I breathe a sigh, settling back against the stone and closing my eyes. I pull Cyprien’s blanket tighter around my shoulders, burying my nose in the furs as an eerie silence envelops me. There’s no sound save for the occasional drip of water and no light except that eye glinting at the far side of the room.

M's claws tap rhythmically against the stone, breaking the silence with an ominous click, click, click. The sound reverberates off the walls, sinking beneath my skin and scraping the inside of my skull as I sit there, rocking back and forth.

“The whistling was better,” I murmur, too delirious to care about poking fun at the demon. No answer arrives, but the clicking stops, and that glowing red eye vanishes into the blackness, leaving me more unnerved than before. More alone.

It’s so quiet down here, I can literally hear myself blink, and a part of me wonders if some sort of magic surrounds this space, cutting it off from the rest of the world.

That, or I’m already starting to lose my mind. Weak stuff.

When I think I’ll go mad from the silence, a high-pitched whistle fills the air. But this time, the demon heeds my request, and a peppier tune punctuates the air.

Despite my earlier apprehension, I can’t help the chuckle that rises in my throat. “You know Britney Spears?”

The whistling ceases, replaced with the low rumble of M's laugh. “You’re a fan?”

“Of ‘Toxic’? Isn’t everyone?”

He laughs harder, the sound echoing off the walls and sending a shiver down my spine. He crawls back to the bars, bringing his face into the light and highlighting his sinful smirk.

“I find it easy to connect to the lyrics,” he murmurs.

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

I laugh with him, and that last shred of uneasiness from being in his presence vanishes. Unwittingly, my eyes trail over his frame, admiring the dip and swell of his powerful muscles. If I’m to be stuck in this hell with a demon, at least it’s a hot one.

“Since we’re going to be down here for a while, I guess I should ask your name,” I murmur, forcing my eyes back to his face.

His smile widens, having caught me checking him out. “You can call me M for now.”

“And later?”

Instead of responding, he pushes his face through the bars, a sinful smirk tugging at the corner of his lip. “So you think I’m hot?”

My face heats, forgetting he could read my thoughts. There’s no denying it now. “Well… look in a mirror.”

“Hard to come by those down here. Plus, I’d much rather hear the words from your pretty lips,” he whispers, pupils lengthening to feline slits. “In fact, it’s the only thing that will do.”

A dangerous warmth builds in my core as I stare across the walkway, unable to pull my eyes away. “You’ll be waiting a long time, then.”

“Time is different when you have eons to spare, little one.” His fingers strangle the bars as his canines lengthen, digging into the skin of his bottom lip. “I’ll get my way with you eventually.”

I swallow hard, trying to think past the buzzing in my ears. “It’s… important to have self-confidence. That’s good for you…”

M laughs, his features morphing back to normal with a blink. “I see you’re not ready for those kinds of conversations yet. That’s okay. We have all the time in the world to discuss the hard truths in life,” he murmurs, an ironic lilt to his voice. “What would Dagny like to talk about? Since rumors of my never-ending desire make you so woefully uncomfortable.”

I clear my throat, looking anywhere but at the antagonistic demon. “I guess… we could talk about the weather?”

He smiles, but it’s not a happy one. “Why don’t we talk about what happened in the throne room? I’m sure you have questions.”

At his mention, my head snaps up. “How do you know I have questions?”

“Because Kaebl is well acquainted with the dark and would like everyone else to live in it, too.” That single red orb pierces me through the shadows. “I prefer the light—hence why I am down here where it ceases to exist. Why I’m forced to exist in filth, to breathe this putrid air of rot and decay.”

I lean forward, gripping the bars. “How long have you been here? And why?”

“How long? Four months, human time. Why?” He sighs, a frown replacing his taunting smile for a moment. “Because I did some terrible things. Things I wish I didn’t have to do but were the only way for me to survive. But it was for nothing. And now I’m forced to sit in the dungeons, decaying—waiting until I die.” In an instant, his taunting smirk is back. “Just as you are now, wildfire.”

His words cause me to balk. “That’s not true. Kaebl said he’ll release me when he finds out how to break the bond?—”

“A bond?” M interrupts, his tone taking on a serious edge. “What kind of bond?”

“A soul bond? That's why I’m here. I accidentally bonded with Cyprien’s pet bunny, Bo, and they’re going to break it so I can go home.”

Instead of understanding, M throws his head back in a laugh. “If you truly are bonded to Cyprien, then nothing on this plane of existence can break that kind of bond.”

I frown, crossing my arms as irritation pricks my neck. “But Kaebl said?—”

His cruel laugh cuts me off. “You mean Jealousy? Of course he would lie and say he’s able to do something. That’s just his fucking style. ”

I blink, not understanding the meaning of his words. “Jealousy? Why did you call him that?”

“Because that’s what he is. ” M sighs, running a scarred hand across his handsome face. “That’s the piece of the heartsoul he represents.”

I blink. “Heartsoul…?”

He stares blankly for a moment, the dim light of his eye dancing off the sharp lines of his face before cascading down his lips pressed into a frown. “No one has explained this to you?”

I shake my head.

“Not even Cyprien?”

My chest squeezes at the accusatory tone in his voice, and though I want to defend the yellow-eyed demon, I cannot. M waits for my response, but my silence is answer enough. He lets out a thick sigh, releasing his irritation into the air as his features soften.

“A heartsoul, my wildfire, is what makes something alive,” he says, his voice smoother, void of the edge it held just moments ago. “Monsters, demons, animals, humans… ” His eye gleams with the last word. “They all possess a heartsoul—though, I believe the mortals shortened it to just souls for the sake of simplicity some two thousand years ago . ”

I nod slowly, feeling a little silly for not figuring that out. “And you said he’s just a piece of a heartsoul? That doesn’t make any sense. You can’t just break apart someone’s soul ? — ”

“And that’s where you would be wrong, wildfire.” He smiles at my disgruntled look, his canines gleaming menacingly through the shadows as he grips the bars tighter. “Here in The Far Place, it’s possible. It’s called sundering, and it’s what happened to me —though it’s nearly too long ago for me to remember.”

“And which piece are you supposed to be ? ”

M just looks at me, his teeth sharpening to points as his eye flares neon red. “Pieces of a puzzle, lined all in a row. One broke off and fell below. The others all followed, with one left behind; the center of the whole, locked away to die.” His smile morphs into a sadistic smirk. “Does that answer your question, little one?”

I suck in a breath, taking in his features as if for the first time. “You’re the main piece…”

He nods, eyes gleaming. “Clever thing.”

“So then… what terrible thing caused them to lock you down here? What did you do ?”

He doesn’t answer, doesn’t blink. He just stares through the bars with that disconcerting smile. “I’ve enjoyed this immensely. But for now, we must cease our talking. I’m growing weary.”

M retreats from the bars, allowing the shadows to swallow him whole. I bang my fists against the bars as frustration courses through my veins, desperate for more answers. “Wait! You can’t just leave! Please, M, don’t leave!”

But it’s too late.

He’s already gone.