Page 10 of Drawn to the Demon Duke (Sombra Demons)

SHADOWS

SUSANNA

B ear.

That’s the only word I can think of to describe the shadow creature that’s battling against a Sombra demon male I’ve never seen before. Mainly because his red eyes burn through the darkness as he lets out another warrior cry, echoing the one that had me running toward the sound.

Now, should I have run toward the sound? Probably not. But if there’s one thing that both Mom and Mindy imparted into me growing up, it’s not to be just another bystander. That’s how kids keep going missing. If you can help, do so.

Of course, they never expected that I’d find myself stumbling upon a battle between a creature that manages to dwarf on of the seven-foot-tall demons who live in this fiery world, but the idea is the same.

Despite being a ferocious demon himself, that raging grizzly bear-type shadow beast is bearing down on him with all the fury of a bear back on Earth.

Immortal, I remember. That’s what Glaine said. Sombra demons are immortal, but tell that to the monster who looks like he won’t stop until he rips the other demon from shadowy limb to shadowy limb.

These woods are dark. Like, totally dark.

Even so, there is something about watching the shadow creature and the demon dude move that helps me pick them out among the other shadows.

Almost as though they’re just one shade lighter than the pitch-black woods so, if I squint, I can find them even if they’re quiet.

But they’re not quiet, are they?

The beast roars. The demon howls back, trying to get the beast to back off, but I guess it doesn’t work because, right as I cradle the ashbalm flower to my chest, tiptoeing closer so I can see what’s going on without making myself a second target, the shadow bear with glowing white eyes the size of baseballs rears back its arm, then swings with so much might, it slams into the demon, knocking him to the ash.

It’s friggin’ quick, too. Before the demon can get up and protect himself again, the shadow bear-monster- thing lumbers toward him, pinning the demon with a paw the size of a serving platter.

The demon bucks. He can’t get up. The hit must’ve knocked the wind out of him, leaving him on his back as the bear gets ready to swipe at him again.

No.

Cupping the ashbalm flower with my left hand, I reach down with my right.

Digging in the ash desperately, I search until I find another bone fragment.

I try not to think about how easy it was to find a length of bone like that in here—though if bears battle demons, that might explain it—and just jump up, making as fierce of a sound as I can.

Okay. I kind of sound like George of the Jungle, that cartoon I used to watch growing up in the late 60s. Or maybe Tarzan. I don’t know. I don’t really do much to frighten the bear, and when I throw the bone at it, I think I just made him angrier.

Great. So now that he’ll slaughter the demon and me .

No. I can’t let that happen.

Think, Su.

Think.

Wait—

Fire .

He’s a shadow creature who lives in the dark. And while there’s plenty of ash in here, the ashbalm flower is the only fire I’ve seen in the shadows. The bear’s eyes are also much wider than the other shadow beasties. What if… what if he’s not fond of fire?

Only one way to find out.

It stinks that I’ll probably end up sacrificing my flower to save the demon, but… hey. It’s not like I really wanted to break this bond with Haures anyway. And if I can save a life, it’s worth it.

Hoping like heck that it’ll work, I grab the ashy stem with my thumb and pointer finger on my right hand. I daringly take three quick steps closer, still keeping enough distance that I’ll at least have a heads up to my imminent demise if the bear thing targets me next.

Oh, Su. You didn’t really think this through, did you?

Ah, well. Here we go.

Hoping that I won’t just blow out the flickering flame, I start wafting it, moving my arm quickly, feeding it some oxygen. If I can breathe here—even if it’s so hot, that’s a struggle—then there’s oxygen, and when you use oxygen to feed a fire, it grows.

Just like this one does.

Within seconds, the petals become a fireball. The bear is mesmerized by it, so captivated, it momentarily forgets the demon under its grip. As I shout again, I see him wiggle himself out as the monster loses its focus.

He’s still too close. If the creature decides to ignore the fire and go for the demon again, it’ll be able to do so easily.

So, knowing that I’m probably kissing this flower goodbye, I use the element of surprise to dash forward with the flames, then fling the fireball at the shadowy bear.

The fire hits it in the chest area. I don’t know if it hurts so much as surprises the beast, but it falls back on its rump before hurriedly righting itself on all fours, lumbering off into the woods.

I turn toward the demon in time to see him gingerly climbing to his feet. He twists his head to the side, cracking his neck. He shakes out both arms. He tests his weight, and once he pronounces himself whole, he peers at me with blazing red eyes.

I swallow roughly. “Hey,” I ask in Sombran, my voice thrumming with the unfamiliar language. “You alright?”

His gaze takes me in, top to bottom. And then, in a gravely voice, he says, “Who are you?”

Not a thank you, but what did I really expect? To this demon, I’m probably as much of a monster as that?—

Arkoda .

I shake my head. I don’t know where that word came from. The magic seems to have made it so that I understand Sombran, but it’s like I know even more than that. Through this bond between Haures and me, I’m kind of able to pick up on things that the duke would know.

Like how the grizzly bear-looking shadow demon is a fierce predator—and known demon-killer—called the arkoda.

And red eyes on a demon male? This guy is a hunter who would’ve been in the shadows to find small prey beasts to hunt and cook for dinner, like the ungez Haures’s cooks kept trying to feed me during my stay in the dungeon.

But while I know more about Sombra, this demon is acting like he’s never seen anyone like me before—which he wouldn’t have, would he?

Who are you?

I know it’s not what he means, but I try anyway. “Um. I’m Susanna.”

“You are… you’re not a demoness.”

What was his first clue? “I’m not.”

He continue to peer at me, his eyes a pair of stop lights as he frowns.

“Why are your ears round? And your teeth… they are small and flat. How can you eat meat?” He snorts. “Your eyes are dead. You have no light, or horns to protect your brow. Is that how your sort of feeble demoness exists? Or have the shadows overtaken you already the way I’ve heard that they can?”

How nice. I save a demon, and how does he repay me? He insults me. No ‘thanks’, not even a flippant ‘I could’ve handled that’, but nitpicking my very normal human features?

I should just cut my losses and go. I saved him, so I did my good deed for the day and can move on with a clear conscience. There’s no reason to entertain this… but that doesn’t stop me.

Now, do I expect him to know that I’m a human? Not really. Haures said I was the only one in his lifetime, and the way this red-eyed demon seems appalled by my appearance, we can’t have been common even before Haures was in charge.

Still .

Tilting my head back so that I can meet his confused stare, I start by saying, “I’m not a demoness?—”

“She is human.” The male voice explodes around us like thunder, crackling like lightning. “At long last.”

I spin around. Crouching into a defensive stance as though he didn’t just get his butt kicked by that arkoda, the demon backs up against me as though he’s determined to protect me.

That might’ve been his next mistake. It made him a target when, if he’d just taken off into the shadows like that beast did, I would’ve been the only one left to face…

No one .

“Who are you?” I pause, then swivel, searching for who could’ve said that.

I’ve gotten so much better, seeing in the shadows, and there’s the demon I saved from that bear thing—that arkoda —and too many tiny white pinpricks belonging to other teeny tiny shadow creatures that remind me of goblins…

no, gremlins … but a man with a voice that sounds like Darth Vader should be easy to find.

He’s not.

“Where are you?” I demand instead.

“I am Yelios. King of Sombra. And I am everywhere, dear mortal.”

Ignoring how impossible it is for him to be everywhere —or how slimy it feels to have him call me a ‘dear mortal’—I focus on something else that stands out to me.

King? But I thought… “

His laugh develops a cruel, sardonic edge. “A shadowless spawn has stolen my crystal crown. I do not care about that. All I want is my mate.”

A shiver runs down my spine.

No. I… I read about him. King Yelios, and his mate. Queen Alana. A bonded pair from ages ago who ruled Sombra together during the time of the wars between this realm and one of the neighboring demon worlds.

But she did. Like, forever ago, she died in one of the campaigns. And because not even death can sever a bond—even if the ashbalm flower is supposed to—Yelios followed her into…

Crud.

The shadows.

He followed her into the shadows, hoping to be with his queen together in the Sombran version of an afterlife.

Well, if I can believe that this disembodied voice is who he says he is, then it looks like he hid out in the woods after his queen perished. Fine. Good. He can stay here because, like he pointed out, I’m just a human. I can’t help him with his mate, right?

I don’t know where he is so, with as subtle a gesture to the demon to follow me as I can make, I start to edge away from the clearing we’re in.

I made it about five steps before I slam up against an invisible wall that reminds me of the one that kept Sammael trapped inside of the protective circle in my living room.

My nose smarts. So do my knees. It was the same as walking face-first into a solid glass door with no give to it at all.

I stumble back.