Page 28 of Once Upon a Demon’s Heart

Chapter Seventeen

ALIRA

This once enchanting valley has turned a muddled gray. It’s as if the very life has been syphoned from the soil. Upon first glance, one would think it’s only a sleeping village, but I can recall the bloodshed as if it were yesterday.

I watch as Kalel and Nikolai stride to the top of the hill where we await them.

My eyes follow Kalel. Hurt has been threading through my chest since last night, seeing his past self collapse in that field disturbed some old trauma in my heart.

He was deeply wounded, emotionally and physically.

Those are the moments that shape us the most, aren’t they?

The pain. Suffering. You can’t truly relate to something unless you experience it for yourself.

Tessa hasn’t spoken much since we arrived. Everyone has a dark air about them here, but there’s a grim expression she keeps giving me that makes me worried. Not to mention the way the troops are stationed, waiting below like they are expecting a sacrifice.

I firm my trembling hands beneath my cloak. Kalel won’t kill me, I tell myself, shaking Mercury’s warning from my thoughts.

“Dismount your horse, little godling,” Kalel growls as he approaches. The clouds are heavy behind him. Dark and promising a freezing rain.

Kalel’s been in a particularly bad mood since last night. Whatever happened to him in that vision haunts him more than he’s willing to admit. And passing through Thornhall today seems to have only made it worse.

I do as he says and swallow my pride as he stares down at me with callous eyes. Nikolai moves to my other side and leans in to whisper, “Be strong, Alira. I’m right here to heal you, so fear not. I’ve got you, lovely goddess.”

My stomach drops. “That’s not as reassuring as you think it is.”

Nikolai sees the fear in my gaze. He weaves his fingers with mine. “You’ll be fine, and I’m sorry about luring you into the dance last night. I was only trying to get on Kalel’s nerves. Perhaps even to see if he’d join in the sendoff for once.” He offers me a sincere grin.

It’s impossible to stay mad at someone like Nikolai. He has that innocent smile and flicker in his gaze that only makes his charm more endearing.

“I’ll forgive you if you tell me what he’s going to do.” I let my eyes shift to the back of Kalel’s head. The gilded cuff earrings even seem dull in this death valley.

Nikolai groans as he pulls his hand down his jaw, contemplating whether he should tell me or not.

“He’s going to completely drain you of your blood, as penance to the innocent souls lost in this village.

It will pay their fare into the underworld if they weren’t able to make it through the Gates of Mortem. ”

Every muscle in my body halts, and I give him a mortified look. “ What? But I’ll die.” My fight-or-flight response kicks in and my heart thrums loudly in my ears.

I need to run.

Nikolai senses my urge to flee and tightens his hold on my hand.

“No, you won’t. You are a demigod. I’ve seen it firsthand, unfortunately, and I can attest that you cannot die from Kalel’s bloodletting.

It’s not like being wounded on the field.

His poison keeps the host alive, and you go into a state of rest for a few days while your body recovers. ”

My face pales. “That’s a terrible ability to have.

A never-ending source of food?” I feel sick just thinking about it.

All the demigods that were captured over the years…

we assumed that they were all killed, but now I fear that Kalel has been using them only as cattle.

“Will it hurt?” I murmur so quietly that it’s almost more for myself.

Kalel hears me and turns, glancing over his shoulder. “Only in the ways that matter. Come.” He offers me his hand like the wicked man he is.

What is that supposed to mean? I reluctantly take Kalel’s hand and let go of Nikolai’s.

“Have faith, Alira,” Nikolai whispers his encouragement, staring at me longingly as we part ways. It earns him a low growl from Kalel, but the healer’s apprentice doesn’t seem to care what his commander thinks.

Kalel guides me to the ridge of the hill, where his army looks up at us from below. Their eyes are all filled with remorse, hatred, and eagerness for what Kalel is about to do.

Mercury’s words ring through my head ominously. “ He was born to kill all half-gods.” I don’t want to believe his foretelling, but it’s hard not to find a sliver of truth in it when Kalel can be so heartless.

Kalel doesn’t bother looking at me before he addresses his army below.

“This is what the demigods have done to us. Look around and take heed. They tricked us, lied to us, killed us after agreeing to peace. The demigods only surrendered once we cornered them in their kingdom. Only once we invaded and eradicated what little forces they had left.” Kalel’s voice rings through the valley below, cutting even the cold drizzle that has begun to fall like tears from the sky.

“They begged for mercy, but we made sure to show them none. And finally… finally they gave up. We will take the offering of their holiest of blood,” Kalel says coldly as he wraps his hand around my waist and pulls me to be in front of him.

“I will take this godling’s blood and give it back to the earth so that our lost ones may find peace.

Then, when we return to Devicit, I will breed her and defile her holy womb.

The gods will then know true fury—despair for the wicked things they’ve created within us.

I intend to have all of our suffering paid in full. ”

The breeze on this gray hill moves through me, shifting my hair and chilling me down to the core.

A shiver travels down my back. Shame fills me, because I’m okay with all the penance if it’s Kalel who reaps it.

I don’t know why I feel so indebted to him.

Perhaps because of the prayer he answered.

Or maybe it’s his burdened soul that I connect with so much.

If it saves the kingdom of demigods. I alone will suffer for them. I’ve made peace with it.

“Our mercy died with Thornhall,” he shouts, and a roar of cheers from the knights below echoes through my ears as Kalel buries his fangs into my neck.

My limbs fail me, but Kalel is already supporting my body with a steady arm around my hip and another gripping my chin tightly.

The cheering doesn’t stop, and neither do the savage pulls of blood he takes.

Each gulp is audible and messy—gold spills down the side of my neck and trickles to the ground.

A whimper escapes my parted lips as my vision starts to blur.

I must be close to losing consciousness, but as I’m thinking it, a surge of adrenaline rushes through every vein in my body, giving me strength to writhe in his hold.

He doubles down, lifting me up completely in his arms and sinking his teeth in deeper. A choked cry escapes me.

“ No . Stop,” I whimper. “It hurts.”

Struggling becomes harder, and the feeling of everything fades until I can no longer feel his lips on my skin or the press of his fingertips against my arms and legs. A bone-deep cold enters my veins—a kiss of death.

My lashes flutter shut, and my head drops back against his forearm, hanging with my throat exposed. The last gulp he takes from my artery feels like a tight cord being cut.

Everything halts at once, as if the world has ceased to exist entirely.

The air stings my nose, making my eyes fly open.

I’m staring up directly at Kalel. He’s dressed in his white armor with a maroon single shoulder cape; gold beads wrap around his chest plate, keeping it in place.

Formal Devicitian attire for a knight. His armor is freshly shined, revealing the lovely beige swirl designs.

The sky behind him is filled with dark clouds—the color of bruises—warm splashes of orange bloom here and there across the horizon where the sun is already setting.

How much time has passed?

I blink slowly and try to sit up. I realize we’re moving, and I’m seated in Kalel’s lap, resting against his chest as he holds the horse’s reins.

His amber eyes flick down to mine. A bolt of cold moves through me, and I can’t help the trembling that follows. There aren’t many things I fear in this life or the next. But Kalel has become one of them. He truly did drain me of all my blood.

His eyes darken before looking back ahead without saying a word to me. I want to ask him where we are and how long I’ve been asleep, but I decide to wait until Tessa or Nikolai come to check on me.

Is this my life now? Being consumed with fear every time my husband looks at me? Gods, what have I done?

After a few minutes, I feel strong enough to sit up. I try to straddle the horse so I’m not burdening Kalel anymore. But he presses his hand against me, making me lean into him.

“You need to rest more, little godling. You’ve only been asleep for three days.

Most demigods take four or five days to recoup after the bloodletting,” he says gently.

He looks defeated in the way he stares longingly at me.

If I didn’t know any better, I would say that he feels guilty about it.

I’ve never seen him look so melancholic.

The dark circles under his eyes must be from sleepless nights.

Did he worry about me? Did Nikolai stay by my side as he promised? My mind is heavy with the thoughts.

I ignore his advice and struggle to sit up again. He lets me straighten in the seat this time, but dizziness falls over me, making me slump into him again.

A rumbling, soothing purr rolls from his chest. I hate how warm and inviting it is, but I greedily lean into it.

My hands rest over his wrists, and I can’t help but notice how small my frame is compared to his.

The sleeves of my cloak are gilded with my blood.

I’m guessing they ran out of spare clothing for me.

For once, I’m glad my blood is not red.