Page 34 of Resurrection (Daemons & Lumens #2)
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Seraphina
I felt the heat of the flames again, but they didn’t burn. I was becoming the flame, crawling from the ashes of my destruction to rise above my enemies in their time of power. But it was not to be their moment, it was mine.
The starlight in that other place filled me with strength.
My father’s strength. Somehow, I knew he was gone but still here for one final act.
Words I never uttered before in my life flowed from my lips, and the flames grew around me.
My dress was gone, turned to ash along with my former self.
I stood, naked and coated in fire. There was an intense burning at my back, like some thing was just beneath my skin and desperate to be unleashed.
The world around me was nothing but a soft noise buzzing in the back of my mind.
I continued to chant, feeling the pull of a new creature.
Hello, my queen. I’m coming for you.
A deep voice whispered in the flames and caressed my mind like a lover’s touch. I shivered. The feel of it made my heart race. I wanted this creature to come for me.
I saw him in my mind first. He was fucking gorgeous.
His dark hair was long and wild, brushing against his shoulders.
Charcoal-gray horns spiraled out near the crown of his head.
A pair of ash-colored wings burst from his back.
The tips of the feathers glittered like shards of silver.
His tanned skin glistened with a silvery glow that matched the color of his eyes.
They were strange and beautiful, and I couldn’t keep my gaze away from him.
His chest was bare and chiseled. His jaw was strong and clean-shaven, perfectly accenting his high cheekbones and sensual mouth. A smirk played along those teasing lips.
“Hello, my beautiful mate. I’ve been waiting for you.”
I sucked in a breath at his words, but I couldn’t refute them. I could feel the pull of this creature in my soul. We were connected on some level I didn’t fully understand.
“Phenex?” I whispered the name.
He grinned, and the devilish mouth did things to my body. “Of course. But we don’t have time for all that now, my sweet. We need to get the fuck out of here. You ready?”
My mouth dropped open. “Ready for what? I can’t do anything.”
He cocked his head, his shining eyes roaming my body and reminding me I was naked. “There is nothing you cannot do, my queen. I will teach you. But later. Now, we have to kill things and run.”
Before I could respond, the daemon slammed into the tiled floor of the ballroom, now fully in the flesh. He was fucking massive. I stared up at him, licking my lips. His eyes zeroed in on my mouth. His hand snapped out and pinched my lips together.
“No, sexy lip licking. I have to save us first,” Phenex crooned.
My head cocked to the side, and I was not entirely sure what to make of this creature. He turned from me, and the flames danced away from him. I could hear The Obscuritas members chanting again, but it was broken and mixed with screams. What was happening outside the flames?
Phenex turned to the wall of windows and whispered a few words. Seconds passed, and then the glass shattered.
He turned back and scooped me up into his arms. “Time to go, tiny creature.”
“Wait!” I held up my hands, realizing I still held my mother’s dagger. “The Princes. We need to get them too.”
Phenex rolled his eyes. “You don’t need them.”
I snarled at him with all the strength I could muster. “They are mine, and I won’t leave without them.”
He huffed but nodded, silver eyes twinkling. “Very well. You’re going to be such a pain in the ass, aren’t you, my queen?”
I shrugged, because probably. Phenex turned with me in his arms and spoke a few words, forcing the flames back and revealing my Princes. Their eyes went wide at the sight of me in the daemon’s arms. Phenex waved his hand, and the chains on their wrists snapped off.
“Your relics!” Phenex shouted at them. “Grab them, and let’s go!”
To their credit, my men didn’t waste time asking questions.
They each grabbed their relic and ran toward us, their wings snapping out.
Phenex held me tight and leapt into the sky.
The flames flashed out around us, forcing the cloaked figures to flee.
I couldn’t see the Kings, but I didn’t care.
The power that pulsed within me was fading, my strength was fading.
And as Phenex took to the sky with me wrapped in his arms, I closed my eyes and sunk into the darkness, searching for my father’s voice. But he was gone. They both were.