Page 31

EVE

“Someone followed us?” Panic flared through my chest, icy and sharp.

“Lower-level daema,” Orion said through bared teeth, his eyes scanning the treeline with deadly focus. “I thought we’d lost them on the drive, but they must’ve picked up the trail again.”

The blood drained from my face. “What do we do?”

“I’ll deal with them,” he said grimly, his shoulders squaring, every inch of him screaming lethal intent. “I need you to listen carefully. I’m going to engage them, and when I do, you run. Head back the way we came. Don’t stop until you’re out of the woods.”

“No!” The word burst from me before I could stop it. “What about you?”

“I’ll catch up,” he said firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument. But that didn’t stop me trying.

“We should stick together—”

“Eve, do as I say, and everything will be just fine. I’ll take care of them, but you need to go.”

Before I could respond, the forest seemed to come alive. A pair of glowing red eyes appeared in the shadows, their malevolent gaze locked on us, baring razor-sharp teeth in some kind of twisted grimace.

“Get ready,” Orion snapped, stepping towards the creature and opening up more space between us than I was comfortable with.

I didn’t like this plan. Not one bit. I opened my mouth to say something—but a scream tore free of my throat as another demon lunged from Orion’s blind spot, its human form nothing but a blur of claws and teeth.

Orion moved faster than I thought possible, twisting the ring on his finger with practiced precision.

The small, unassuming piece of jewelry shimmered, glowing faintly before shifting into something far deadlier.

In an instant, the ring transformed into an immense broadsword, its golden blade gleaming as it caught the fragmented sunlight filtering through the canopy.

The swing was effortless, a single, fluid arc that sliced clean through the demon’s neck. The severed head hit the ground with a sickening thud, rolling once before coming to a stop. Its body collapsed in a twitching heap at Orion’s feet, black blood seeping into the earth.

My hands flew to my mouth, and my stomach threatened to rebel as I stared at the bloody scene. My heart slammed against my rib cage. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the lethal shine of Orion’s blade now dipped in black.

The serenity in his features was so at odds with what I was seeing. His shoulders rose and fell with steady, deliberate breaths, his focus locked on the treeline as if waiting for the next attack.

“Orion…”

“I’ve got this.”

He spun the blade in his hand with a practiced ease, stepping over the twitching corpse of the first demon without a second glance.

His focus was locked on the other two, their glowing eyes narrowing as they sized him up.

The creatures seemed to hesitate, their movements less confident now, their gaze darting between Orion and the mutilated remains of its companion.

I stood frozen, my breath shallow as I watched the two more approaching from the shadows. One of the demons snarled, claws curling as it crouched, ready to pounce. Orion didn’t flinch, his stance shifting just slightly as he adjusted his grip on the sword.

The creatures moved with startling speed, their movements in sync, their claws slashing through the air like serrated blades.

Orion sidestepped their attacks with a fluid grace that made it seem effortless, his golden blade arcing through the air in a deadly counter strike.

The demon twisted at the last second, the tip of Orion’s sword missing its chest by mere inches.

I should’ve run. I knew that. But I couldn’t look away.

Orion moved like a predator, every step deliberate, every strike precise—just raw, lethal efficiency. It was terrifying and mesmerizing all at once.

The first demon lunged again, its claws aimed straight for his throat. Orion ducked low, his blade slicing upward in a powerful swing that caught the creature’s shoulder.

The demon roared, the sound reverberating through the clearing as black ichor sprayed from the wound.

The bellow of pain was enough to snap me out of my trance, pulling another pathetic yelp from my lungs.

“Run, Eve!” Orion barked, his voice cutting through the thick tension like a whip as he stepped toward the danger.

As much as I hated it, I ran, not stopping to look back.

My heart thundered in my chest in time with my steps, my boots slipping slightly on the damp earth the farther I got from the clearing.

The sounds of the battle raged on even though I could no longer see it.

I wanted to scream for him, to tell him to be careful, but Orion was clearly in his element, and I was way out of my depth.

Running felt like the complete wrong thing to do, but what help could I have offered him beyond a distraction? With a labored breath, I forced myself forward, praying to whoever might be listening that Orion would come out of this alive.

Every stride felt like an eternity, my lungs burning, my legs trembling with each desperate step. The forest was an endless maze of shadows and trees, blurring into one indistinguishable mass. I didn’t even know if I was heading in the right direction anymore.

A root caught my foot, and I stumbled, slamming face-first against a tree trunk. Gasping for air, I leaned heavily against the rough bark.

Now that I’d stopped, I realized how unnervingly silent the forest had become, save for the jagged sound of my breathing. I wiped the damp sweat from my brow, muttering to myself.

If I survive this, I’ll start to exercise. Tomorrow. No excuses.

A twig snapped somewhere behind me.

My heart shot into my throat, every instinct screaming at me to move, but I couldn’t.

“Orion?” My voice came out quiet and trembling. Please, let it be Orion.

Instead, I got no answer.

I decided waiting around was probably the worst thing I could do, so I focused on getting my feet to move, trying to remember which direction I’d been running in. Every path looked the same, the thick canopy blocking out the light.

What if I was lost? What if something happened to Orion and he couldn’t find me?

What if something else found my first?

I shook the thoughts away. There was no use frightening myself like that. He’s alive. He has to be. He’d probably find me eventually and make some joke about how lost I was, like he wasn’t just fighting for our lives just moments before.

Then something in the shadows shifted. It was subtle at first—just darkening in the corner of my vision. But then they coalesced, taking form. Glowing eyes pierced through the gloom, locking onto me with a predatory gleam.

I stumbled back as my panic returned with a renewed vigor, but my foot caught on something behind me, and the whole world tilted. I hit the ground hard, the impact knocking the air from my lungs.

The demon’s laugh was a low, guttural sound that echoed through the trees, chilling me to my core. I scrambled to my feet, ignoring the sharp sting in my ankle, and ran.

Orion .

The thought of him was a lifeline, but it also brought a fresh wave of fear. If the demon’s here, was he OK? Were there more hiding in the woods that he didn’t know about?

But I couldn’t think about him. I just had to focus on putting as much distance between me and the creature now hunting me through the undergrowth. I didn’t know how to fight, and if it caught me…

The demon was too fast for my brain to comprehend. It cut through the forest in a blur of motion, reappearing ahead of me. I screamed as its form materialized on my path.

Up close, he looked almost human, but the way its repulsive features twisted into a sneer, its claws glinting in the faint light, told me it was anything but human. Its face was twisted into a grotesque snout as it snarled at me, and…was that a fucking scorpion tail?

Its hand shot out, gripping my throat with impossible strength. I clawed at its hand, gasping, choking, my vision blurring. The forest spun around me as the demon lifted me off the ground like I was weightless.

Its fetid breath hit me as it leaned closer, its voice a sickening rasp. “The King will be very pleased with what I’ve caught today,” it hissed, its forked tongue flicking out to lick my cheek.

The King ? The words barely made sense through the roar in my ears, but the chill they left behind cut deep.

“You’ll wish I’d killed you here when you see what he has planned for you.”

There was no way in hell I was going with this creature. I thrashed against its grip, trying to scream, but it was useless. His hand was clamped around my throat, stifling my attempts to suck in air and my struggles only made the creature’s claws dig deeper.

Where was Orion? Why wasn’t he here yet? Had I run too far? Or was I already too late?

I had to do something. Anything. I had to fight, even if it killed me anyway. I didn’t know how to fight. But something in me did.

Something deep within me stirred. Pressure, building and building, hot and electric.

My hands burned around the demon’s grip, the sensation sharp and startling, like clenching lightning itself.

It felt familiar, a buzzing in my chest that reminded me of the moments before Arachnia burst into flames.

But it didn’t feel like me—it felt wild, uncontrollable.

Orion’s voice rang out in the distance, shouting my name. He sounded distant, drowned out by the roaring in my head. The demon’s grip tightened, its laughter vibrating through my bones.

“Stop struggling, little bird,” it snarled, its forked tongue flicking again.

The pressure inside me snapped, and heat surged through my veins. My palms ignited—a blinding, electric warmth that crackled and grew, embers turning into a roaring inferno.

The fire wasn’t just around me—it was me.

I could feel it searing my soul to my bones, burning hot and wild, as if it had always been there, waiting to be unleashed.