Finally, he starts to speak but doesn’t immediately answer my question. “Demons are constantly seeking more power, but we also respect rules and traditions. It’s up to the ruling monarch to choose their successor. If they don’t—or they aren’t able to, like your father right now—a new ruler is chosen from their children through the Elimination.
“It’s only if the monarch dies without any children that the strongest demon families send one member to compete in the Elimination. I could have ruled Pyra-Mortem before your father, but that’s not the life I chose.”
His eyes meet mine. “I will stand at the side of leaders I respect, keeping them safe from those who threaten them. Until your father, I’ve never failed.”
Shadows cross his face, my power wafting across the air between us.
Roman told me that other demons will shrink away from my darkness, but he stands firmly within it. “I won’t fail you, Nova.”
CHAPTERTHIRTY-ONE
The early afternoon sunlight glints across the distant skyscrapers as Zilron comes into view. The trees have grown sparser, and we’ll soon reach the edge of the Wilds.
This is the moment that the bubble bursts.
As the energy within the tunnel begins to fade and we come to a standstill inside a metallic statue—not a tree this time—I turn away from the blinding light bouncing off the surrounding buildings and focus on Roman. “If it wasn’t for my sisters, and my mom back on Earth, I would never have left your cabin. This city isn’t what I want.”
You are the one I want.
“There’s no other for me, Nova,” he says, as if he hears my thoughts, making my heart ache even more.
Roman drops his head and our lips meet. His kiss sends swirls of power through me, my energy twining with his as his taste fills me.
When we finally pull apart and step outside with my wolves following us, I find myself standing on a familiar street.
It’s the avenue with all the sculptures that leads back to the prison. Shading my eyes, I squint to make out the prison’s shape only a few hundred feet away, even more blinding in the early afternoon sunlight.
Roman’s hand brushes mine. “You need to see your sisters. There’s plenty of time before night falls.”
My eyes burn. “You could have brought me anywhere, but you brought me here.”
He nods. “My light tunnel lets out in many places around the city’s outskirts. You need this before you face the next trial.”
Before I can tell him how much this means to me, a squeak behind us makes me spin.
A female demon clutching a brown paper bag has frozen on the spot. Two others who were hurrying behind her pull up short, staring at Roman before they scatter down the nearest side-alley, their faces turned away, and I’m reminded of how much the demons fear Roman.
The woman clutching the bag is petite, with pale skin and a swarth of auburn hair that falls past her shoulders. Her eyes are so wide and she’s shaking so much that the bag is making an awful crinkling sound.
Roman ignores her fear. “What has happened since the first trial?”
She murmurs under her breath so softly that I can’t make out what she’s saying, but it sounds a lot like a prayer, the same lines repeated over and over.
I reach for her. “It’s okay.”
My power swirls outward and she stops speaking immediately, her throat constricting. Her fears rush through my head in an unwanted but all-too-easy wave. She’s afraid that her children will starve. The elite demon she serves—a female with fake orange hair—is cruel and if she doesn’t return soon, she’ll be punished. But right now, she’s too afraid to even cover her eyes.
“Don’t be afraid. We won’t keep you for long,” I say, trying to soothe her. “Can you tell us what’s happened in the last few days?”
She relaxes a little and the intensity of her fears fades. “Crone announced your death this morning.” The female’s voice is small and wavering. “In addition to Sotain’s death in the first trial.”
Sotain was the second son with the emerald-green hair and power of sadness. I’m surprised to hear that he died. “And the next trial?” I ask, needing confirmation of what Reaper told me.
“Tonight. At the seventh hour.”
I’m lucky Reaper warned me.
Roman steps closer. “I know the elite demon you serve. You will give Giltha a message from me.” His voice is low and deadly, each syllable perfectly enunciated, but it carries the honey that he used on Earth to persuade supernaturals to do exactly as he wanted. “Nova Madden, daughter of Jareth, is alive and has returned from the Forbidden Lands, stronger than ever. She has formed an alliance with Reaper and stands with the Master of Demon Runes, just as her father did. She will be at the trial tonight.”
