But now, as I stare at her, I realize that I was right and wrong. She was a gift, but it didn’t come from the heavens. She came from Hell.
And I think I made a blood deal with the devil.
When I get back to the balcony, Elle is gone. I storm from my room and reach for the bond that links us. It’s still there. As much as I want to peer into her mind, I don’t. Now that I know what it truly is, it feels like a violation. I let my feet guide me, following the invisible tether to my mate.
Leaves crunch as I cut through the dead forest. A light breeze drifts past me, stirring barren branches. The sound of trickling water grows stronger. Just ahead, the backs of two black uniforms come into view. I pass the guards, who mutter something that I don’t care about. I could ask them where Elle is, but I can sense she’s close, so I save my breath.
Finally, I see her.
And the sight of her makes me want to rip the throats from the guards.
She lays in a shallow creek, her white nightgown clinging to her sallow skin. A knife sticks from her arm, blood trickling and flowing into the water. She stares at the sky, eyes barely open. Empty and dull.
I turn, slow and controlled. The guard on the left—surprise, it’s the same gnat I threatened the last time—straightens.
“Your Highness, what’s wrong?”
I gesture to Elle. “You’re supposed to be protecting her,” I hiss.
“All due respect, Your Highness,” the guard says, “our duty is to ensure she stays alive.” His gaze shifts nervously to her. “And she is alive.”
I take a step toward him, and they both back up. I throw a hand out, freezing them both in place. “Did you forget our conversation?” I ask the one on the left.
His pupils are blown wide open, and he shakes his head vigorously. “N-no, Your Highness, but?—”
I dart toward him, gripping his meaty neck in my hand. “And what did I say?” My voice is low, barely audible. But I know he can hear every word. He trembles in my hand.Good.
His mouth opens, but I slam it shut with the butt of my palm.
“Agh!”
“I’ll remind you. I told you,” I say through gritted teeth, “that the next time you disobeyed me, you could ask your maker where I got my flames.” The scent of urine assaults me, and I chuckle. “Pathetic.”
His screams are garbled as my flames lick every inch of his skin, a writhing kiss of death. The smell of his flesh burning has my nose crinkling.
The second guard stares at me, now trembling. “I t—I tried to tell him, Y-Your Highness,” he stammers.
I don’t respond. Not with words, at least. I dart forward and sink my fangs into his neck, forcing venom into the bite. He drops to the moss-covered ground with a satisfying thump. I leave him and walk to the creek. Even with all the commotion, Elle still stares lifelessly toward the gray sky. I stand over her, but her gaze drifts through me.
“Get up,” I command.
She doesn’t respond.
I lean down and yank the knife from her arm. Blood pours from the wound, mixing with the clear water, like smoke twisting in the air. The wound begins to heal itself, but slower than I had anticipated. I remove my shirt and tie it around her arm. It turns crimson.
“Get up,” I repeat.
“Make me.” Her voice is raspy, as if she hasn’t spoken in ages.
On instinct, I reach for the bond, for the compulsion it allows me, but I stop short. It feels wrong. “No.”
She doesn’t respond, just continues to lie there staring through me. I kneel, the icy water soaking into my pants as I hover over her.
“Get up,” I growl.
Again, no response.
I lean down and cup the back of her head, forcing her to look at me. “Would you stop your fucking wallowing andget up?”
