I winced as the knife thrust forward, its tip scraping against my sternum. Without Sitri to protect me, the struggle was over. I didn’t have the air to scream, to beg. The darkness blinded me. Wet warmth bubbled up from the growing wound in my chest, seeped into my clothes, and slithered across my skin in trails.
When she was done, that would be all that remained of me—red stains splattered on the floors of the Prince’s mansion. If I knew Mara, there wouldn’t even be that much left over.
A sudden clatter near the door drew the demoness’ attention. An amber glow illuminated the ceiling and shone on Mara’s face. Her eyes widened, and her eyebrows raised.
“Let her go, Mara. If you don’t, I’ll make sure Sitri exacts the same violence you show threefold,” Apollo ordered. The sound of steel leaving its sheath put power behind his words.
Mara’s grip loosened, and the knife slid from my chest. I took a gasping breath to soothe the aching in my lungs.
“I have to do this.” Her voice cracked. “He wants her here. He used his seers to bring her to us. What happens if they come for her, come forme?”
“Sitri’s orders are absolute. Only he lays so much as a finger on her. If you plan to cross him further, you shoulder the consequences alone.”
Glass crunched beneath Apollo’s shoes as he advanced. Mara’s grip on me loosened just enough—Apollo had her distracted. This was a brief window of opportunity. To seize it, I had to act fast.
I felt around on top of the table, and found what I was looking for; a bottle half-filled with oils, the right size to fit in the palm of my hand. While Mara watched Apollo, I swung it with all my might, landing the blow against her shoulder. The demoness shrieked in pain as it burst. A shower of shards and droplets flew into the air. Mara stumbled away. I struggled to my feet, though I had yet to recover.
She bared her teeth in a snarl. “Why, you little…”
Mara whipped around, reaching for something concealed against her thigh. I tensed. Of course, she was armed. Every damn demon in this place seemed to be. Before she drew her weapon, Apollo stepped between us.
“Stand down,” Apollo shouted, “or I will force you to stand down. This human isn’t yours to bind or break. Prince Sitri decides her fate.”
Mara glanced between Apollo and I before clenching her hands into fists. Where I had struck her shoulder, it glistened with blood and oil. Silver and crimson droplets stained her dress. Her once-perfect hair fell dramatically out of place, and murder festered in her eyes.
“You want me to trust Zaleos’ agent? Have you gone mad? She’ll see us all destroyed!”
Apollo lowered his sword, his face softening. “I want you to trust the family that took you in when no one else would.”
She gritted her teeth and growled like a wild animal. Mara’s composure drained. In its place, a rabid hostility crept in, far more terrifying than the calculated coldness Sitri commanded.
“Go on then, pamper the human with the finest Lantyca has to offer until she fades, or else becomes a threat. Mark my words; she will slay the Prince, and when she does, you’ll be meeting your mentor in the gorge.” With that, Mara stormed out of the room and slammed the kitchen door behind her.
I glanced at Apollo, uncertain if the danger had passed. He hesitated, his eyes trained on the exit. With a sigh, he sheathed his sword and turned to me.
I’d been rescued. Again.
Even with Apollo’s aid, I had escaped with a fresh helping of wounds. The blood flowing from my chest made my clothes sticky against my skin, and my throat would hurt for days where Mara had dug her fingers into me.
But I was still in one piece—a mercy I owed to the demon warrior at my side.
“Thank you,” I said, unable to meet Apollo’s eyes.
He shook his head. “There’s no need to thank me. You shouldn’t have needed me in the first place. She’s never had much respect for authority, but I didn’t expect her to do…this.”
“Has she always been like that?” I asked. “So… aggressive?”
“In a way, but it’s gotten worse lately,” Apollo admitted, pinching his brow. “She’s trying to outrun her fate, the same as you. Sitri and I wanted to help her, but…”
His words faded into a smothering silence. This transgression would have consequences for me, for her, for Sitri.
“What Mara said about ‘the human fading…’”
A faint, forced smile crept across Apollo’s face. “He hasn’t told you, then. He said he would.”
My pulse slowed, but my stomach churned. I’d stumbled on another of the Prince’s secrets, and it was about to be unveiled, whether he liked it or not.
“No… he hasn’t.”
