Eva stretched her hand toward blood. I threw myself forward, snatched her wrist, and dragged her away before her fingers brushed the crimson. When she whirled on me, hissing, all I could see was hate in her eyes.
The Eva I knew was gone.
21
Eva
Vision bleeding red, I yanked my wrist out of Caim’s grip. I glared at him, my chest heaving, and wondered why I had ever let him get near me. I should have known he’d try to stop me. That was all he’d ever done.
I stumbled away from him, curling my hands into fists. What was wrong with him? Hell, what was wrong withallof them? They were demons. This wasn’t their world. They belonged in Hell, not here with the mortals and their weird technology and buzzing phones. Although....there was one benefit of this place. There were lots and lots of humans.
The sight of the blood still filled my mind with static, and the knives of hunger scraped through my insides. I didn’t know much about being a demon, but I did know one thing. That blood was the only thing in the world that could really satiate my hunger. That and some kind of meat. The raw kind.
The kind that was at my feet.
“Stay away from me!” I shouted when Caim took a step my way. I didn’t want him anywhere near me, but I knew the Legion wouldn’t stop until they got their hands on this body. To them, I was an enemy in need of destruction. If they didn’t end me, they’d throw me in a dungeon somewhere, and I’d never see the light of day.
Not until they forced me to take the cure.
The monster within me flashed its teeth at that. I didn’t need curing. Life was far better this way. No longer would I have to worry about my terminal illness. I could lead a long and happy life. One without the fear of death constantly hanging over my head. As long as I completed the full transformation—and I hadn’t yet for some strange reason—I’d never have to worry about my illness ever again. The demon powers would heal me, erasing the inflammation of my bones.
Something cracked in the trees behind the Legion. The demons whirled toward the sound.
I sucked in a sharp breath. This was my chance to flee while they were distracted.
Before their focus turned back on me, I spun and raced into the bushes.
The branches scraped my arms as I dove forward. For a moment, all I could hear was the patter of my footsteps and my ragged breath. The bushes parted before me, and I stumbled into a small clearing that held a few bronze statues. The moon splashed its light on the shadowy ground, highlighting a paved path winding through the trees.
I glanced over my shoulder at the sudden shouts that exploded from the bushes behind me. The Legion had definitely noticed I’d fled. Time to get the hell out of here.
Casting a glance one way and then the next, I darted to the left, rushing past the looming statues. My feet flew down the path as the hunger roared to life, annoyed that I’d left a perfectly nice meal behind.
I couldn’t remember how long it had been since I’d eaten something. A real meal, not that human crap. A real steak, juicy and raw. The human version of Eva wasn’t a big fan of that kind of thing. It had probably been months since I’d truly feasted.
Body buzzing from the adrenaline surging through my veins, I stumbled forward on the path. A hulking figure thundered to the ground just in front of me. His inky wings pulsed at the air, his face twisted into a terrifying expression of torment and rage.
I slowed to a stop and narrowed my eyes. “Go away, Caim. Human Eva might have wanted you around, but I don’t.”
He winced, and I couldn’t help but smile. I’d stabbed him right where it hurt.
“Don’t talk like that, Eva. I can see in your eyes that you’re still in there. You haven’t fully transformed yet. Hell, I can smell the human on you.”
“Maybe I haven’t,” I said with a slight shrug. “But it doesn’t even matter because I’ve taken control now. It’s only a matter of time before the human you once knew is fully gone.”
Shockingly, he smiled.Hmm.I narrowed my eyes. What was he so damn happy about? He should be on his knees with grief.
“I won’t stop fighting for her,” he said, lazily folding his arms and cocking a brow. “And if you weren’t worried about it, you wouldn’t have tried to get away from me just now. You would have fought.”
“You’re delusional,” I spat, backing up. Heart hammering, I glanced around for a weapon. Anything would do. Even a stick. Anything I could stab him with. It wouldn’t kill him, but all I needed to do was slow him down long enough for me to get away.
Some demons were good at tracking. Like Lucifer. I didn’t know how I knew this, but I did. Leave a trail behind, and he would be able to find me no matter where I hid. But Caim didn’t have that kind of power, so it wouldn’t take much to get free of him. Get far enough away, and he wouldn’t be able to follow. He’d lose the trail.
Human Eva pounded against my mind, trying to take control again. I shook my head and shoved her down.
My eyes landed on a metal rod discarded in the bushes that lined the path. That would do very nicely. I made a move toward it, but Caim dodged first and snatched it out of my grasp. He held it up and waved it before me.
“Is this what you were hunting?” he asked with a slight smile. “Nice try. That would have been my move, too. Stun me and run. That way you could put enough distance between us that I wouldn’t be able to follow your trail.”
