Page 28 of A Requiem of Fire and Ice

“A day. Astin gave us the, uh…lacking information, and⁠—”

“I’ll send you the address of the academy she goes to. Try gathering as much information as possible before four o’clock Sunday afternoon.”

“But—”

“Thank you,” I say and hang up.

I’ll let the woman go without a worry if Ri returns empty-handed. But if she returns with something, I’ll follow the woman onto the ship and watch her closely.

I want there to be a reason. The lack of hunts I’ve had lately sends a shiver down my spine, and my fingertips itch.

This could be my most exciting hunt in a long time.

Chapter 13

Blood Upon the Snow [Bear McCreary & Hozier]

Pandora Hart, July 8th

I show concern, but it doesn’t matter to him. Pushing doesn’t help when his burning hands grip my wrists tightly, and feverish lips move across my jaw as he crawls over me.

The word “no” means nothing to men in a relationship, even if I consider this a fake one. They think once the knot is tied, they can claim you whenever they please, and we can’t say no. They employ misogynistic language, gaslighting, and guilt to subdue us.

He undoes the button on his jeans and shuffles them down before grabbing my skirt and lifting it above my hips. His hands slide across my skin, near the right side of my waist. I open my legs and invite him to take me. The last thing I want is for his hands to wander to places I’m not ready to explore. Instead, I let the voice consume my mind and body as I slip into the depths of my soul and hide until he’s done.

I wish my vagina had teeth as he moves inside me and works with what little magic he has.

While he does, I admire the stars, and as I try to retreat to my safe place, the haunting nightmares seep through instead.

The Winter Nova Hotel is close to where I slaughtered and dismembered the fire elemny. Typha sighs with utter relief as we stand before the undamaged, untouched hotel. Enemies must still be working through the inner city.

We enter the dimly lit room, and I point to the reception desk. I instruct Typha to search the drawers for the logs when glass shatters from down the side hallway. A chilling spike of fear crawls up my spine as I step away from the seating area and around the white leather couches and table in the centre.

I move behind the reception desk and beside Typha. As I face her, there is a woman clutching her legs across from us. Blood cakes her features, and a terrified, nearly lifeless look wavers in her purple eyes. “Are you okay?” I ask.

She remains silent. That’s when I spot another receptionist near her. Burn marks spread across her corpse, and blood seeps onto the carpet beneath her.

Typha grimaces. “Where’s the key?”

I shoot her an annoyed glance at her lack of compassion before turning to the receptionist and saying, “There’s usually a key for the tunnel around here. If you know where it is, we can get to safety.”

“My boss moved it to his office down the hallway, but fire elemny are in there.”

“They must be searching for the entrance to the tunnels,” I say. “All we need to do is come up with a plan.”

The receptionist shuffles closer. “A Knight of Eraminia is in this building. The air elemny. He ruthlessly slaughtered everyone. I hid underneath the body over there, and that’s how I survived.”

“Fuck.” I peek over the counter, glance down the hallway, and then at Typha and the woman. “I’m going to set the fire alarm off. When I do, they’re going to exit the room, wondering what’s going on. You two are to stay here and hidden until I deem it safe to⁠—”

Typha grips my arm tightly. “You aren’t leaving me!”

I eye her, noticing the fear in her eyes. With a sigh, I turn to the woman and ask, “Are you alright staying here until we get back?”

“You aren’t leaving me!”

I smile, but the exhaustion weighs heavily on my shoulders now. “I’m Pandora Hart, Commander Frost’s daughter. What kind of elemny would I be if I couldn’t fill my dad’s shoes and save innocent elemny on my way to safety?”

The woman relaxes her shoulders and nods. “Alright, I’ll hide in the cupboard over there. Give it three taps.”