Page 33 of Demonic Affliction

“It’s okay, Cin⁠—”

“No! You don’t understand!” He reels back, clutching his head in his hands. “No one understands! No one understands! No one understands!”

“Please just try to relax, Cin.”

His head snaps up with a snarl, his eyes glossing over with a film of madness. “Leave me!” he orders, his voice deepening, growing more dangerous. “Get out! Now!”

I don’t need to be told twice. Stumbling to my feet, I race out of the room and back up the tunnels to the safety of my mates.

I have a sickening feeling I just made everything so, so much worse.

10

Willow

After a long soak in the healing baths, the water works the last of the aches from my muscles. While I dry off and get dressed, Rhune and Nyx run off to scrounge something for me to eat. We eat in the kitchen with Dravik, and then he leaves us to check on Cin and possibly head out for a quick hunt.

I’m well-fed, clean, and slightly sleepy, so Rhune carries me in his arms up to the bedroom, and the three of us lie down for some much-needed rest.

Nyx and Rhune are exhausted from healing me, and they fall quickly into a deep, coma-like slumber. Neither of them stirs when I shift to get more comfortable, which tells me exactly how much of themselves they poured into keeping me alive today.

Rhune's arm is heavy across my waist, pinning me lightly to the furs. Nyx is curled the other direction, one hand resting against my hip, fingers slack now instead of gripping like they were a moment ago.

I should be tired too. My body certainly is, but sleep doesn't come as easily. I keep running through everything that’s happened and all the things that led me to be here at this exact moment. The more I think about it, the less it feels like reality.

I lie between them for a while, listening to their breathing, letting the steady rhythm lull me into a peaceful trance. At some point, sleep claims me, but it’s not the kind of rest I desire.

I dream of a Welwig tree hanging from the ceiling of a massive cavern, its horrible roots spreading across the ceiling and bursting through the walls—reaching, searching for something. The color red pulses in time with the rhythm of my racing heart, filling my veins with poison and casting my skin in the hue of fresh blood.

Pain comes first. Then death. Then destruction.

Someone else’s memories flash through my mind in broken pieces, moving too fast for me to hold on to. None of it makes sense, but the vision burrows into the recesses of my mind, altering my chemistry and changing something fundamental in my soul.

Now that I’ve seen it, I can’t let it go. I can’t forget. And I still don’t know what it means.

There’s a flash, then a sound fills my head—a foghorn screams across the land, warning that the end is near. So very, very near.

I wake up covered in sweat, my heart still slamming against my ribs. The furs beneath me are damp, and my hair is splayed in all directions, with large chunks sticking to my forehead and neck.

I need another bath. Not just to clean off the sweat but also to wash away the remaining memories of that horrible dream.

Careful not to wake my mates, I ease out from under Rhune’s arm and crawl out of bed. Gazing back at them to ensure they’re still sleeping, I turn and quietly pad out of the bedroom, taking the passages toward the healing baths.

As soon as I step into the bathing chamber, the humid air hits me, carrying the faint scent of ancient magic and minerals. The room is dark except for a faint blue glow rising off the pool, bathing the space in a deeply calming hue.

Taking a deep breath, I strip off my suit and wrap a fur around myself like a towel. My bare feet slap softly against the ice-rock as I cross to the edge of the pool, the only sound except for my quiet breathing. I sit on the ledge, dipping my feet into the water to acclimate my body to the heat before I plunge in.

“This is nice.” I brace my palms behind me and lean back, breathing in the calm and quiet.

Then a pair of massive, curved horns clears the surface of the pool, scaring the life out of me. I let out an ear-piercing shriek and do the only thing I can think of—splash some water at it.

The wave clears, and Dravik is staring back at me, his face dripping water and mouth pressed into a tight line. “Was that really necessary?”

“Whoops.” I shoot him an apologetic smile. “I didn’t think anyone was down here.”

He frowns. “I am hard to miss.”

“Well, I didn’t think to look under the water. How long were you holding your breath for, anyway?”