Page 100 of Devoured

“There she is,” he murmurs.

I prepare myself for his attack, for his invisible blur of speed, dodging out of the way a half second before he can seize me by my waist. Then I whirl on him. He catches my forearm mid-swing, however, his grip ironclad and his lips twitching in another roguish smile.

“You’re fast,” he says. “But you’re sloppy. You need to control your movements. Don’t let them control you.”

I snarl again, twisting my arm, but his hold only tightens. I contemplate meeting his gaze, holding it, and diving back into his mind. Hurting him the way I did earlier to beat him, to win, but—no. I can’t use those powers. I can’t control them right now.

“Let go of me, Calix.”

“Make me.”

The words are a match to dry tinder. I rake my free claws across his chest—or try to. The moment they should connect, he’s gone again, the whisper of his movement snuffing out the nearest candle. I spin, heart pounding, scenting him. But he’s already behind me. I’ve already lost. He seizes my throat, spinning me, and pulls me against his chest. His breath fans over my neck, my ear. “Dead.”

“I hate you,” I hiss.

His pupils dilate. Mine do too.

It’s reminiscent of moments ago, of that shack and the rain and our bodies colliding. He’s too close. Too strong. His touch is too hot. And, I think ruthlessly, he can never be mine.

Seeming to realize this exactly when I do, he releases me and steps away. “Should’ve fought harder, Hart.”

He approaches Evie, offering a hand to help her off the floor, but she blows a lock of hair from her face and climbs to her feet on her own. “I liked you better as a blood traitor.”

Calix shrugs and leans against the nearest wall instead. “I liked you better as a princess.”

I shake my head to clear my rage. “I don’t understand how you did any of that.”

“I’m a General.” He crosses his arms, and I try not to stare at his biceps. “I see the world differently than most people. After my First Rite, I was granted power by the Aquila constellation. Soldiers have added strength when they move in packs, but they need a General to lead them. Generals, however, don’t need to be led to access their gifts.”

He inclines his chin toward me. “When I look at you, right now, I see you as you are. I see your violet eyes, the fading purple in your hair, and the emerald wall behind you. But if I focus—if I mean to attack you—I only see you. I see the purple. I see the soft white of your skin. I see the pulse thrumming in your veins. The rest of the world fades to grayscale. Blacks, whites, charcoals. They don’t matter. What matters is the kill. Every thought in my mind narrows on you, until I can guess your next move, and the next move after that. I know what you’re going to think before you think it based on the way you twitch your fingers or touch your hair. Right now,” he says, watching me carefully, “I know you’re going to shiver. I know if I lower my voice, you’ll glance away. I know you want to touch the bite on your shoulder, but you’ll hide your hands behind your back instead. And if I know everything you’re going to do, then I know exactly how and when to kill you.”

“How—how is that possible?”

He grins when I tuck my hands into my pockets instead, as if he guessed that’s what I would do all along. “General.”

“Alchemist,” Evie says dryly, rolling her eyes. “So what if I poison the both of you for a second of relief from your suffocating sexual tension? Can you predict that, General?”

Portia whacks her with a pillow. “Shut up, Evie.” To Calix, she says, “What do your abilities mean in battle?”

His brow furrows. “I’m better at it than others. I’ve trained to become First General since Sin was gifted his first crown as a toddler. My abilities work quickly, I’m naturally prone to strategy, and I don’t make mistakes. But I’m one person. I can’t win an entire war on my own. Cora is amassing an army the likes of which our kind has never seen. Even without the other six courts on her side, we’d be hard-pressed to beat her. But if she has other allies too… with their magic and forces, we’re as good as dead.”

Evie moves back to the bed, returning to her map. “She has twelve envoys here. From Europe, Africa, and Australia. North America’s fate is sealed, thanks to the Guatemalan coup.” She frowns. “Asia and Canada are our only hopes right now, but even that doesn’t feel like enough if the other courts fight for her.”

“What about the letters?” I ask Portia.

“We aren’t getting the responses I hoped for. Granted, I was very vague. But…” She tugs on a curl. “Africa has joined Cora. Territories in Europe are leaning toward Cora, even though the King of Europe refuses to take sides right now.”

“Fucking Switzerland,” Evie says. “What about South America?”

“They’re afraid. After what happened to Duquesa Balam, they don’t want to come anywhere near this castle.”

“If it comes down to a war,” Calix says slowly, “we’ll lose.”

Evie stares at the map, unblinking. “I know.”

“So what now?” Portia asks. She and I join Evie on the bed, though none of us look at one another. Panic thickens in my chest, up my throat, until I can’t breathe around it.

“We need to tear her apart from the inside,” I tell Evie. “Like we tried in the beginning. We need to break her down so the others won’t want to follow her. If we can sever some of her alliances, we might still have a chance. Canada has enough troops to take on Cora’s court. Asia has enough force to fight North America in totality. We don’t even need others to join us—we just need them to abandon her.”