Dark Demon (Demon Assassin Series Book 2)
sits there and my sister.”“Sister? I have an aunt?” A surge of joy runs through me. A female relative.
“Yes, Umbra. She’s been the acting ruler while I’ve been on my holiday.”
“You mean since you’ve been moping in this cottage waiting for Uriel to come back.”
He hits my leg in jest. Namir growls low underneath me, and I can’t help but let out a laugh. Teasing the Dark king might have become my favorite thing to do.
“I do not mope. I was taking time to find myself.”
This pushes me over the edge. I roll off Namir, tears in my eyes. My breath catches in my chest as a very unladylike cackle comes out of my mouth. My laughter is so infectious that even Nox laughs at himself.
“What are the two of you laughing at?” Uriel asks, coming to join our party.
“Nox was telling me the actual reason he took a sabbatical from being king,” I explain, wiping tears from my eyes.
“Did he admit to moping?” Uriel’s question throws me into another fit of laughter. Before I know it, Namir kicks me off him and walks away. We’ve disturbed the tyger’s nap.
Nox’s glare is everything, and Uriel comes to help me up off the ground. I grab at his hand, brushing the dirt from my pants and tunic.
“I’ll leave you two. I will get everything ready for tonight. I’m sure the rest of the demons will love going to the Dark Palace.”
Walking with purpose toward the cottage, I try to stop smiling, but happiness doesn't leave me for the first time in a long time.
The cabin is quiet when I return. I’m not sure where the Bloods have gone, but I welcome the peace.
In the kitchen, I pull out food and start preparing a snack. What appears to be roasted chicken and blocks of cheese lay on a platter. I grab some pickled peppers and bread from the side table.
Moving over to the counter, I slice the bread and put strips of chicken and cheese between the slices. The acid from the vinegar in the peppers drip down the sides. It makes my mouth water. I don’t remember the last time I had a good meal.
“Witch.” She says the word with disgust.
I turn to find Vita standing over the table. Her back is rigid, and her hands dig into the back of the chair. Her scowl tells me all I need to know.
“Can I help you?” I ask, taking my sandwich over to a stool in the room’s corner. My back is to the wall, but there is still enough room to maneuver if she tries to attack me.
“You don’t belong with him. He’s mine,” she growls. Fangs descend, and her chocolate eyes turn ruby for a moment.
I cock my head to the side, considering her for a moment. She’s beautiful—there is no doubt about that—but there is something sour about her, too. She’s tainted.
“I’m not sure you understand what a fated mate is. There is no choice. It’s not like I planned on mating the princep.”
She takes a step closer to me. If she ruins this sandwich, I’ll be angry.
“I will kill you, and there will be no more bond.” Her voice is sure, but she makes no further attempt to attack me.
I take a bite of the sandwich, then chew loudly. She clenches her jaw, staring daggers into me. It might be fun wrestling her to the ground.
“You could try, or you could walk away and leave with all of your body in tack. If you continue, I will hurt you. Not kill you… but I will use you as a reminder that I do not forgive vampires who fuck with the Shadow Slayer. Your choice.”
She growls, and her fingers turn into three-inch claws. Before she can rush me, I’m behind her. A simple trick I learned when I was small. I can use the smoke to cover myself. I appear invisible for a time. It’s extremely helpful in battle.
I kick out, pushing her onto the stool I was occupying. She spins, claws ready to slice through me, but I’m ready for her. My smoke comes out, and I bind her by the neck.
“Are you ready to stop?” I ask, loosening the binds so she can talk. The cheese is popping out of my sandwich, so I squish it back into place and lick the tip of my finger.
“Never. I will see you dead.”
I roll my eyes and walk out of the kitchen, leaving her tied up against the wall. Taking another bite of my sandwich, I go in search of Torque. He needs to solve this now.
The three Bloods are outside the cottage on the porch. I can’t hear what they’re discussing, but their hushed tones don’t sound playful.
The door creaks open, and three sets of eyes turn to me. “You need to get rid of the vampire. She tried to attack me. Apparently, you are hers, and she doesn’t want me in the way.”
The bread of my sandwich is getting soggy. I take a few more bites, waiting for the princep to give me an answer.
Torque closes his eyes for a moment. “Where is she?”
“Held in the kitchen by my shadow smoke. I didn’t think it would be good to let her go. She seems incredibly determined to kill me.”
He approaches me, grabs my sandwich, and takes a bite. I glare at him, but he only smiles and gets in my space.
“Caymn, go retrieve Vita. I’ll create the portal for you to bring her back. She can’t stay,” he says, eyes never leaving my face.
Smiling, I snatch my sandwich and take the last bite before dusting my hands off on my pants. Torque tries to crowd me into the door, but I give him a shove and sit in the rocking chair next to the window.
“I can’t leave you here. There’s too much to do. The Dark surrounds you,” Caymn protests. He’s stepped onto the porch platform. Worry creases form on his brow.
“The club needs a