Lord of Embers(The Demon Queen Trials #2)(12)

“Was your life at risk at the time?”

My brain flickered with disturbing memories from earlier that night.

Me, surrounded by enemies and bleeding by the trash cans. “Oh, yes. A group of mortals was trying to kill me.”

The corner of his lips twitched. “Did you end their lives?”

“One of them.”

“When your life is in danger, it provides a shortcut to your primal side. As a demon,” he said, “you are part beast. A killer among prey.

You need to remember how to connect to that side of yourself, to everything you’ve buried. To your pure, animal instinct.”

The .

id

I closed my eyes, trying to tap into the animalistic side of myself. I saw the congressman burning to death in the driveway and heard his screams. I smelled the smoke in my nostrils, and I wanted to be sick.

My eyes snapped open again. “It’s not working.”

“Try again, Mortana.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Rowan. The name is Rowan.”

A half smile. “Try again. I don’t want your blood on my claws unless I’m ending your life.”

With a deep breath, I closed my eyes once more and tried to summon my predatory side. Flames danced in the dark recesses of my mind, screams that pierced the silence.

I let out a long, slow breath. “I’ll get a knife,” I said quietly. “I’m getting sick of your mind games.”

But before I could take a step away from Orion, he spun me around and pressed me against the wall, dominating me with his powerful body.

I was no match for his strength, and he was letting me know it.

“You know, Orion,” I said through labored breaths. “I think I actually hate you more now than ever.”

Instead of responding, he lowered his head and pressed his sharpened fangs to my throat in a pure, primal display of dominance— trapping me here, even as I tried to free myself.

“You’re a big boy. Use your words!” I shouted. “For fuck—“

I broke off in shock as his fangs pierced my skin, drawing blood.

The pain of it robbed me of my thoughts for a moment, drowning out my ability to speak. I snarled and shoved my elbow back into his ribs as hard as I could. Anger seared me, rushing through my nerve endings, incinerating my worries.

He released his grip on me, his eyes dark as ink.

“When you’re shifting,” he said, “you don’t think in words.”

I looked down, pleased to see my claws glinting in the moonlight, the golden light of my demon mark aglow.

Catching my breath, I drew one of my claws across my palm. Blood streaked across my pale skin and dripped to the floor.

Orion grabbed my bleeding hand and stared into my eyes. “Good.

Now, repeat after me. On pain of death, I swear a sacred oath that I believe I have a strong theory of how to kill King Cambriel.”

I repeated him, word for word, stating that I would divulge the king’s weakness as promised. I felt the magic of the oath skitter up my spine, and when the oath was done, I pressed my bleeding palm against his. He gripped my hand tightly, holding on with a firm grip. As our blood mingled, a vision started to burn in my mind.

I wasn’t in my parents’ house anymore, but in a dungeon with five large serpents…

Fear knocked the wind out of me.

The vision changed, and a body swung soundlessly from a gallows above me, her shadow moving back and forth over a silent pit. Her neck was bent, broken, and I could see that her eyes were still open—blue eyes, pleading. She was still alive. Terror choked me fiercely, like my soul was splitting in two.

Gasping, I pulled my hand away from his. I was shaking. “What the fuck?” I whispered, staring at Orion.

I was no longer in the prison but back in the mansion. I let out a slow, trembling breath.

He frowned at me. “What?”

I shook my head, trying to clear my head of the horrible vision. I wasn’t scared of snakes, but those serpents had scared me half to death.

His eyes glinted. “You’re mine for the next few days. That’s about all the time I have before the oath kills me.”

“There’s something you should probably know. The entire Osborne police force is looking for me, and they might report me to the king. I broke the contract between mortals and demons when I killed someone.”

“The king will probably find a way to sweep it under the rug. And if he doesn’t, let’s burn that bridge when we come to it. Tomorrow, we leave to find the Dying God.”

“Sorry, what?”

He arched an eyebrow. “We’re going to Hell.”

I stared at him. “Hell.”

“Until we leave, I’m not going to let you out of my sight. As soon as I do, I know you’ll run, so you will be with me every moment of every day until I get the secret from you. And as soon as I get that secret, you will leave the City of Thorns for good. You will no longer be allowed within my kingdom.”

I glared at him. We’ll see about that, dick.

Maybe I didn’t want to live my life on ramen noodles in a basement anymore. Not to mention that I was a wanted woman in the mortal realm.

was my home.

T h is

I looked down at my palm, watching it heal. When I met Orion’s gaze again, I straightened.