Lord of Embers(The Demon Queen Trials #2)(25)

Flames rose from the woman’s body, and she screamed.

The keys filled me with a crushing sense of guilt for sins I could no longer remember. A horror. If I could get these keys away from me, maybe I’d feel better. Maybe I’d be free of the weight of guilt. My tattoo glowed, a golden skeleton key on my arm. Flames rose higher on the woman’s body.

I threw the keys into the darkness, and they clattered against stone.

I felt a moment’s relief, my chest filling with air. The next moment, another set was in my hand, cold and heavy. My hands shook, and I felt as if rocks were pressing on my chest. When I held the keys, I couldn’t breathe.

I threw them again, harder this time. The keys returned. I’d never rid myself of their crushing weight— Again and again, I tried to free myself of them. I kept muttering that I was sorry, that I didn’t mean it. I had no idea what I was apologizing for, and I could hardly hear my own voice. Days passed in the same way until at last, the woman disappeared, and the keys along with her.

I breathed in, slowly. Now, the only light in the space was from the vicious writing.

You h ave been w eigh ed an d fou n d w an tin g.

At last, the letters started to fade into the dark. I let out a long, slow breath as a sense of relief washed over me. I was shaking, and tears rolled down my cheeks.

It was all over now. Fucking hell, that was brutal. And I didn’t even understand it.

“Orion?” I whispered. I wiped the tears from my cheeks. I didn’t want him to see me cry, but I didn’t want to be alone.

That was when the hunger and thirst set in.

I tried to swallow, and my throat burned. Wild hunger ripped through my stomach. My muscles ached, and I thought of an ice-cold chocolate milkshake. I slumped against the wall, delirious.

I’d been standing the whole time, and my legs ached to the bone.

Frantic, I slid the backpack into my lap and tore it open. With eager hands, I pulled out one of the bottles of water, thinking as I did that this wouldn’t be enough. I’d have to drink Orion’s too. But once I’d drained the water, a little more restraint returned.

He’d packed apples, and I ate two of them. These weren’t ordinary apples. These apples had grown in the garden of the gods, handpicked by a divine being. Never in the history of food had anything tasted so sweet and succulent, a hint of tart flavor that exploded over my tastebuds.

“Orion?” I asked quietly. I can’t say I was eager to have him wake up because I wanted to eat in peace. I mean, I was saving it for him, but it was nice to enjoy this in solitude.

I pulled out a challah roll. It could be moldy by now, but I didn’t care. It was still soft and sweet, buttery. The cheese was Comté, the flavor rich and nutty. When I left here, I vowed to eat fondue every day. I would find a French person, thank them for their contribution to the world, and invite them to fondue.

My stomach started to cramp, and I realized I’d eaten too much too quickly. I’d probably started digesting my own organs. I doubled over, clutching my gut. Shoving the rest of the food into the bag, I slung it over my shoulder and started crawling along the cave floor.

“Orion?”

I crawled along on all fours, not unlike the demon I’d seen. After a few minutes, the nausea passed. The water and calories started to hit me, strengthening me a little.

“Orion?”

I forced myself to my feet, steadying myself against the wall.

Once I was upright, I held out my palm and summoned my magic.

Warmth tingled down my arm, and fire burst to life in my hand. Light —glorious light.

Never had I been so comforted by fire, but there it was, bathing the caverns in warmth.

But I didn’t see anyone else. Maybe he’d already left the caves.

“Orion?” I moved faster through the cavern until at last, pale sunlight pierced the darkness from the mouth of the cave.

Then I saw him at last, slouched against the wall.

Sunlight bathed his enormous body. He was slumped over, a knife in his chest. What the

I thought he’d said that the Belphegor demons fu ck?

wouldn’t actually hurt us.

Horrified, I rushed forward.





C H A P T E R 1 4 — R O W A N

I hurried over to him and knelt. His silver hair hung in front of his eyes, and his coat was open. A knife hilt jutted from his black shirt. I touched his cheek, and his skin felt disturbingly cold.

A tendril of fear coiled through me. He wasn’t bleeding. While his eyes were open, they looked lifeless.

For a moment, I was certain he was dead. I pushed his hair back, and fear hollowed me out.

Then the smallest spark flickered in his eyes.

“Orion,” I whispered. “I’m going to pull this knife out, okay?”

What the fuck had happened?

On my knees, I grabbed the hilt. If I fucked this up, I could carve out part of his heart—the only way for a demon to die. I didn’t know how much leeway I had with this. I wasn’t exactly an expert in demon physiology and healthcare.

With one hand on the hilt, I pressed the other on his chest, next to the blade.

Slowly, carefully, I withdrew the blade from his chest. When I pulled out the last bit of the tip, his eyes fluttered. He inhaled, but he still wasn’t bleeding. I stared at his heartbreakingly beautiful face, willing him to come alive again.