Lord of Embers(The Demon Queen Trials #2)(38)

I sprinted into the heart of the forest, and the night swallowed me whole.

The murderer was there now, running fast behind Mom.

Hot rage seared me. His mark glowed—a false king. A twisted king, his pale hair streaming behind him as he ran, eyes pure black.

His mark wasn’t a five-pointed star like mine or Orion’s. He was never destined to rule, never blessed by Lucifer. And this he had to keep hidden.

King Cambriel—my half brother—raced behind Mom, and his forehead glowed with the mark of a golden eye in a triangle.

Mom veered to the right, off the path. Had that been an accident?

She was taking herself off the trail, making it harder to run through the brush and brambles.

I had a horrible feeling that her actions were intentional, that she was trying to lure him away from me. She didn't want him to realize I was there, didn’t want him to follow me.

Horror slammed into me as I watched him close the distance between them. Flame erupted from his fingertips, touching Mom’s hair, which ignited an instant before her clothing went up in flames.

Her screams tore through the quiet forest as her body blazed like a torch.

I wish I’d never seen this. Why had the Dying God made Mom.

me watch this?

King Cambriel shouted a single word, one that punctured the night like a gunshot: “

!”

Bitch

Bitch.

. That’s what he’d shouted as my mother had burned. I Bitch

wanted to rip his fucking throat out.

And someday, I would.

The false king—my twisted half brother—fled the way he’d come, scuttling off like a little rat.

The younger me had heard the screams, had seen the blaze of fire in the woods. Even in the driving rain, Mom had burned in flames too hot to be extinguished. I didn’t want to hear her wails of pain.

As I watched, my teenaged self ran back to her, my hair as red as the flames. My demon mark glowed on my forehead, a five-pointed star.

I was sobbing, the strangled sound nearly inaudible over her agonized screams. I ran closer. Taking my sweatshirt off, I tried to cover her with it. I wanted to stop the burning, but it was too late. She’d fallen silent.

Mom lay on the ground, her limbs contorted, the jacket burning along with her. Only my screams filled the air now, and Cambriel probably never realized the difference—we sounded the same, just as anguished.

I watched my younger self stagger away from her body and run.

Splashing through a puddle of muddy water, I’d glanced down and seen the demon mark glowing on my forehead. That’s when my mind had broken, I think, and I’d lost my memory. It had been too much, the onslaught of horror and dark magic that I didn’t understand.

Covered in ash, my younger self had stumbled through the woods like someone already dead, a zombie going through the motions of life.

All that had remained of the memories of that night was the golden star—not who it belonged to or where I’d seen it, but the image of the star. Deep down inside, I’d known that the person with the golden star was responsible for killing Mom. And it was true, wasn’t it? My unconscious had put it all together. Somewhere in the hollows of my mind, I realized I was to blame. I’d argued with her. I’d made her forget her keys, and then I’d run away without her. She’d sacrificed herself.

And all along, I’d known I was to blame.

If I hadn’t been there, she’d still be alive.

But Cambriel was more guilty than I, and nothing would stop me from seeking the revenge I craved.

I didn’t care what Orion wanted. King Cambriel’s death would be at my hands.

THE VISION DISAPPEARED, and I found myself in the underworld once more, now on all fours. The icy forest floor stung my hands.

My entire body was shaking. Nausea overwhelmed me, and I retched. The buttons had popped open on Orion’s coat, and the frigid winter air rushed in, chilling my chest. I didn’t care. I was too overwhelmed by the horror of what I’d just seen.

Mom. She’d always been the one I’d called for when I was scared.

Someone placed a hand on my back, a gesture that was almost protective. Orion.

Lifting my head, I found the demon god staring down at me like I was an alien species. Some of the nausea passed, and I rocked back onto my heels. Grasping me by the waist, Orion helped me to my feet.

I pulled the edges of the coat together. My mouth still felt watery and sick, and I swallowed hard. I desperately wanted to be out of this place now, curled up in a warm room under a blanket. No—I wanted my mom, but that was stupid because I was an adult, and she was gone.

Shadows writhed and danced around the Dying God, and he smiled at me. “Tell me what you saw.”

I took a deep breath. “Here is your confession. The secret you wanted. I remember what happened with my mom. I ruined everything.

I argued instead of running when her killer was outside. I didn’t believe her, and I made her forget her keys. I ran too fast, and she couldn’t keep up. I left her behind.” I was speaking in hardly a whisper, but the forest seemed eerily silent. Somehow, my words echoed off the ice. My gaze slid to Orion. “But I wasn’t the one who killed her. It was Cambriel. He hated her deeply for some reason. I don’t think he had any idea I was there that night.”

“Cambriel,” Orion repeated, eyes dark. “He wanted to destroy the last Lilu. I’m surprised he let you live, but maybe he thought you could form an alliance.”