Lord of Embers(The Demon Queen Trials #2)(56)

The word blazed through my mind.

Kill.

Kill.

I leapt into the air, gripped a tree branch, and kicked him hard in the jaw. He flew backward into a trunk.

By the time I descended, he’d already recovered. He lashed out at my head, but I ducked. I straightened and sent another hard blow to his jaw, then a fast left hook. His head snapped back, but he landed the next punch. The blow dizzied me for a moment. I regained my footing and flew into the air, wings spreading out behind me. As I plummeted, I brought my heel down hard onto his head. The force of the kick slammed him into the frozen earth. Angling my wings, I dove for him, claws gleaming.

I came down on his chest, and Cambriel’s dark eyes opened wide in surprise. Hungry for vengeance, I carved his heart from his chest with my claws. I caught my breath. Blood dripped from my hands onto the snow. Never in my life had I felt so much like a wild beast.

As I stared at the body, it transformed back into Tammuz—his skin and hair darker now, his arms bare. He was completely naked.

I held the heart of a god in my hands and watched him die, the life fading from his dark eyes. Panic gripped me, but then I remembered that Tammuz did this all the time.

My claws retracted, and I dropped his heart on the ground. Smoke swept around him, and his body disappeared, leaving bloodstains behind in the snow. I sat to catch my breath, trying not to think about what had happened.

I’d just been sitting on Orion’s naked dad.

My body raced with adrenaline. So was what it felt like to be a

th at

hunter—to be a demon. I stared down at my bloody palms, then wiped them clean on the snow, washing the god’s blood from my hands as best I could.

Leaning back against a tree trunk, I waited for Tammuz to return.

The loneliness of the quiet forest pierced me. For what had felt like ages, I’d been nothing but a warrior. Tammuz wasn’t the best company.

Slowly, a circle of ivory mushrooms pushed through the snow— Destroying Angels, they were called. Maybe that was what I’d become.

Then the Dying God sprouted from the earth like a plant. He was lying on his back, his hair spread out around him. Smoke snaked around his powerful body, and his dark tattoos slid into place.

Fully formed, he opened his eyes and sat up, breathing in deeply. He rose to his full height, his expression bemused. He glanced to the east, toward the ocean where the morning sun was starting to rise.

I got to my feet, brushing the snow off my clothes. Exhaustion pulled at me. “Glad to see you back, Tammuz.”

“No, you’re not.” His voice echoed around me in a deep chorus. “Go to sleep, Rowan. Rest. At nightfall, you will leave.” He met my gaze. “It’s time for you to kill the false king.”

Joy leapt in my heart.

Finally, I was ready. I would take down the monster who’d killed my mom.

And I hoped Orion didn’t get in my way.

I AWOKE in the early evening, my normal circadian rhythm now fully backward, and prepared to leave the forest for what seemed like the first time in a year. Readying for my departure, I dressed in one of the outfits Tammuz had given me, tight black leather pants and a shirt, and a dark cape around my shoulders.

As I walked through the forest, the sun was starting to set, spreading across the sky in lurid shades of pumpkin and honey. Night had fully descended by the time I reached the old Walcott Street.

Since I had no interest in hanging again or getting attacked by a mob, I quickly headed for the coastline, reminding myself that only a few hours had passed in the rest of the underworld. If anyone caught sight of me, they’d realize I was no longer hanging at the end of a rope where I should be.

Dark waves churned and crashed against the rocky shoreline. Under the ebony sky, the sea frothed and foamed on slick rocks. Hiding my face in the hood of the cloak, I hurried along the coast, the briny wind whipping at me, following a salty tributary toward Salem Village. Heron stood along the edge of the river, and I wondered what they’d done to end up here. A strange little hut of twigs and dried mud had been built by the riverside.

, I thought. It had a thatched roof W attle

an d

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with a rough clay chimney, and smoke curled into the darkening sky. A strange, witchy little place.

I kept my face covered as I hurried along, but just as I scurried past the door, I heard someone call my name and went still.

“Rowan?” The voice was familiar. Familiar and loved…

My heart sped up as a woman poked her head out of the hut.

Shai’s hair hung in beautiful black ringlets around her head. She was dressed in a gray dress with a wide white collar. I stared at her, stunned.

“Shai?”

She hurried over to me and grabbed me by the arms. “Are you really here? Oh, my God. Rowan?”

“Are

really here?” I was too shocked to say anything else.

you

“How long have we been stuck here?” she asked. “It feels like a week.”

I shook my head. “I think time flows differently for you and me. I’ve been here a year.”

Her eyes widened, and she gripped my arm more tightly. “

?”

W h at

“I don’t understand,” I said. “How did you end up here? I thought only demons could go beyond the veil, and mortals who—” I froze.