Death Wish (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #5)(45)

A tall iron fence surrounded a graveyard filled with old, worn headstones. A few large trees dispersed throughout gave it a splash of color amid the grey stones. At the farthest end of the graveyard, a bonfire burned. Several people formed a wide circle around it, many of them clad in dark robes.

Other small groups of people moved in the darkness, away from the firelight. It took me a moment to realize that most of them were engaged in various sexual acts. My attention was drawn to Shya where he stood just outside the circle. His wings were flared out behind him like massive black shadows. The firelight glinted off his skin, casting him in an orange glow. He was focused on something taking place near the fire, something everyone was watching.

The scent of blood and sex mingled into a tantalizing aroma. I’d never been so grateful to sate the bloodlust, especially when I saw what was going on inside the circle.

A young woman lay bound and naked on the grass. A blindfold covered her eyes. The demon thrusting into her from behind wore an expression of sordid ecstasy. His eyes were pure black, deep dark pools. The woman writhed and cried out in pleasure.

My mouth went dry, and I forced back a wave of nausea. What in the hell was going on here? I looked to Arys for some kind of unspoken support. The intrigue on his handsome face turned my stomach.

Shya turned slightly and met my gaze. His grim smile chilled me. He motioned for me to join him, and I refused by remaining rooted to where I stood.

Tearing my gaze from the disturbing scene by the fire, I scanned the others in the vicinity. I didn’t see Kale anywhere. To reach out for his energy I’d have to drop my shields. I wasn’t sure I was ready to do that yet.

Several of those present were demons, half a dozen maybe. Everyone else was human, a fact that disappointed and frightened me. I could almost hear all the flippant comments Jez and Arys often made about humans being just as evil as the rest of us if not more so. I knew it was true. A monster is a monster, regardless of the face it wears or the name given to it. We were all monsters in our own way. It was tragic really.

I stood there, a murderer with hungers and intents as ill as any, and I judged those around me. It wasn’t that I thought I was better than them; I just couldn’t bring myself to accept that I was one of them.

The force of the energy swirling and pulsing around us pressed against my shields, and I had to focus hard to keep them in place. I didn’t think Arys was shielding at all. From the strange interest on his face and the huge pupils he was rocking, I’d have to say no.

The chant I’d been hearing grew in volume as the excitement of those around the fire rose. It gave me a bad feeling. It sounded like Latin. Coming to this party of the damned didn’t seem like a great idea. Dammit Kale, where are you?

I watched with increasing unease as the fornicating couple quickened their pace. If this was what Shya liked to do in his free time that was fine, but I didn’t want any part of it. As I watched, the sick feeling that this wasn’t going to end well filled me.

Shouts, moans and cries filled the graveyard. I stood frozen, holding my breath. The demon having illicit sex with the human woman held my attention. Something about him triggered my wolf’s wariness.

His movements were smooth, carefully calculated. He drove the woman into a frenzy until she was begging him for more. It was impossible to look away. Something big was coming, something other than the obvious.

Then I saw it: the flash of firelight on a blade. I didn’t see him draw it, but the demon suddenly held a large knife in one hand. A surge of excited energy slapped against my shields and created a heavy pressure in my mind. The crowd was waiting for this moment.

The demon grabbed a handful of the woman’s hair and violently jerked her head back. He slid that knife across her throat like it was butter. Blood poured forth, spattering the ground. The woman made a strangled sound and fell face down in the grass.

I was awestruck with horror when the demon soaked his hands in her blood before smearing it on his face and body. Horror turned to absolute disgust. The demon slammed the knife into the woman’s chest and then reached in to tear her heart out.

He raised the bloody mass to his lips, and I looked away. I didn’t want these images to live inside me forever. I would never be able to un-see this night. I hated Shya so much in that moment.

A shriek drew me back to the commotion near the fire. Several of the robed gatherers were dipping their fingers in blood and decorating their faces in wicked war paint. Their chant grew louder until I was fighting the urge to cover my ears.

From the fire, balls of flame shot into the sky. The chanters fell all over one another in a frenzy of sex. The demon walked around the fire like a self-appointed crimson god, drinking in the essence of sex, bloodshed and sacrifice.

Shya stepped away from the insanity and fixed his attention on us. I glanced nervously at Arys, wishing I could grab onto him for support but knowing Shya would see it for what it was: weakness.

Arys appeared completely unaffected by what we’d just seen. No emotion showed on his face. Sure, he’d had centuries to perfect his poker face, but it struck me as cold. Did he like what he just saw? Or, was he simply unfazed by it?

Shya stopped several yards away and leaned casually against a headstone. He beckoned to me with little more than a crooked finger.

“I knew you wouldn’t come alone.” Shya greeted us with a slight nod. Decked out in Armani or something like it, he gave us both a slow, appraising once over, scowling upon noticing the cross I wore. He held Arys’s gaze longer than necessary. “Nice to see you again, Mr. Knight. I trust you’re just here to observe.”