City of Thorns (The Demon Queen Trials #1)(36)

My throat went dry. “How thick is the ice?”

“It’s not incredibly thick. I could probably punch my way through it. It’s like glass.”

My heart pattered in my chest. “Okay. I have a plan. Can we send Shai out to pick up a few things from my apartment?”

He frowned. “You can’t use a gun, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

I shook my head. “No. This is specialty equipment. Oh, and do you think Morgan will let me borrow his watch?”

“Yes. But what do you need?”

I closed my eyes, reviewing the items I had in mind. “My fire-retardant gels, clothing, a gas mask, and a fire blanket. Also, I have a knife that can shatter glass. Oh, and I’ll need gasoline or another liquid accelerant, but she won’t find that in my apartment. Obviously. I’m not insane.”

He stared at me. “May I ask why you have these things?”

“Well, you have magic, and I have my own superpower. It’s called anxiety. It’s a pain in the ass, but I’m prepared for every fire scenario you can think of. And Facebook’s algorithms identified me as anxious, so they started advertising things like a knife that can cut through glass if you drive your car off a bridge into a river.” I frowned. “I don’t even have a car, but I have the knife.”

He looked transfixed. “Right.”

“I’ll also need bleach and ammonia. And a tool belt.”

His body was completely still. “Is this just a random list of items? Have you done that thing that mortals do when their minds break from too much stress?”

“Oh! And this is crucial: we need to tell her to get the fox urine from under my bed,” I added. “And a Super Soaker.”

“Ah.” His features softened. “Your mind has broken.”

I reached out to touch his arm. “It hasn’t. Trust me. I have a plan.”

“Does this plan involve attacking demons with fox urine?”

I shook my head. “No. I have a better plan.”

He still hadn’t moved an inch. “The contents of your bedroom concern me.”

“I just want to be prepared for the apocalypse, Orion. That’s all. And that apocalypse is here, even if it’s just for me.”

“That’s not what apocalypse means.”

I lifted a finger. “Let’s stay focused. Fox urine, bleach—”

“This sounds insane,” he said, cutting me off, and scrubbed a hand over his jaw. “I thrive in chaos. I like to watch things burn. But this situation is making me feel something different, unfamiliar. I don’t like it,” he said in a clipped tone. “This is making my heart beat faster, almost like a…like a warning. As if something bad is about to happen.”

My eyes widened. “Yeah. That’s anxiety. Are you feeling anxious for my safety, or are you worried you’ll be caught out?”

His gaze shuttered. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m a lethal four-hundred-year-old demon of chaos, imbued with godlike powers. I fear nothing.”

“Not sure I believe you anymore, Orion.”

I may not know magic, but I know anxiety.





Chapter 21





Darkness surrounded me in the oak grove. Beyond the stench of fox pee, the air smelled of moss and soil, and faintly of gasoline.

For years, I’d been waiting for the demon apocalypse, and now it was happening. At least for me.

My knees shook as I waited for the sound of the klaxon that would herald the beginning of the Trial.

There was only one rule: no flying. As the Lilu were the only type of demons with wings, if I could actually use them, I’d be simply flapping around above the trees the entire time.

I glanced up at the sky. Clouds covered the moon, which was both good and bad. The bad part was that I’d be reliant on the night vision goggles I’d bought last year off Amazon (in case of the apocalypse), and they weren’t great. But the darkness was good, too. It gave me a little cover for the ridiculous suit I had on—a navy flame-retardant suit, with the safety stripes covered up. The demons might not notice the night vision goggles, the safety gloves, or the backpack I carried filled with supplies. They wouldn’t see the sheen of the flame-retardant gel on my cheeks and chin.

And when this ended, I’d need to get this shit off quickly before anyone could see what I’d been up to.

Sweat ran down my body under the suit. Tonight, the forest air was hot and humid, and heavy with tension.

Demons never considered using tools or weapons. Honed by evolution, they didn’t need technology. But me? I could only hope that my little arsenal would help me. And I prayed that the fox pee would disguise my scent, the way hunters used it in the woods.

My heart slammed against my ribs. Any moment now, the Trial would begin.

With my goggles on, I scanned the trees for signs of movement. My vision was black and white, and I could just see the trunks around me.

My plan for now was to get as close as possible to the river as quickly as I could. Before coming out here, I’d installed a compass app on Morgan’s Apple Watch, so I knew exactly which way was north, and the river was about four miles. When I got there, I’d spend the rest of the time fending off attackers.

With a thundering heart, I checked my borrowed watch—two minutes until midnight.