At last, I tore my arm free and brought the knife down hard into the shin of one of the demons. I flailed, getting my head above water just long enough to draw a breath. That was when I felt the light burning dimly in my body, a warm glow of primordial power.
With a burst of wild energy, I wrenched free from the demons’ grasp. I sucked in a sharp breath, desperate to sprint away from them. But I knew I needed to face them. If I turned my back to these hounds, they’d just pull me under again. I whirled, my blade ready, glowing with the light of the Old Gods.
As the first demon reached me, I slashed my blade across his throat, severing his jugular. Blood sprayed.
How many of them were there now? My heart hammered against my ribs, and I took another step back on the muddy shore, clutching my knife.
Five. Five enormous demons still standing, all gunning for my blood. Even with the power of the Old Gods…
Just as another one of these demons was running for me, Adonis’s magic skimmed over my skin, snaking around the demons’ bodies. Trembling, I stepped away from them. Tendrils of dark magic curled in a wild dance around them, freezing the demons in place.
Their jaws dropped, their expressions slackening. Abruptly, with jerking movements, they turned in the water, stumbling toward the bridge.
My entire body was shaking, blazing with light, with energy, with battle fury. But I just stood there, gaping at the Dark Lord’s magic. So this was what Adonis’s mind control powers looked like. A terrible sort of awe bloomed in my chest. This was the power of a death god.
I glanced back at him, standing just a few feet away from me. His silver-streaked, midnight wings swooped behind him, and his eyes gleamed like stars. He loomed above the riverbed, murmuring in an ancient language, shadows cloaking his powerful body. The sight of him sent an icy lick of dread racing up my spine.
Through the rushing water, the small demon horde trudged closer to the bridge, moving faster now. I cleared my throat, finding I could vocalize again.
My stomach jolted when the first red-eyed demon began bashing his head against the sleek stone of the bridge. More followed, slamming their heads against the rocks. I winced at the sound of cracking bone, the grunts and strangled cries that came from the demons, bashing their own skulls in. Blood and gore sprayed across the bridge’s rocky surface.
Bile rose in my throat. He did tell me he was born to kill. And I’d wanted to kill the demons, too. Just maybe not with the same disturbing, bone-chilling brutality.
I stared grimly at the scene before me, cringing at the agonized snarls and shrieks, and my fingers tightened into fists.
Did I really want to give Adonis more power? What if he was lying about returning to the celestial realm, and just wanted to weaken the other archangels so he could assume complete control over the earth?
I found it hard to believe he wanted to take off into the heavens. I couldn’t imagine him as an incorporeal being, just floating around. He was blood and bone, lust and violence, primal seduction—as bestial and full of cravings as I was.
I clenched my jaw. I’d go along with him for now to learn what I could from him, but I wasn’t about to start trusting him.
When the last of the demons had slumped, bloodied and broken, into the churning river, I loosed a long breath.
“That was an interesting execution method,” I said quietly.
Adonis’s pale gray eyes had darkened to the color of iron. “Sometimes I like to get creative.” He took a deep, shuddering breath, then winced, turning away from me. It almost looked like he was in pain. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. Just cold.”
As he began walking back to the horses, I followed after him. Drakon circled slowly overhead, plumes of smoke curling from his mouth.
“Does that sort of magic drain your energy?” My teeth chattered from the freezing water.
“Yes, but sometimes it’s worth it.”
I hugged my coat tighter. “Why? What was it about these demons in particular that provoked your rage?”
“I sense what they wanted to do to you. I could practically hear their thoughts. It was repulsive, and they needed to answer for it.”
I arched an eyebrow. Once again, I reminded myself never to get on his bad side.
Chapter 11
Adonis’s magic had worked its way into my body, providing a sort of painkiller as we rode farther north through darkening fields. I’d changed into dry clothes, though I had to wait for my coat to dry before I’d feel warm again.
Neither Thanatos nor Nuckelavee showed any signs of tiring, and we were able to take them at a gallop for part of the way.
As the sun set, long shadows climbed over the fields. By the time darkness had fallen, we’d reached the north of England.
Darkness still terrified me. Now, we had only the thin moonlight to light our way, casting a dull glow over the rocky, undulating fields. My grip tightened on the reins. If a cloud went over the moon, I’d be at risk of a humiliating panic attack.
I strained my eyes, making out the short grasses that grew among the rocky hills. Was this what I’d heard was called the moors?
Farther ahead on the path, moonlight dimly illuminated a grove of sycamore trees that stood out starkly against the flat landscape.
Even if my thighs had recovered somewhat, tiredness had sapped my energy, and my eyes started to drift closed. Under the cloak of darkness, an icy chill had fallen over me, and the February wind stung my skin. When, exactly, were we stopping? And where were we going to sleep?
My teeth chattered. I’d already admitted weakness once today. Might as well run with it.
“Adonis!” I called out.
He whirled, and Thanatos’s eerie eyes gleamed in the darkness.
“Are you all right?” His voice carried over the moors.
“Fine. I just thought… Maybe we could sleep soon. I’m about to fall off Nuckelavee, and I think the beast is heartless enough to trample me to death. There’s a grove of sycamores over there that can shield us in the wind. Maybe we can make a fire pit.”
“Fine. But no fire. We don’t want to attract attention.”
Gods damn it.
I clenched my teeth, unwilling to admit the truth—that under the shadows of night-dark sycamores, I’d be left alone with my own fears. Not to mention the fact that I was going to freeze to death.
“It’s freezing.”
“I’ll make sure you’re warm.” A taunting, dangerous invitation delivered in a sensuous timbre. “The fae live for pleasure. Isn’t that right?”
“Pretty good pickup line, Adonis, but watching you force men to bash their heads into rocks didn’t really get me in the mood.”
Cruelty hardened his beautiful features once more, but he didn’t reply.
We trotted over to the grove, and I shivered in my coat. In a small clearing in the center of the trees, I pulled Nuckelavee to a halt beside Thanatos. I dismounted, practically falling off the stallion’s side. When my feet reached the earth, I considered just throwing myself on the frozen ground to fall into a deep sleep.