Page 29 of Deranged Demons

The only thing is, this time I’m not alone. And perhaps, I never was, even all those years ago.

“This will be your life for eternity, my dearest, andyou’ll never see the light again,”the monster rages in my head as he draws closer, and my mind clears just enough to register what he’s said.

The light.I hold on, fighting against the burning in my lungs.He hates the light!Closing my eyes, I focus my power. The monster might be unkillable, but we don’t need to kill him to escape. We only need a distraction. There aren’t any crows in Perstalia, not besides Shade, and I haven’t connected with any other beings. I never believed it was possible, but I focus my mind, hoping. I can feel the monster coming closer. Feel the movement in the water.

Please. Please hear my call.I hadn’t thought to try it before, but now my power reaches out. Searching. Hoping. Commanding. Just as my lungs feel as though they’re about to burst. Just as the monster is about to grab me, the connection snaps into place. It feels different, the power swirling through me, my veins a mix of ice and fire, but the chatter of the little fish floods my mind,“Lost. We’re lost.”I don’t have time to try and understand what they’re talking about. I send a single thought, one command to them:“Show the monster how bright you can shine.”

The monster wraps his fingers painfully around my thigh, but he recoils as hundreds of neon colors spiral down from above. The fish move around me, Prince Callan, and Saphis, never touching us, and they circle the monster, sliding close and zapping his scales.

He screeches in anger, the water amplifying his cryof rage and making my ears bleed.“Too bright!”he yells.

The distraction is enough. His power wavers, the crippling despair easing, and Prince Callan shakes his head as his mind clears. Using his power, he pulls down more air bubbles from above, and we escape upward together. With powerful strokes, we swim until we break the surface, and then Nate’s hands are on us, pulling us from the water.

Chapter

Thirteen

~ Princess Blake ~

Isuck in air greedily as I flop on to the cold stone, and the chest of provisions drops beside me. I’m still gasping as I send a message to the fish.Thank you. You can leave him alone now.The monster can’t get to us now that we’re out of the water, and I hope he hasn’t killed too many of the fish. Dozens of voices reply in my head,“Still lost. Forever lost.”I don’t know what it means, but before I can question them, the swell of power in my chest fades and our connection is cut off.

Lifting my head, I peer at where Prince Callan has collapsed nearby, his golden lips paler than usual and his hair plastered to his head.

“You all right, gorgeous?” Nate asks, crouchingover me with concern etched into his features. Burn marks still cover his body, the wounds only just starting to heal, but he’s wearing his clothes again, and he doesn’t look nearly as bad as I thought he would. “You were down there for a long time.”

“I’m okay,” I wheeze.

A hint of guilt touches his eyes. “I’d have jumped in after you if I’d thought I would be much use down there.”

My lips part. I’m not sure what to respond to that, but I’m distracted when Shade appears above me, her beady eyes staring into mine.“Girl, what the hell happened? I nearly just died of a heart attack!”She paces on my chest.“First, I couldn’t connect with you, and then the prince disappeared as well, and neither of you came back?—”

“Everything is fine,”I say, though the words don’t exactly sound truthful, even to my own ears. I’d always known that one day I might have to face the lake monster again, and I’d thought I would be more prepared, but he nearly had me. I shudder, and Shade’s feathered face moves closer to mine.

“Liar!”she accuses.“You’re not okay. Are you going to tell me what happened down there?”

Sitting up, I bring her close, crushing her against me. I tell myself the hug is for her, but the truth is I need it, too.“You’re right, I’m not really okay. But I will be.”She quiets as she leans against me, and my blood warms just a little.

“Wake up, dammit,”Prince Callan growls as hechecks on Saphis. He lifts the archangel onto his side, rubbing the male’s back, and after a long moment, Saphis starts to cough and wretch, vomiting up water. Relief softens Prince Callan’s eyes, and his gaze meets mine for a heartbeat before he turns his attention back to the archangel.

“Where am I?” Saphis croaks, his skin still deathly pale. “The creature. The others?”

Prince Callan gives him a somber look. “You’re alive. That’s all that matters.”

Saphis’s expression droops, but slowly, the color returns to his cheeks, and he lets out a long breath that makes his chest sag.

Letting go of Shade, I rise to my feet, and Nate helps to steady me when my head spins. For a moment, I swear I can smell the faintest trace of chocolate. Which is weird, but I shake it off and pick up the chest of provisions.

“So,” I say with a smile. “Shall we get these supplies to your guys?”

Prince Callan’s gaze roves over me, and if I didn’t know better, I would think he was searching for wounds. Eventually, he lifts his eyes back to my face and nods, then he pulls on his armor. “They’ll be waiting.”

My sodden wings are too heavy for me to lift, so I let them trail behind me as I stride toward the corridor that leads outside. Shade flies up to my shoulder, and I hear the othersfollowing behind.

We’re almost at the front door when Shade calls out,“Blake.”

I pause, peering in the direction that she’s looking. Just behind me, a long black feather sits in a puddle of water on the stones. I hear it's not uncommon for angels to lose feathers, but it's the first one I've ever lost, and I frown.“Well, that’s new.”Ignoring the feather, I turn forward again and keep walking.

I'm not sure if it's because of the encounter with the water monster, but the moment we’re on the street again, that familiar sensation of being watched makes my skin crawl. I only have two daggers left after losing blades in the water, but I'm tempted to grab one of them out when Prince Callan moves to my side, distracting me.

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