Page 55 of Deranged Demons

Princess Blake flaps her wings harder as the dragon curves toward her. “Just get to the gateway!” she yells again, but none of us move toward the portal. The crow is limp in the princess’s hold, and theshadow dragon roars as it draws closer to her, an unnatural cry coming from between its smoky lips.

Prince Callan stretches out his hands, and a gust of wind rushes around the room, but it doesn’t do anything to the shadow creature. Nate roars, now in his beast form, but more shadow creatures are forming below us, disturbed from their slumber, and he leaps out of the way as a second dragon flies past me and lunges toward him. Dante dodges to the side and sticks out his sword, but it passes through the dragon’s belly without causing harm.

The dragon pivots, setting its sights on me, and I jump to a section of netting further to the side of the ballroom and swiftly climb up it. The beast follows, shadowy talons curling around the steel bands that hold the netting together.

“The only thing that can harm these creatures is a shadow blade,” I yell, watching the dragon, even as more shadow creatures begin forming beneath us.

“A what?” Princess Blake calls out, dodging the closing jaws of the dragon behind her.

“It’s an ancient blade,” I shout, “that was forged within the shadow realm itself. But I heard it was stolen from Queen Krosia some time ago.”

For a moment, she doesn’t answer, and I leap to another platform.

“Ah crap, no wonder Dad gave me that look when I brought him the dagger from the shadow realm. It was never bloody his,” Princess Blake finally rambles, and I have no idea what she’s going on about. She pullsthe jeweled blade from her belt, the dagger that had been left on the platform near the gateway to Seral.

In a swift movement, the princess pivots in the air, dropping low and lifting the dagger as the shadow dragon passes overhead. The blade plunges into the shadow dragon’s belly, and the beast cries out as its flesh solidifies just long enough for the blade to cut a long wound along the length of its torso. And then the creature is falling back toward its brethren.

The second dragon jumps from the netting and flaps its wings, its jaws outstretched toward me, but Princess Blake yells out and I lift my hand in time to catch the dagger she’s tossed my way. I bury the blade between the dragon’s eyes, and the beast thrashes and cries as it rears back and falls, taking the dagger with it.

Not wasting time, I leap to my feet, and the five of us make our way back to the last platform before the portal to Seral.

Princess Blake peers below. “What’s the bet Dad promised Queen Krosia she’d get her blade back,” she grumbles. “Least I’ve helped him keep his word.” Her chest heaves as she stares at us. “Okay, now will you guys finally listen and get in the damn portal?”

Dante grins. “Ladies first.”

She lets out a pained noise. “We’ll go together. Okay?”

There’s nodding, and she lets out a long breath. “Good.”

The moment I step into the gateway behind theothers, I know something is wrong. The swirling red around us starts to change, the liquid energy lightening in color until silver streams blur past us. I open my mouth to shout a warning, but no sound comes out as we’re propelled forward. The blinding streams of silver swirl in a frenetic circular motion around us, and I reach for the blades at my hips.

Before I can draw a weapon, we’re through the portal, emerging on the other side, and I lash out when someone tries to grab me. There’s a shout as my fist connects with soft flesh, but then something is pushed over my face, and I scent a sickening, herby smell before I black out.

Chapter

Twenty-Five

~ Princess Blake ~

Iwake to the feel of a silk pillow beneath my head, and there’s a brief moment when I think I’m back in Seral. That is, until the scent of roses reaches my nose, the flowery perfume so strong it makes me want to gag. Bolting upright, I grab for my weapons, but my fingers slide against smooth velvet, and my heart thunders when I realize my blades are gone. I blink rapidly in the bright light, glaring down at the white velvet gown fitted to my body with a long slit that reaches up my left thigh. A metal cuff is fastened to my right ankle, chaining me to the bed, but when I try to use my strength to kick my leg free, all I manage to do is pull the chain so tight the cuff pinches my skin. Pain zaps up my ankle making my teethchatter, and I curse. Whatever it’s made of the cuff isn’t ordinary metal.Trying to keep my cool, I take a deep breath as the pain passes, and I assess where I am. The four-poster bed I’m on is covered with gauzy white material that drapes down and there’s a beautifully carved wooden dresser on my right. Along the walls, a detailed painting of a mountain shrouded by clouds is depicted to my left, and I stare in confusion at the sparkling white crystals embedded into the picture.

Squawking sounds from across the room, and I spot Shade standing on a silver perch inside a large cage that hangs from the ceiling. I blink, staring back at my hands as I remember how I’d been holding her when we’d emerged from the portal, but then I look to the cage again. Shade’s feathers are ruffled like she’s been roughly handled, and she watches me with panicked black eyes. I open my mind, trying to use my magic to communicate with her, to soothe her, but I can’t find her voice, like somehow, we’ve been disconnected.Like fuck if anyone puts my girl in a cage. I reach down and use my hands to try and pry away the cuff on my ankle again, but another intense wave of pain shoots through me, and I last a few seconds before snarling and releasing the metal. Shade squawks frantically, and I pivot to where she’s indicating with her beak to a door on the opposite side of the room.

Crap.I scan around, looking for anything that I can use as a weapon, but there’s only silk pillows and alarge downy blanket. I’m not too worried about that fact. I don’t need weapons to be deadly, it just would have made this whole thing a lot easier.

The moment the door opens, I tense, mentally preparing myself to fight, but my jaw slackens as a single figure strides through the doorway.

The male is handsome with long flowing dark hair that reaches his waist, and white eyes that shine like crystals, but it’s not his eyes that I’m gaping at. From the waist down, his body has the form of a sleek black stallion, with four strong legs and wide black hooves. Even more strange, are the feathery onyx wings folded behind his back.

“I see you’re awake,” the stranger says with a smile, his hooves clopping on the floor as he walks into the room. His voice is musical and alluring, but my skin prickles, my instincts telling me this is all wrong.

“Who are you?” I bite out, not bothering with niceties, because if this guy was friendly I wouldn’t be chained to a bed right now.

The male’s crystal eyes sparkle as he stops a short distance away. Instead of answering my question, he goes on to say, “I’ve been very patient with your kind, allowing you to visit my city for some time now, but when such a large number of you invaded the city, well, I thought I was going to have to decree a battle order. That is, until I realized the strange males were all there because of some kind of game, and they were trying to find a female.You see, I then had to discover who you were for myself.”

My heart starts pounding an erratic beat in my ears. “Wait. You were watching us?” I think of all the times in Perstalia that I felt as if someone was out there observing me. I’d thought it must have been because Alaric had been stalking me, but now, I think of the three black feathers I found, feathers that I thought were my own. Glossy black feathers that are the same as the ones this male has, and I realize my mistake.

The male strolls around the room as he speaks, and I can’t stop staring at his massive hooves. “Well, you weren’t hard to find, and now I understand what all the fuss was about,” he replies.

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