Page 98 of A Bond in Flames

“I’ll take care of the demon,” Egon said, fury in his eyes.

“And you,” I said to Lyle, “you will not leave the castle until I return, and you better pray that her ladyship is alive.” Because if she wasn’t, I would tear Limbo apart. I would destroy it, balance be damned. I would throw the universe into chaos until I found her again.

He spun and ran inside.

“I’ll make sure he doesn’t leave,” Egon said and straightened his shoulders, fighting back his own emotions.

I gave the older demon a nod and nudged Raze. He took off, Zuri right behind him.

They had a day’s head start. I wasn’t stopping until I reached my consort.

* * *

Zinnia

We’d spent the night out in the forest. The demons had placed some kind of icons around our camp to prevent anything from attacking us. It’d worked, but the farther away from the castle we got, the creepier they seemed to get, and I realized it wasn’t what skulked in the forest that I really needed to be worried about.

The four of them watched me now, and one of them actually wiped drool from the corner of his mouth while he did it.

“Why does Death send you to his mother?” he asked. “Why does his lordship want you banished from his realm?”

“We should get going,” I said and winced as I stood. My feet were all cut up, and I was frozen to the bone. Moving meant they were distracted. Moving meant they had other things to focus on than me. I needed them to get me through this forest, and then I could figure out what to do next. I was a sitting duck on my own, and the pain from the fever still had me weakened and struggling. Add in the cold, and my magic was seriously weakened as well. I wasn’t going to fight these assholes until we were close to the tree house Death had taken me to, if it was still there. I was counting on it still being there. I was pretty sure I knew where it was. I’d be able to rest up there, get warm, then work out my next step before I made my way back to the castle.

I would make Death listen to me.

The pain in my limbs intensified, and my core temperature changed so suddenly, my heart jumped in my chest. I wasn’t shivering anymore; I was sweating. When the demons around me spoke, I could see their breath on the cold air. The last thing I should be was hot.

My fever was coming back. “We need to move,” I said, because it was only a matter of time before my magic was completely gone and I was delirious, possibly unconscious, and utterly at the mercy of these demons, who didn’t know the meaning of the word.

“We’ll move when we’re good and ready, female,” another demon said.

“Your master told you to deliver me to Nox. Perhaps you should do as you’re told,” I said, trying to insert authority into my voice—not easy when I was standing in only a T-shirt with sweat dripping down my face.

“He’s not here, though, is he? He won’t give you a second thought now that he knows you’re an imposter. He and his mother don’t exactly talk, so how will he know if you make it to the Night Realm or not?”

“Death knows everything, and you’d be fools to cross him.” I tried to keep the fear from my voice while I called on my weakened magic, letting it build and swirl inside me. They weren’t going to leave me any other choice but to fight them here.Shit.

“Death has forgotten you exist. There’s only one female he wants, and you’re not her. The moment we left with you, he forgot all about you.” The demon stood and cracked his neck. “I’m not really in the mood to journey all the way to the Night Realm. What about you?” he asked his friend.

The drooling one stood, swiping his nose with the back of his hand. “Nah, I’d rather stay here.”

Grunting their agreement, the others stood as well.

I lifted my hands and called on the anger burning in my gut. “You want to know what I am?” I said as flames appeared, dancing above my palms. “A witch. A witch who has killed more than her fair share of demons. Come any closer, and I will incinerate you.” Maybe I could brazen this out, make them believe I was at full power and send them running.

A wave of pain washed through me, and I stumbled to the right. The drooler lunged, and I sent a bolt of fire at him, setting his feet on fire.Shit.

He stomped and cursed while his buddies laughed it up.

I was trying to set the asshole on fire, not just singe his shoe leather. I was screwed.

“Is that all you got, witch?” one of the demons said, chuckling.

“No, that was just a warning. Now back the fuck up, or I’ll burn you to a crisp,” I said through clenched teeth, fighting to stay conscious.

He grabbed the demon closest to him by the back of the shirt and threw him toward me.

With a cry, I fired my power at him. His shirt ignited, and he yanked it off and stomped it out. They all laughed again and rushed me. Screaming, I called on every bit of magic I had left and let it rush from me with force. The demons were knocked back, but they jumped back up. If I’d been at full power, I would have blown them yards way. If I’d been at full power, I would have set them all on fire and removed their heads one at a time.

---