Page 61 of Hell Sent

The world seemed to shake. He pulled back a fraction. “What?”

“I know who you are,” she said breathlessly. “What you are. I want all of you. The sweet parts, and the vicious ones.”

For a moment, he was ashamed. She thought he was vicious.

But she was right. He was vicious. And she accepted him that way. Shewantedhim that way.

He wanted to be as gentle as she was, but he also wanted to taste her blood. There was a part of him that always craved violence; the thought of it made his blood run hotter. Violence was power and control and excitement. Butinvitingviolence was a show of trust, and that thrilled him.

He bent closer to her, breathing in her warm, human scent. “I would never hurt you.”

“I know,” she replied, her eyes heavy-lidded with lust.

“I am yours.”

“I know.”

Cradling her, he tipped her head back to bare her neck. He had never thought that a bite could feel like an act of worship, but as he sank his teeth into her, that was what it felt like. Like he was praying at her altar.

Her body jolted. Her climax came like a crashing wave. Her fingers clenched on him and her body writhed. A rush of delicious, heady passion washed over him, mixing with the metallic taste of her blood. He pressed inside her and held her hips flush with his, so deep that they were like one body undulating in unison.

Maybe enthrallment wasn’t madness, after all. Maybe it was the rest of demonkind who were mad.

He would be her willing slave—but he didn’t need to be. They would belong to each other. Equals.

As Raiya slept in his arms that night, he looked down at his marked palm, watching the way the runes shimmered persistently in the light. It was the only part of him that still needed fixing.

* * *

It beganto snow as they reached Frosthaven, which seemed appropriate given the town’s name.

Azreth was surprised to discover that snow was not merely frozen raindrops. They were not hard and painful, but light and fluffy, like little feathers. They floated on the breeze and gathered on roofs and in doorways like sand. It was soft and beautiful, like so many other parts of the mortal world.

Raiya ignored it except to pull her hood over her head. Her thoughts were elsewhere.

The four of them—himself, Raiya, Jai, and Madira—were alone on the town streets. Azreth began to think the entire place had been abandoned until he spotted a few sets of eyes peering out from behind curtains in dark windows.Even through the walls of the houses, Azreth could occasionally feel a beat of fear from within.The townspeople had all retreated behind closed doors—not that it would do them any good if more monsters came.

Jai was gazing around the empty, snowy streets. “This is your home?” she asked Raiya.

“It was.”

“Not anymore?”

Raiya took a moment to think about it. Her eyes had a dull, regretful look. “I’m not sure.”

“Home is where your friends are,” Jai said. “A real home is wherever you choose to make it.”

“That’s not true,” Madira said. “Kuda Varai will always be our home, no matter how long we spend away from it.”

“Well, maybe Raiya doesn’t want this to be her home anymore,” Jai pointed out. “The place where you were born isn’t always the place that feels like home. Especially not when you’re no longer safe or welcome there.”

Azreth watched Raiya, following the exchange carefully. She looked up at him as she answered them. “You’re both right,” she said, giving him a look that he couldn’t quite interpret.

The signs of the demonic presence in the town grew more obvious as they went. Raiya led them up the streets past groups of velravens and the occasional mortal corpse.Azreth stiffened when a familiar scent hit his nose. It was hot and herbal, like dust and old magic and death.

It smelled like home. The fourth hell.

He looked up toward the source of the scent. On a hill just outside of town was the castle. It was different now. Even from this distance, he could sense the hell’s mark on the place. It teemed with magic, and with that familiar dry scrubland scent. It was the last place a mortal should have dared approach.

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