Page 11 of Once Upon a Demon's Heart
Time all but stops and my heart twists on its axis.
How have I never seen the Blood Knight’s face in all the times he’s slain me?
A breeze gusts through us and blows onyx strands of hair over his forehead. His brows are prominent and dark. A stark contrast to his fiery amber eyes. They look like the jewels the royal family wear. Ears pointed and pierced with four rings ofgold. The cut of his jaw is striking. A scar that looks like a series of x’s runs up his left cheek groove, and his straight nose is just as sharp as someone I met only a week ago.
Kalel?
My lips part, but no words come to me. His eyes narrow with thought as he continues to converse with the king. My ears only pick up on the deep muffling of his voice.He told me he was an apothecary.Bile rises in my throat at the revelation that I sat and had a meal with the harbinger of death. If I’d known he was the commanderandduke of Devicit, I would’ve killed him on the spot.
Well, I would’ve tried to.
Part of me hopes he won’t remember me from the forest, but another part of me hopes that he will. Would he take a sliver of mercy on me, knowing that I’m not as evil as he makes me sound? Or maybe I am evil and this is divine punishment.
How can a demon as merciless as him be so handsome and lovely? Demigods are the only beings to hold such beauty. Never a demon. It’s all I’ve ever known to be true.
I thought as much when I first met him, but there’s something about the way his pupils are dilated out and the heaviness to his breath that rattles me now. Was he really the one to kill me in each of my loops? The thought is unsettling.
“The deal is complete. You have safe passage to the edge of the holy lands. May the sparrows be with you,” King Borlin says the latter for me. The grimness set in his jaw hits deep into my bones.
It has been years since I’ve heard anyone mention the sparrows. We stopped saying it when they too abandoned us. The little birds use to protect us with their warnings and bring us food while on the battlefield. They became a symbol of hope for us. A phrase to wish someone good luck.
May the sparrows be with you.A small smile pulls at the corners of my lips. Perhaps they will return one day. Once peace has been restored to us.
Kalel shifts his attention back to me. His presence is so daunting that it makes my stomach churn. “I need to verify that she truly is a daughter of Venus first. Please escort us to a private room, King Borlin.”
My lips part and an audible gasp escapes the king’s mouth.
“How do you verify such a thing?” The king sounds skeptical, borderline mortified.
Kalel doesn’t let his hollow eyes leave me. I half wonder if he can see my face beneath the helmet, but the lack of shock that he’s expressed proves that he doesn’t. Surely, he’d be as surprised to see me as I am him, right?
“There is a mark of fertility on the maidens born of Venus. How else would anyone know?” Kalel has an arrogant, impatient tone.
I have a mark?My throat bobs.Ididn’t even know that.
It’s not exactly surprising. The demigods training to be knights don’t get a heavy education. That’s for the scholars or high royals. But it seems that even the king didn’t know this.
Why don’t we know more about Venus? I press my lips together at the oddness of it.
King Borlin gnashes his teeth and lifts his brows at Kalel’s rudeness but only motions his open hand for us to follow his right-hand guard, Hans. He’s the guard that the king decided to send as the witness to the marriage in Devicit. Apparently, he’s only being allowed to travel with the captive demigods that the demon’s currently have in an enclosed cart. They will only be freed once the marriage commences.
I trail behind Hans while Kalel walks mere inches behind me. It makes my blood run cold with him so close to me and out of sight. All I can remember is the cruelness of his blade. Overand over again. It’s completely opposite to the kindness that we shared in the Florum forest.Gods, I don’t want to take off my helmet.
We’re led to one of the kingdoms’ guest rooms on the first level. It’s a small, simple room that is normally used for royal guests when they need to freshen up before dinners or meetings.
I step in first, taking in the room with wide eyes. It’s the first time I’ve seen it myself. The walls are adorned in molding that wraps around large paintings. The room’s aesthetic is warm-toned and dimly lit with wall sconces. A single cream-colored bed is set in the center of the room, the frame made of a wide, dark oakwood with curtains on the ends.
It’s quite lovely and takes me by surprise. Compared to where I’ve been sleeping, this room is fit for a king.
I don’t have long to gawk as Kalel steps in behind me and shuts the door. He drags his gloved hand down his jaw like he’s utterly sick of me already. He’s made it perfectly clear that there’s nothing more he desires than to kill me.
“Remove your helmet and trousers, you may keep your undergarments on,” he says gruffly. A thick vein runs up the side of his neck, catching my attention.
My helmet?A rush of dread beats through my veins.
“Don’t keep me waiting, I’m already holding myself back from just killing you, little godling,” he says louder, and it makes me tremble.
I quickly unlatch my armor below the waist and tug down my trousers as he commanded. He refuses to look at me and it makes me feel only a smidge better. Maybe he won’t look at my face.
