Page 43 of Once Upon a Demon's Heart
“Could it be here, in the dark of the wood?” I glance at our feet, something sticky is covering the forest floor.
Kalel lets go of my hand and bends at the knee to inspect the substance like I am. A metallic sting hits the back of my throat, making my eyes flash wide.
“Blood.” We both say simultaneously.
The underbrush reaches our eyes, and as the word leaves our lips something races through the ferns. Loud, fear-filled steps that thunder on the ground as if they are fleeing danger.
I’m standing to chase after them before Kalel can stop me. I hear him mutter a curse as we trample through the dark.
I can barely see the figure of a smaller male. Perhaps a young human. He’s fast, breathing heavily, and with a bit of a pained whimper.He’s hurt.
“Alira, wait!” Kalel calls out, seeming further away in the forest than he was a moment ago. Fear strikes me as I cast a look over my shoulder for him. He should be right behind me,but there are only shadows. The wisp wants us apart, but why? I worry my lower lip and continue following the boy.
I’ll have to do this alone.
Chapter Fifteen
ALIRA
With a few more strides webreak free from the dense forest and are let out into a vast, almost turquoise-lit field of sweet grass. The wind makes them look like waves, rolling and dipping like an ocean.
The boy falls to his knees and lets out a blood-chilling scream. I slow, tensing up at the harrowing sound. It’s pain. It’s agony. It’s… loss.
The moonlight trickles through the field as the clouds move by. The boy has pointed ears and dark hair that’s matted down with liquid. He’s hunched over and fisting the ground, sobbing.
His voice sounds hauntingly familiar.
I move slowly to the side until I can see the side of his face. There’s a long gash on his left cheek that’s been freshly sealed. Blood is dried along his jaw and chest.
My heart stutters.Kalel?
Who did this to him? I assumed he got that scar as an adult in battle, but he’s only a boy. My chest aches with sorrow, and I have the urge to comfort him.
“Alira. The path you walk will only bring misery to all.” A voice moves through the grass blades and slips into my veins.Echoing behind me. A breath as cold as a winter’s breeze coasts over my shoulder and forces a shudder across my skin.
I turn quickly but find no one behind me.
“A demigod mixing blood with a demon? Preposterous.”
This time the voice is coming from where the boy is on his knees. I whirl, finding a tall figure cloaked in a shimmering beige robe that meets their feet. A wreath of gilded leaves crowns their head.
A deity? Chills crawl up my arms and make me swallow hard.
I blink a few times to ensure this is real—that I am speaking to one of the gods right now. Although I cannot tell which one it is. King Borlin tore down most of the pictures in the castle after we were abandoned to a gruesome fate. The statues were left, but they lack the fine details of the immortal beings.
The god grins at my confused expression. “I am Mercury, Messenger of the Gods—” hetsksand shakes his head with pity “—And Alira, you foolish godling, you’ve got one hell of a warning.” His hair is sandy brown, glittery with specks of gold in each strand.
I swallow, wary that after all these years of silence, they only now send a messenger. What have I done that’s so bad compared to King Borlin’s actions? I’m saving what’s left of the kingdom and saving myself from that awful time loop. My eyes flick to the ghost of young Kalel.
Mercury laughs. “Don’t worry about him. He’s only a memory. A vision I want you to see.” He speaks in a riddle-like voice. Mercury’s bubbly demeanor makes me uncomfortable. It’s like a fake smile that people give you when they are actually burying daggers in your back.
“A memory?” I mumble, staring at the boy.
His face is smeared with black blood, and I hardly recognize him. He lifts his head up to the sky with heartbreak. “Why do thegods hate us so? What have we done that’s so unforgivable? Why do they despise us just for existing?” he cries to the stars.
The misery is palpable. I watch as vengeance sows roots deep into his heart. Those watery eyes narrow with rage, and his sobbing halts, transitioning to gritted teeth.
Mercury’s hand is heavy on my shoulder as he leans against me, murmuring close against my ear, “The message is from Jupiter himself, godling. If you marry this demon, there will be no happily ever after for you. Not for anyone.”
