Page 106 of Demonic Cage
He roars, then tries to pin me down so I can’t move.
I don’t let him. Somehow, I free my arm and push him away. Only I gain momentum, rolling off the bed. In an instant, I’m on my feet. My gaze flashes to the table where he placed his knives.
Before he can react, I’m there. I pick up a knife and throw it at him. The demon dodges, but the blade sinks into his shoulder. His eyes narrow, his irises turning black.
Finally, he’s taking me seriously. I pick up another knife. He catches it in midair. Blood oozes from his palm. His eyebrows raise in surprise, but he just yawns. It infuriates me so much that I growl. He slowly takes his eyes off his bloody palm and looks at me with interest. I snarl as the demon spreads his massive wings and strides forward. I keep attacking.
The third knife grazes his wing, and Darya growls. I throw myself at him, clasping two other daggers. I aim for his head, but he dodges. I barely scratch his chest, and curse, annoyed.
Darya grabs my wrist and twists it. I scream in pain. He pins me down – my back is pressed against his chest, and his breath is dancing on my neck.
“Are you done?” he asks.
“Are you still breathing?”
He doesn’t answer.
“Then not yet,” I say between clenched teeth, and plunge the last knife into his stomach.
He growls and lets go. I don’t relent, turning and driving the knife into his chest again. He grabs my wrist, twisting my arm. Something snaps in my elbow, and I scream.
In that moment, rage explodes from me, like it’s been waiting just beneath the surface. I hear it sizzle, and Darya curses as he releases me.
For a moment, I only blink, then we just stare at each other as the fresh burn marks on his wrist slowly heal.
Before I can comprehend that I burned him again, he trips me and throws me to the ground.
He positions himself over me on all fours, pinning me down.
I can barely breathe, trembling beneath him.
“Remarkable,” he says. “But if you want to kill me, my little champion, you still need to improve.” He smiles wickedly. “Or if you simply wanted more of my blood, all you had to do was ask.”
I spit in his face, and Darya closes his eyes, counting quietly, just long enough for fear to flicker alongside my anger.
When he opens his eyes, their color is a shade darker.
“You know, Kindra…”
“That’s not my name!”
“…sometimes you really are just a twenty-two-year-old girl whose neck I’d like to snap.”
I shudder under his hand. Darya has threatened me twice in twenty-four hours.
“But,” he continues, “when you drink my blood and act the way you truly want to, like who you really are—”
“No!” I force through my teeth before he can finish. My throat burns as he squeezes. “Don’t you dare justify yourself by saying your blood only amplifies! Alcohol does that to people too, so do drugs! That doesn’t mean we’d choose the same thing with a clear head the next day! You…”
“What didIdo, Kindra? If I recall, you begged me multiple times to fuck you, and if I had no control, I would have, and then you wouldn’t be able to piece yourself together.” He leans closer. “Every decision has a price. Every single one. I didn’t force you into anything.”
I grind my teeth so hard it hurts.
He’s right. I asked for the distraction so I wouldn’t have to deal with the fact that I can’t go anywhere.
“Shit,” I whisper, and Darya’s grip loosens, his fingers gently caressing my neck, making my pulse quicken.
“I couldn’t handle your blood yesterday,” Darya admits. “I’ve never tasted anything like it. Demonic and angelic at the sametime,” he says, resting his head on my chest, where his blood and mine have dried on my clothes. He takes a deep breath. “And yet, it didn’t harm me.”
