Page 73 of Hellish Fae
My heart falls. It breaks as if I just lost a loved one instead of missing my chance at killing one.
This was my shot. Tonight was a perfect night.
I was ready.
Now another day will pass without change. I’ll live another day with this thing inside me, and demons, my mates included, will never be safe here. With time, even humans will be in danger of the fae’s growing greed for superiority.
Frustration rises in my chest.
My fingers grip the smooth hilt of the knife, and with a swift move, I fling the blade into the glossy bedframe. It rattles there, shaking back and forth from the impact.
I’ve accomplished nothing.
Cold wind pushes in violently from the open doors. The air smells deeply of roses. It’s peaceful here in the castle. In another life, tonight would have been a peaceful night.
A hint of a movement catches my sight, and I never even see him step out from the deep shadows of the room. But he’s just like me. And like I said, shadow bending is the first thing dark fae learn.
The second is to hate demons.
Nathiale’s green eyes are like sparking gemstones as he strides toward me. His hands grip my throat like claws waiting to snatch me up. He hauls me off the ground by my neck and slams me hard against the wall.
“Hello, sister,” he says with a thin smile that glitters like the shining crown on his head. “I always told you, you should be quieter when sneaking through the gardens with nasty demons.”
My breath burns in my chest for a taste of air, but I can’t reach it. My nails dig into the pale flesh of his wrists, but he’s stronger than me.
My knee comes up fast and to my surprise, he blocks it with a twist of his leg.
“I’d think after three years you’d find new tricks, Ari. I certainly have. I’ve trained some. It made me miss you even more. It’s a shame—”
His words are cut short. Ryke lifts his arm and brings the jagged blade of his forearm down against the prince’s back. Nathiale shrinks down and stumbles back from the demon, flinging me to the floor in the process.
My shoulder stings with pain as I slam into the floor at their feet. Krave takes a rushed step toward me, but I reach up and wrench the knife free from the frame. My arm arches up, and I bring the blade down hard, lashing it clean through my brother’s leg. His scream is a growl of pain as he stumbles back from me and dodges the massive demon still prowling toward him.
He looks small right now. Nathiale is all long limbs and slender frame, and Ryke looks like he wants to rip every single little part of him from his body.
But size means nothing when revenge has fueled someone for so long.
And just like myself, revenge has clearly been burned into my brother’s mind.
Instead of cowering away and licking his wounds, Nathiale glances at the incubus who’s too focused on me. Krave is oblivious to the danger around him because he’s too worried about me.
And it’s just enough to get him killed.
The prince’s crimson wings sweep out fast, and he lunges for the distracted demon. I scream his name. I can’t hear my own voice, but I scream Krave’s name like it’s the last word I’ll ever say.
But I’m not fast enough.
Nathiale’s body collides with Krave’s. Instead of pummeling him to the floor, he sweeps him up and through the open balcony doors in a flash of movement.
Within seconds, the two of them are soaring through the sky like shadows in the night.
And I’m tearing through the gentle breeze without hesitation.
My wings beat hard, my breath storms through my chest, and I never once look away from that motherfucker. He’s just ahead. Less than ten feet. I can see the whip of his red hair in the wind and every fist that Krave lands against my brother’s flinching face.
Krave’s glinting fingers fist through the red feathers along my brother’s back, and he pulls so hard, I hear something snap.
They drop. The fae’s big wings give out, and they spiral through the air in a tangle of punches and clawing fists. My feathers pull in tight against my back, and I free fall down right after them. I fall so fast my vision is a blur of colors, but I don’t fucking care.
