Page 179 of Curse of Darkness
I’ve spent fucking centuries tryingnotto think of them.
And now they’re gone. These are pure gold. Cat-slit. Not fae. Nothing I’ve ever seen before.
All I can see is the daemon within her, a smile curling over its lips as if it just found a new toy to play with.
“Don’t you look… delicious,” she purrs as she saunters toward me. For a moment, I see an enormous shadow following her. Despite the form she’s currently in, I don’t think I should fully trust my eyes.
“Battle is that way.” I point toward the enemy howling in retreat.
“Mmm. This won’t take a moment.”
“I don’t know.” I squat on the balls of my feet as I hold my swords low. The second is mere steel, but it’s handy as a shield breaker. “They’re running pretty fast. If you take too long, you’ll lose them.”
That gives her pause.
A horn bellows behind us.
Just loudly enough to catch her attention.
“Not that way!” She’s turning, those chaos-blighted eyes locking upon the Evernight forces settling into formation. “They’re our forces, E!”
It doesn’t matter to her.
Eris is buried deep within.
All that remains is the daemon.
“Why don’t you stop me?” she purrs as she starts back toward our warriors.
I slam into her, carrying her to the ground. Claws lash up, but I’ve been watching her for the past hour, memorizing her moves. It’s what my mother taught me as a child. I’ve spent years trying to turn away from my heritage, but in the end it may just be what saves my life.
We both flip to our feet, eyeing each other. Evernight’s forgotten, but now her focus is completely on me.
She attacks hard.
Driving my shoulder low, I hit her at mid-waist, and she catapults over my shoulder.
The second I spin, I realize my error. She’s on her feet, landing like a cat, her claws lashing through the thick muscle of my thigh.
Darkness’s hairy balls. I grit my teeth against the pain. “My, my, grandmother…. What sharp claws you have.”
“All the better to pluck your innards out.”
Our swords clash, and I shove forward, using brute strength to force Eris back a step. Maybe there’s a hint of surprise in her eyes, because she’s always beaten me in the training yard.
But then, I was never fighting for my life.
“Don’t, E. Don’t force this fight.”
“Maybe I want it,” she hisses at me.
All around us, the sounds of battle rage on, but I tune them out. The second I take my eyes off her, I’m dead, and we both know it.
We break apart, and then she’s coming at me, sword flashing like lightning.
And my sword rises to meet it.
Steel shrieks on steel. Hammer blow after hammer blow.
