Page 69 of Not Today, Satan
Ferus continues, “When they failed, we decided to clear your path. After all, this is the perfect spot to arrest you for treason, don’t you think? The very place your mother was killed for the same crime. Your death will be serendipitous.”
Heat flares through my body, and I narrow my eyebrows. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Oh, really?” Ferus raises his sword. It’s one from Father’s arsenal—made like mine. “Wanna try me, Princess?”
“You don’t scare me, Ferus.” I steady my voice so it doesn’t shake like the rest of my body. “I’m surprised you made it out of Lot Eleven. I figured you’d still be staring at your ugly-ass reflection.”
“You little bitch.” Ferus storms forward, but a souldier grabs him from behind. He roars and breaks through their arms.
Lifting my palm, I aim a fireball at his chest. He dodges, and the poor souldier who’d tried to contain him falls with a cry.
Oops. My bad.
Ferus cackles. Gritting my teeth, I rear up and blast again. A spark pops against my fingers, then fizzles out in a puff of smoke.
An entire day of rest, and all I get back is one fireball? This power sucks.
Though I suppose it wasn’t all rest…
Shivers tickle my neck, and Nate squeezes my hand like he’s reading my mind. The pressure’s all I need to throw my palm out one last time with a determined scream.
This time, there’s not even a spark.
“Well, that’s embarrassing,” Ferus sputters through bouts of laughter.
How dare he laugh at me.
I lunge at him, but Nate tightens his grip and whispers, “He’s not worth it.”
Ferus wipes his eyes before his expression stills and a darkness creeps over his features. “Thiswillmake killing you that much easier. Been nice knowing you, Princess.”
He raises his sword.
“That’s enough!” A souldier steps out from the back of the line and lifts his visor.
Atty.
My jaw loosens, and I lower my hand, fingers still arced to scratch out Ferus’s eyes.
“Attero, don’t bother,” Ferus snarls. “She hates our kind. Look at her, holding hands with ashadeling. Time to break up this revolting lovefest.”
Our fingers split apart as he pulls Nate into his chest and plants a blade at his throat.
My hand flies to my heart.
This wasn’t part of my plan. Only I was supposed to hurt Nate, and now Ferus has dragged the entire Underworld into it.
I step forward, wrapping my fingers over the hilt of my sword. “Leave him alone, Ferus.”
“What is it about this one, Princess?” Ferus leers over Nate’s shoulder as he thrashes in his arms. “Is it that wounded puppy look? The ‘I swear I’m a good person even though I’m a murderer’ eyes? Whatever it is, it’s a story out of those books you love so much. The Devil’s daughter in love with a sinner.
“Except we both know the ending of this one, don’t we? And it never goes well for the lovers. One of them has to die.” He presses his blade into Nate’s throat, and a drop of blood spills down over his collar. “This is your chance to decide which of you it’ll be.”
Ferus’s words slice into my chest like a knife and pierce me right where he aimed. Nate’s blood is a reminder of the moment in the ice castle when I almost stabbed him after we kissed for the first time.
And that wasn’t even the first time I’d tried to harm him.
Yet, for some reason, he stayed.
