Page 61 of Demanding Discord
“She isn’t lying. She can’t be.” My witch stepped around me.
“She will take you to them, but you may not survive the journey.” I clutched her hand, holding her back, but she tugged from my grasp.
“You’re smarter than you look, demon-boy.” Seraphine raised her arm and made a twisting motion with her hand. Wind swirled at Cinder’s feet, picking up debris as it rose around her.
“Enough,” I snarled. “You’re not taking her.”
Seraphine’s gaze slid to me. “She isn’t yours to keep.”
Before I could move, she fisted her hand and power rippled through the chamber. I staggered back as the swirling force wrapped around Cinder, lifting her from the ground, and her eyes met mine, wide and terrified.
“Discord!” she shouted, reaching for me.
I lunged, catching her hand for the briefest second before the tornado engulfed her. Her fingers slipped from mine as Seraphine ripped her away, pulling her through the fissure in a blinding flash of blue light.
I gave chase, darting through after them, my feet pounding the ground as I crossed the underground chamber and raced up the staircase and out of the shed. Orange moonlight illuminated the garden, casting long shadows across the rocky ground, but the atmosphere was still. Not a trace of the foul air witch or my soulbride remained.
The entire world fell quiet.
I sank to my knees, staring straight ahead, my heart hollow and burning, the silence pressing in like a vise. A guttural roar ripped from my chest, aching, anguished, piercing the quiet as hellfire burned hotter in my being than it ever had before.
When I finished, I sucked in a ragged breath and Hecate’s voice came softly beside me, “You’re at a crossroads, demon. In my domain.”
“What are my choices?” Pressure built in the back of my eyes.
“You took what was mine, so I’ve allowed yours to be taken. I will return to Lucifer, and you can reclaim your place by his side. Command his army as the veil crumbles and enjoy power beyond comprehension.”
I scoffed but said nothing, awaiting her alternative. “Or continue your quest in your weakened state. Find your soulbride, if she’s still alive, and face Lucifer from the opposing side, fighting with the mortals, completely stripped of your power.”
My hands curled into fists. “I prefer what’s behind door number three.”
“And what is that?”
A sinister smile curved my lips as I rose to my feet. “You’ve picked the wrong demon to challenge, goddess.”
Hell held its breath.
