Page 42 of Demanding Discord
“He knows now. Whether he knew before we arrived, I can’t say.” Discord stepped forward, and the shadow guy lunged, knocking into my demon and making him stumble back. “This entity is too at one with the maze to have been sent in after us. I believe it resides here.”
“If we can’t kill it, what do we do?” I tensed, my muscles coiling, ready to attack or run…whichever would keep us alive the longest.
“We must make it to the altar and offer our blood. It’s the only way out of the maze.”
“Are you sure you can’t do your space-bendy thing?” Because there was no way in hell I was pledging myself to Lucifer.
“Even if I had the energy, it wouldn’t work. Completing the sacrifice is truly the only way out.”
“Are you sure?” I asked again. There had to be another way.
“I’ve navigated the labyrinth three times in the past.” He stepped forward, closing in on the altar, and again the shadow man shoved him back. “Few make it to the center, so it was always left unguarded. Ruin must have created the tulpa to get into Lucifer’s good graces.”
“Because of course he did,” I said. “Okay, here’s the plan. I’ll distract the tulpa so you can get to the altar. Once you make the cut and start dripping blood, I’ll latch onto you. Then the maze will eject us both and we can be on our way.”
“It’s not that simple.”
I didn’t wait for him to elaborate. Instead, I waved my arms like a crazy person and shouted, “Hey, shadow man, come and get me.”
The tulpa whirled around and shot toward me, arms outstretched like a horror movie ghost. I hurled a ball of fire, but it passed right through its smoky form. Its solid hands hit my shoulders, knocking me to the ground before it spun toward Discord.
“The moment my sacrifice is complete, I’ll be ejected.” He snagged the knife from the table. “You must do it too.”
“I’m a light witch. I can’t.” I scrambled to my feet as the shadow plowed into my demon, pushing him away from the altar.
“Now is not the time for stubbornness.” He swung the blade and lunged. The tulpa turned to smoke, and Discord’s momentum sent him crashing to the ground.
“I’m not stubborn. I have morals. There’s a difference.” I moved toward him, and the tulpa turned on me, pushing me back. “Besides, I already have a blood bond with one demon, and I am not a ‘why choose’ kind of gal.”
Discord snapped his head toward me, the look in his eyes feral as I struggled with the tulpa. The infuriating monster landed a punch in my gut. I doubled over and tried to slam my shoulder into its form, but it turned to smoke. I fell through it, scraping my palms on the ground. It turned solid again and kicked me in the side.
Pain exploded across my abdomen, but I stumbled to my feet in time to see Discord slice into his palm. The tulpa wrapped its arms around, squeezing me like a vise and doing something to me. My body ached like I had the worst case of the flu ever imagined, and my head pounded. My vision wavered as a tidal wave of fatigue crashed into me, making my knees buckle.
Discord just watched as the tulpa sucked the life out of me.
I raked in a breath, the frigid air like razorblades in my throat. I wanted to call to him, to ask for his help, but I couldn’t speak. Couldn’t move.
One drop of his blood fell into the vase. Two drops…
Was he seriously about to leave me behind? To abandon me to this fate worse than death, leaving me alone to wander this hell maze for the rest of eternity?
Drop number three fell into the vase.
“Bastard,” I rasped as the last of my energy left my body. Darkness engulfed me. Then, the pain ceased, and I felt nothing but emptiness.
“Cinder.” A warm hand patted my cheek, and Discord’s voice pulled me to the present. “Cinder, wake up.”
Discord… My eyes flew open, and I bolted upright. “You asshole! You left me there to die.”
Heart pounding, I scrambled to my feet, my knees wobbling beneath me, my voice taking on a shrill edge. “How could you?”
I pushed him. When he didn’t budge, I pounded my fists against his chest. Tears stung my eyes, and my stomach roiled. “You left me to die!”
“Shh…” He wrapped his arms around me, holding me tightly against his chest. “You’re not dead.”
I couldn’t tell you what came over me. I suppose it was the stress, the fear and pain, the idea that he’d abandoned me—oh, that sense of abandonment—but all my emotions swirled together at once, creating a sickening tornado inside me. Tears streamed from my eyes, and I sobbed, latching onto him like my life depended on it.
“You left me.” My voice was barely a whisper against his chest.
