Page 59 of The Prince of Demons

Then I charged.

“Hey, doggy!” I wiggled my fingers. The ground was shaky, unsteady—fire had burned through the ice coating, making it slippery and sloppy. I pushed forward.Be bold, I told myself. Don’t hesitate. You only had one chance to get this right.

Burning rubber and roasting flesh invaded my nose.

My mind went dark.

Black energy burst under my skin, raging through my head until I was limitless.

I got close enough to shove the knife down the dog’s throat.

The beast roared, tearing its claws down my right arm hard enough to scrape out blood. Undeterred, my left hand swung up straight behind its head, using the force of my determination to hurl my projectile skyward.

Drawing back my bloodied arm, I circled, evaded, and rounded the beast, buying myself precious moments. This was it—the final gamble.

This better work. I only had one arm left.

A glint of reflected light descended. Perfect.

“Come get me, dog!” I yelled.

It reared forward while my other blade dropped from the sky.

The blade struck, nailing the beast, who roared at the sky in confusion.

Reaper clapped. “Mirror, mirror, on the tree. Who is the fiercest girl I see?”

While the beast was impaled, I leaped into the mirror, using my final surge of adrenaline to leave the hellhound behind.

* * *

I tumbled out the mirror,gasping for breath in the cozy familiarity of the Whispering Woods. But there was no comfort, no sense of achievement. The fury burning through me consumed any trace of relief.

“Bravo!” Reaper lauded. I launched my third dagger at him.

“What was that?” He said, voice rising, betraying his surprise.

“I had three daggers in my backpack, demon,” I staggered toward him. “One to pretend to kill it. One to actually kill it. And one to kill you!” I crawled to my now discarded weapon, my body protesting each movement.

“Ah, ah, ah.” He covered it with his boot. “I think you’ve had enough for the day. I am very impressed. You survived the dare.”

His voice only fueled the venom in my soul. “You’ll never survive me when I’m through with you,” I promised, voice raw. My arm still bled. I held it against myself, slumping onto the mossy earth. The forest was almost as red as the haze in my vision.

“I’ll haunt you forever,” I vowed. My lungs were so raw, my voice cracked.

“The feeling is mutual,” he crooned. He knelt down, pressing a hand to my forehead. Gentle energy flowed. The pain ebbed away. Bit. By. Painful bit.

“I’m proud of you, savage seraphim,” he purred before dumping me through space and back into my bed.

Alone in my room, pain gone, but emotional scars etched in my soul, I simmered in my hatred all night.

ChapterSixteen

THE ORACLE MUSINGS

It’s finally here! My infamous rankings list!

In the top tier: Fae and Angel House will recruit the smartest, most vicious, and most notorious class for the future. In the middle tier, Vamp and Siren House will maintain their reputation and status. Wolf House, as usual, will form their pack of rejects and furries in the bottom tier. And Rose House? Well, you don’t need me to spell it out, do you?

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