Page 68 of Hell Bites

She won’t find one, not after a betrayal like that.

I might not want to hear her talk shit about Zia now but that’ll pass, just like anything else I felt for her.

Davina reaches out and lifts a few strands of hair from my eyes. “It was so easy. Once Prazin said he felt the shift, when he knew for sure she made it to earth, everything fell into place.”

I don’t need to hear this.

I know she’s telling me this just to hurt me. To hurt me, and to make sure I know she’s always been in control.

“Xadrian was all too willing to play my games. A big brainless warlord who only wants power. His stupid little wife happily followed orders, stepping right into her role as the helpless though obsessed and unhinged female who was head over heels for the nerdy vampire.” She rolls her eyes with a chuckle. “It all came together beautifully and when everything was in place, all Prazin had to do was give your Azizia a little nudge, and she took care of the rest.”

My hands roll into fists, unsure if it’s the pang of betrayal or straight up annoyance I’m feeling but either way, if this bitch doesn’t shut the fuck up, I’ll—

“Prazin and his magic, it’s gold, darling. I wasn’t sure it would work on you, sickly or not, but it did. For twenty years the ancient wizard’s magic worked.”

“What?” The word fell from my lips so fast there’s no way I could have stopped it. “What are you talking about?”

Davina cocks her head to the side like a confused dog. “Really? You don’t know?”

“No…” And I’m not sure I want to.

“Your landlord. Prazin. I sent the wizard to follow you; he’s how I was able to keep tabs on you for so long. Prazin’s magic has been an intricate piece of this puzzle from the moment you were banished right up until I clipped your wings. So much for that IQ of yours.”

Davina giggles, her head tipped back as that terrible sound fills the air. She flicks my shoulder just above my clipped wing, laughing harder now before she looks down at me again.

“And now? Now you’ll have no reason to ever leave me. No nasty little demon wench to fornicate with, no silly internet show, no wings to fly away from me. No gigantic naked feline to—”

“What?” I growl. It’s one thing to take everything from me, to use me, abuse me up until I die, but you threaten my good boy Roger and shit gets real.

Davina nods and gets to her feet with a grin. “Prazin has him locked up in that dingy apartment but as soon as he’s through with Xadrian, he has plans for that hideous little beast.”

I’m off the table with my hands around her throat and in her face faster than this insane female could even dream to move. Broken and bleeding doesn’t matter when my cat is brought into things.

Davina hisses as I slam her against the wall, squeezing until her veins start to bulge.

“Oh, Felix,” she purrs, but I don’t miss the malice in her eyes. “If I’d have known your stupid cat was the trigger to get you all hot and bothered, I would have had Prazin kill him ages ago.”

The pointed, broken, and exposed bony points of my wings dart out around me, pushing through the pain that radiates through every inch of my body. The tips pierce each of her temples, lighting quick strikes on either side of her head.

The remnants of my wings stay in place as I let go of her throat, straightening my spine the best I can while I say the last words I will ever say to this bitch.

“You have taken literally everything from me: mind, body, and soul. I gave you my surrender and submission, you broke me in ways you couldn’t even imagine, and I let you.” I shove the bones in further, all the way until they touch inside her skull, Davina’s dead eyes widen, her mouth gaping like a fucking fish. “I didn’t fight you once, and I accepted my fate, but you threatened my cat. You took everything from me but you don’t get to take Roger, too.”

I yank what’s left of my wings out of her head just as quickly as I stabbed her with them, the wet crunch of her brain matter exiting through bone something I’m sure they can hear all the way upstairs.

Davina slowly drops to her knees, blood oozing from her temples, and I go down as well, my knees buckling from the pain.

As my own personal nightmare finally comes to an end and I grab Davina by the neck, pulling her toward me so I can drink her dry before she dies, I realize that maybe this is the reason Zia was the instrument of my destruction.

Without that unhinged female, I wouldn’t have been able to kill this one, and even though I hope I never see the backstabbing demon again, I’ll send up a shot of gratitude for that.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Azizia

“But Rae-Rae, we’ve been walking forever,” I complain, stomping my foot with each step I take. I’m running out of energy. I’m as dry as the desert. I feel like I’ve been thrown into a dryer for hours! This is awful. I’m hot but I long lost the ability to sweat because I’m so dehydrated. Hell sucks.

“She’s not wrong,” Silo agrees.

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