Page 82 of Soul Forge

Her pulse thundered, the demon’s promise still ringing in her ears when Clover peeked out of the doorway. Sypher started yelling at him, but his words didn’t register to her. At the far end of the hallway, she found Lillian watching her. The fae narrowed her eyes, nose wrinkling like she smelled something foul, and walked away.

The princess looked down at her hand, still sticky with blood. The phantom touch of the demon lingered there, her skin tingling where his fingertips had brushed her knuckles. Another wave of shame washed over her. Was she insane?

“What in Spirit’s name is going on?” Julian asked, stepping out of the shadows beside them and frowning at Sypher. “I heard yelling.”

The Soul Forge levelled a finger at Clover. “Your brother used the thrall on me.”

Julian looked at the other vampire like he was stupid. “Do youwantto die?”

“The one thing I said to you wasdon’tuse the thrall,” the Soul Forge snapped. “It’s the same thing I always say to you! I could have killed you!”

“It didn’t seem right to make you feel the pain of two bites,” Clover shrugged, tucking his sandy hair behind his ears. “You were fine until you started to come round.”

“Where’s Yani?” Julian asked, cutting off Sypher’s furious retort. The worry in his voice roused Elda, and it seemed to dampen some of Sypher’s anger.

“Right here.” The shorter vampire appeared in the doorway, eyeing them like he expected a fistfight. “I was keeping my distance from the demon raging in the corridor.”

“Did you use the thrall too?” Elda asked, her words coming out in a thin croak when she finally found her voice.

“No. I was too far gone to think about it,” Yani assured her. His eyes weren’t sunken anymore, and a luscious green had darkened the pale white irises. Without the hollow cheeks and sallow complexion, it was easy to see why Julian was attracted to him. His features were delicate, his skin smooth and spattered with a dusting of freckles across the bridge of his nose. Auburn hair nestled on his forehead in waves, and his lips were a perfect cupid’s bow.

“I’m glad you feel better now,” Elda told him.

A smile like the sunrise lit up his face. “I’m glad you didn’t get strangled.” Despite the tempest raging in her thoughts, she chuckled.

“I need to get out of here,” Sypher muttered, turning and stalking away. When she hesitated, Julian and Yani both made shooing motions for her to follow him while Clover shook his head.

Elda had to jog to catch up with Sypher’s long strides. He seemed oblivious to the wounds on his neck and wrist, both of them still steadily leaking blood while he walked.

“Don’t you remember what happened after you left the room?” she asked when he finally stopped outside his door.

“It depends how far I go.” His fists clenched, then relaxed. “We each have a self-contained space, not dissimilar to the spaces the Spirits inhabit when they’re entrusted to a vestige. I went pretty far that time, and he managed to lock me in my space. I couldn’t get control back.” He squinted at her. “Why did he retreat? One second, I was imprisoned in my own head; the next, I was back in the hallway.”

“I don’t know.” She shrugged, not meeting his gaze.

“And he didn’t say anything to you?”

She hesitated. Her questions were plentiful, each one loudly vying for her attention, most of them likely to reveal how she’d reacted to the demon soul. She didn’t think she could handle him looking at her with the same disgust Lillian had shown. So she picked a question she thought was safe.

“What does varro mean?”

Sypher blinked, his eyes still unfocussed. “Where did you hear that?”

“He called me it.”

“It’s demonic. It means ‘little’.” Elda swallowed nervously. “Why does my demon have a nickname for you? What aren’t youtelling me?” His eyes narrowed when she didn’t answer. “I’m trusting you to tell me the truth, El.”

“I’m not sure how to tell you,” she mumbled, looking away. She could feel heat creeping up her neck, threatening to take over her face. What would he say if he knew how she’d reacted to the monster inside him?

“Just say it. My demon can’t do much to shock me these days.”

She almost laughed. “I’m pretty sure he can.”

“Elda, look at me,” he demanded. Reluctantly, she raised her head. “Tell me the truth.” His skin was pale, but his eyes were filled with concern, the fire in them banked to a low flicker. She worried at her lip, debating the best way to tell the truth without spilling her sordid secret.

“He said I make him weak and that he didn’t want to kill me,” she mumbled.

“What else did he say?” She shook her head, looking back down at her feet when the words stuck in her throat. The heat spread until she was sure the tips of her pointed ears were crimson. “Fine, I’ll ask the asshole myself,” he muttered.

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