Page 60 of Fate and Fury

“The pleasure is mine,” the dark-haired demon said, as politely as if they sat in front of a fire, sharing cups of tea.

“I beg to differ,” Sammael said. “And you are leaving.”

“I don’t think so.” Gadreel strolled closer. “Really, Sammael, will you not even let her speak for herself? What dreadful company you must be.”

A snarl rumbled up from Sammael’s chest, making Elena shiver. “Step away.”

“So protective.” Gadreel’s eyes focused on Elena’s face where she peeked over Sammael’s shoulder. They were the rich color of delphiniums, surprisingly beautiful in his cold face. “Now you have me intrigued. What makes her so special?”

He stepped closer still, and Sammael snarled again. “Never think it. This one is mine.”

There was a ruthless tinge to Sammael’s voice, a hungry, fierce note Elena had never heard from him before. Perhaps it should have frightened her, but instead all she could think was that she’d waited all her life for someone to speak of her that way—as if she were the most important thing in their world. As if she mattered more than all else.

Gadreel’s lip curled. “That oneis a Vila, in case you haven’t noticed. You can have her, and welcome. What can she ever be but cannon fodder, or a warm place to stick your?—”

It was clear enough what he meant to say, but he never got the chance. Sammael launched himself at the other demon,baring his teeth. Gadreel’s eyes widened in surprise, a moment before he hit the forest floor with a thud that shook the saplings.

This, Elena thought as they wrestled, was what it felt like to have a Shadow fight for you. A person who was always willing to stand between you and danger—not that Sammael was precisely a person, but the point remained the same.

“Apologize,” Sammael growled, his teeth inches from Gadreel’s throat.

Gadreel laughed, a mocking sound that would have offended Elena’s pride if Sammael hadn’t sunk his venom-coated teeth into the other demon’s neck. Silver-blue blood flowed from the wound, dripping onto the leaves beneath them.

“Apologize,” Sammael said again, his tone conversational—which, Elena thought, made it all the more frightening. He might as well have been sitting next to her on the chapel’s moss-carpeted steps, discussing the finer points of magical manipulation.

A small, lazy smile lifted Gadreel’s lips. “If you insist. Far be it from me to disparage your latest plaything. Vila, I apologize sincerely for impugning your talents and reputation.”

“Her name,” Sammael said, pinning Gadreel down with a forearm across his bloodied throat, “is Elena.”

Gadreel coughed, prying the other demon’s arm away. “My, my. How the mighty have fallen.” He cut his eyes at Elena, still smiling. “Elena of the Vila, beloved of Sammael, may I offer you my most abject regrets.”

The apology didn’t sound particularly heartfelt, but Gadreel was a demon, after all. Aside from Sammael, they were all monsters. Perhaps Sammael was a monster as well—but he washermonster, and that made all the difference. “I accept,” Elena said, inclining her head.

“I never thought I’d see the day,” Gadreel said, pressing a handful of leaves to his neck to stanch the blood. “The Venomof God, felled by a Vila. What do you plan to do with this lovely acquisition, Sammael?”

It was one thing for Sammael to claim her, sounding like he was proud to do it, and quite another for this strange demon to imply that she was Sammael’s property. “I’m standing right here,” Elena said.

“It seems I must apologize yet again. But I am sure you understand my curiosity. This is quite an unusual—arrangement.” Gadreel arched a dark eyebrow, gesturing at the two of them.

Sammael snorted in disgust. “I am not consorting with the Vila in the way you believe. Unlike some, my imagination extends beyond such pedestrian activities.”

Gadreel’s other eyebrow rose to join the first. “Do tell.”

“She is betrothed to Niko Alekhin. The Shadow of the Dimi you covet. And before you ask, I’ve heard all about it. Everyone has. The Scourge of the Demon Realms, vanquished by a witch and her dog. Somehow you left that out the last time we chatted.”

Both pitch-dark eyebrows came down at once, like night falling. Gadreel hissed, a vicious sound that sent the prickling sensation of a thousand needles over Elena’s skin. “Your pet is betrothed to Dimi Ivanova’s Shadow?”

Of course, this man had heard of Katerina. Everywhere Elena went, Katerina had gotten there first. Everywhere and everything she thought was hers had to be shared with Katerina, too.

Elena thought of protesting that she wasn’t Sammael’s pet, but this wasn’t the time for argument. Gadreel’s teeth were bared, the bright blue of his eyes giving way to a solid, piercing green that eclipsed pupils, irises, and whites. He looked terrifying, and only the knowledge that Sammael would defend her if he attacked kept Elena from cowering back against one ofthe columns and trying to blend in with the climbing roses that twined around them, thorns and all.

Then realization dawned, crashing over her with an impact that knocked the breath from her lungs. “You,” she said when she could speak. “You led the raid on our village. The one that almost killed Alexei. That wasyou.”

As if it took great effort to do it, Gadreel’s head swiveled toward her. His unnaturally green eyes locked onto her face, holding her in his gaze the way a snake would hold a rabbit. It was all she could do not to flinch under their weight. “I know not who Alexei is,” he said, his voice rougher, deeper. “But yes, I led the raid. It was the Dimi I wanted. That night, she showed me she will be worth any wait.”

Rage welled in Elena, making her clench her fists. Was she to have no respite from Katerina, even here—in her safe place, the place where she was the one who shone? “Alexei is the Shadow your soldierstabbed,” she said, gritting out each syllable. “He almost died.”

Gadreel tilted his head, as if considering. “Ah, I remember now. Not this one—” His shape morphed, appallingly, into Niko’s, then back again—“but this.” Again his body slipped its confines, transforming into Alexei’s shorter, stockier form before he shifted back into the shape of the dark-haired demon. “He was easy to damage. Not a loss. Now your Shadow, on the other hand—he would be an honor to kill.”

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