Page 27 of Releasing Darkness

“I don’t know,” Varos shook his head. “But I sense that it has something to do with the land."

A thought occurred to me, making me feel instantly sick to my stomach. “Oh, my gods, Varos. If this is happening to the animals…”

I didn’t have to finish the thought since he’d obviously come to the same conclusion. If the creatures of the Underworld were becoming infected by whatever was wrong with the land, then it was a fair conclusion that the same rot could extend to the entire demon race.

Varos had a grim expression on his face when he turned to look at me. “This could be the end of all demonkind.”

Chapter

Sixteen

VAROS

We continued our walk in silence, both of us sweeping our gazes over the forest floor, searching for any additional signs of the infection we had seen in the vipreth. After I had killed it, we decided it was best to burn the body to ensure no creatures tried to eat it and possibly spread whatever it had. Though I doubted anything except the truly desperate would attempt to eat something that smelled so foul. Most creatures had an innate self-protective instinct that would keep them from eating anything that would so obviously harm them.

While the vipreth was burning, I ran the dagger I’d used to kill it through the flames. The very last thing I wanted to do was leave any trace of the infected blood on the blade and then bring it through the portal. I didn’t know if the infection, if that was what it truly was, could infect another realm, but it wasn’t worth the risk.

As we walked, I opened myself to the land as much as possible, the way our mother had taught us when we were little boys. It wasn’t something that I had done much since that timelong ago, and to be truthful, I was surprised I still knew how. I didn’t think I would have even thought about doing it at all if the overall sense of wrongness hadn’t been so overwhelming after I’d healed. I figured it was either from being so weak, or possibly from being encased in what was essentially a stone tomb for thousands of years that had cut me off from the land, but I was sure I would have sensed it much sooner. I had a feeling that rot that was slowly taking over the land had been doing so for longer than anyone realized. The important questions that needed immediate answers were what had caused it and, most importantly, how to stop it.

There was an occasional scent of the same sickly, sweet rot drifting on the breeze. I wondered if I was only catching it now because I knew what it was. I feared it had been there all along, and I just hadn’t noticed.

Movement from several yards away had both Sasha and I stilling simultaneously. My mate had already proven to be strong, resilient, and a fierce fighter. I hated to admit it since he was my brother, and we disliked ever having to concede defeat to each other, but Varek had done a fucking good job training Sasha. She was a fantastic warrior.

We both scanned the forest, taking in every sound, every little movement, from the twitching of a leaf on the wind to the rustling of the underbrush as a smaller creature scurried away. I was about to relax my alert stance when I saw what had grabbed my attention the first time. Within one heartbeat to the next, I had Sasha in my arms and moved off the path. I swiftly moved further into the forest, using the cover of the small, twisted trees as concealment. Once I was satisfied that we were far enough away from the small, seldom used path we had been taking, I released the glamor I had been holding. I allowed my wings to spring free, wrapping them securely around my mate as I sat with my back to a tree.

There was a soldier, wasn’t there?

I shouldn’t have been surprised that my mate would have known that we were capable of communicating with our thoughts now that our mating had been completed. I was finding it… difficult to come to terms with the fact that she had learned many of those things from my brother.

I do believe so.

It’s a pretty handy skill to have when you can literally use the shadows to conceal yourself from sight.

She was right. A soldier could walk right past us and would have trouble seeing where we were, especially in the darkness of the night. But the sun would rise soon, making it much more difficult to hide when there weren’t many shadows to pull from or conceal yourself within.

Max hopped off my shoulder and snuggled into the space between my chest and my mate’s. I quickly found myself jealous of a rodent as he nestled his face against her chest. Sasha let out a quiet laugh as she took in my expression before I could hide it.

Please tell me you’re not jealous of little Max.

That rodent looks like he’d like to climb into your jacket and snuggle right up against your tits.

He’s not a rodent!Her indignant glare had me biting back a smile.And maybe he’s just cold.

Trust me, a sonwhen is a type of rodent.

Her eyes narrowed even as she gently ran her hand over the top of the sleeping creature’s head.I still don’t believe you.

I leaned forward to place a gentle kiss on her lips as I teased.You could always ask one of my brothers.

That is a fantastic idea.

It was my turn to narrow my eyes. I was quickly finding that I was a jealous and possessive demon when it came to mate. I didn’t want her going to my brothers for any reason.

We sat in silence long enough for Sasha to have a short nap before I felt it was likely safe enough to come out of hiding. I had been straining to hear anythingfor quite some time, but whatever footsteps there were had faded long ago. I wished at that moment that I had the same ability as my brother Vanthos. When we were children, he seemed to be able to communicate with the land, not just listen to it. It made it nearly impossible to play hiding games with him.

I folded back my wings and glared up at the sky that was already turning a dusky pink as night gave way to daylight. Hiding would be nearly impossible even inside the forest. We were already taking our chances with all the potentially deadly plants and creatures surrounding us.

At my movement, Sasha woke with a start, instantly alert and searching for trouble. I kissed her soft lips to reassure her that we were in no immediate danger.

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