Page 87 of Kiss of Magic

“Much as I’d like to take credit, this wasyourvictory. I must admit, I hadn’t realised you were so resourceful, Morenna.”

She must be dreaming.

“It was nothing.”

“It was not nothing. False modesty is tedious.”

“Yes, father.”

Salaq hesitated. And then, for the first time since his daughter had come of age, he patted her awkwardly on the shoulder.

“You did well.”

He walked away, shouting orders to his men to regroup.

Ren stared after him in a daze and wondered if it was possible to feel pure terrorandpure joy, all on the same day.

Forty

Forbidden Zone

Beast stared at the demon. It seemed to flicker, making his eyes hurt. And it was larger than he’d expected. Knotted with sinew and muscle, bearing extra limbs. He hung onto the hope that it wasn’t as strong as it looked.

“I am not your brother,” he growled. The thing looked back at him.

You. Are. Like. Us.

“Fuck you. I’m nothing like you.”

You. Smell. Of. Magic.

“I’m not a demon.”

Born. Of. Darkness.

The demon’s voice curled through his mind and Beast faltered. This is what he’d feared, wasn’t it? That no matter what he did, or how much he tried to prove himself, he was still a monster.

Why else would he have thoughts like these? Delicious thoughts of blood and fury. To rampage, to slaughter, to drink his fill of blood…

Natalia. Think of Natalia.

The darkness swirling through his mind abated a little. He wasn’t a monster. He couldn’t be. Because Natalia loved him and she would never love a monster.

His eyes flashed green.

“I don’t care what you think, demon. I’m not an evil bastard like you. You can go straight back to whatever tier of hell you crawled from.”

Join. Us. Rule. With. Us.

“At what cost? At the cost of everyone’s lives? No deal.”

The thing cocked its head to one side inquisitively.

You. Choose. Them. Over. Kin?

“I told you. We’re not related. Now get out of my forest.”

The ridge on the creature’s back split and four tentacles uncurled. They waved sinuously above its head, each tipped with a gleaming point. The demon’s jaws widened and a tongue forked out. Its rasping voice sounded almost amused.

---