Page 36 of The Demigod

“Nemesis,” I said, my voice barely audible.

I’d been looking for her so long that I was starting to think it was a fool’s errand, that I was just so committed to it because it gave me the illusion of power in a powerless time.

But there she was.

Even more beautiful than any of the writings had claimed.

Long black hair, a sharp, angular, gorgeous face, and dark eyes. Then there were her wings, soft, supple white with black-tinged edges.

Her scales and dagger were on the ground of the cave, already heavily covered in dirt.

None of that, though, had my heart slamming against my ribcage, had my belly twisting and turning.

Because, yes, she was right there.

Five feet in front of us.

But she was encased in some sort of… glass tunnel filled with an aqua-blue liquid.

“No, don’t,” Daemon said, grabbing my wrist as I raised my hand, wanting to touch the glass.

“Let me go,” I grumbled, watching Nemesis’s eyes slip toward me, expression unreadable. “That’s my sister,” I snapped.

“Let me try,” Daemon said, giving my wrist a squeeze before dropping it.

“Fine.”

His arm lifted.

But the second his fingertip touched the glass, his body was flung away with enough force to send him slamming back against the cave wall.

“Daemon!” I cried, turning and running toward where he was crumpled on the ground. “Daemon?” I called, voice thick even as unwanted tears stung my eyes.

I pushed at his shoulders, forcing him onto his back, then pressing my ear to his chest, listening for a heartbeat, feeling for his breath.

Something.

Anything.

“Don’t be crying over me, shadow girl,” he said, voice small and airless as his hand went to my hip. “Told you I can’t die.”

I lifted up, looking down at him, seeing a dark pool forming around his head.

“You’re bleeding.”

“Been doing a lot of that lately,” he agreed, his pretty eyes looking pained. “Hit my head on a sharp rock,” he told me,fingers digging a little harder into my hip. “Wouldn’t mind a little pain relief, though,” he said, eyes dancing, smile wicked.

“Oh, you’refine,” I said, whacking him in the stomach before getting to my feet and offering him my hand.

He hauled himself up, eyes going unfocused for a second. From the blood loss? Concussion? Could demonsgetconcussions?

“You’re just noticing that now?” Daemon asked, turning his face side to side for inspection, eyes bright.

“Could you be serious?” I asked.

“I can certainly try.”

“Was it an electrical charge?” I asked, looking around the glass enclosure.

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