Page 74 of Daughter of the Darkened City

Kaemon and Dryston were silent. Dryston flexed his jaw, then leveled his gaze on Onora.

“You’ll be in the temple, helping her,” he said. Onora only raised her brows, unimpressed. “Don’t let her die.”

Onora took a drink before responding. “There’s great honor in dying to save others, Lord of Shadows. I’m not one to steal glory from another.”

Enid wanted to thank her, to hug her—to do anything to express how those words made her feel. That someone was not only confident she could accomplish what she had promised but was willing to let her make the decision to do what she thought was necessary was… new. Refreshing. It made her feel a smidge less worthless.

Dryston’s wing twitched, and he leaned forward, ready to intimidate, but Enid stood, drawing their attention back to her. She didn’t know what to say, only that she didn’t want to witness the two of them fighting again. She’d managed some sense of affinity with Onora and the woman seemed to understand how Enid felt. Onora seemed like the only person who understood Enid in that moment.

She looked around and waved her hand towards the far wall. “Anyone think they can beat me at darts?”

Kaemon smiled and stood, too. “I’ve spent plenty of time practicing at Aife and Jorah’s. I’ll make quick work of you.”

Enid was thankful for Kaemon’s immediate willingness to diffuse the situation with her. They walked over, the other two joining them. Kaemon gave a squeeze to her elbow and a quick, sympathetic glance. Gods, but she’d missed him all these years. He had always been the counterweight to her and Dryston’s chaos.

They took the darts, dividing them amongst themselves, taking turns throwing them. Enid won the first game, but Kaemon won the next two and she walked to the bar to pick up a few shots for the table since she lost. She took an extra shot before taking the others back and Dryston came up behind her to help carry them.

“What in the darkest pit is Onora doing here with us?” He inclined his head to the woman who was listening to Kaemon talk about his mate, an unreadable expression on her face. She was intent, and not cold, but certainly not warm. Still, the glow on Kaemon’s face made Enid’s heart falter. If she didn’t succeed, then Kaemon would be stuck here. He wouldn’t make it back to Melina. He’d never meet his child.

She shook her head, trying to dispel the dark thoughts. “I don’t know. Maybe she’s warming to us?”

Dryston raised a skeptical brow. “It makes me uncomfortable.”

Enid had felt that way about Onora. But after the day in the forest, she couldn’t say she did anymore. Maybe what she had known of Hunters her entire life had been as skewed as what the Hunters knew of demons.

She came back over and handed out the shots. Onora sniffed hers suspiciously and Enid narrowed her eyes. “I didn’t poison it, you know. I need you alive for the ritual.”

“So you’ll poison me after?” she asked, taking another sniff then downing it.

Dryston grumbled, grabbing the darts and handing the blue painted ones to Onora. “You versus me.”

She gave him a dull look but grabbed the darts and stood next to him. “You go first.”

“No, I insist you go,” he said. “Ladies first.”

“Oh? I didn’t realize demons were gentlemanly.” She aimed, throwing the dart and hitting it square in the middle. She retrieved it and walked back with a wicked smirk at Dryston.

His tail twitched behind him. “I think there are a great many things you don’t know about demons, Hunter.”

Dryston lined up his dart, taking in a steadying breath, and let it loose, hitting it dead in the center as well. He returned the smirk, and Onora’s grip tightened on her darts.

“I hate this,” Kaemon groaned under his breath to Enid.

She chuckled, waving down the barkeep to bring two more shots and some wine. She was already feeling the alcohol, but it wasn’t enough. Her mind still churned around her failure earlier, circling like a vulture, ready to pick herself apart. Kaemon refused the shot, so she took both of them and he frowned.

“Slow down there, Enid, the night’s still young.”

She smiled ruefully, but her head buzzed and she didn’t want to stop.

“I have to drink your portion.”

Kaemon had no idea about her. How she was the party girl, how she was notorious for her all night binges. When she’d found him, he’d told her he’d had to search for information about them, usually from travelers who told him that they were alive and doing well. That had been the extent of it. He hadn’t read the gossip pages that splattered her name everywhere.

He tilted his head to the side, giving her a questioning look.

“I’m fine. Lots of partying has built up my tolerance.”

He frowned but didn’t say anything more except to refuse the wine as well. “I don’t like the wine here. The sweetness makes me feel terrible and the floral taste is odd.”

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