Page 83 of Demons of Eden

“Sweetheart, of course I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you,” she says, opening her arms.

Alina takes an uncertain step forward, and Zenith abruptly grabs her arm, pulling her close and pressing her fingers to her forehead, hissing a spell. Alina drops against her mother, unconscious.

She only remains there for a moment before she’s handed off to one of the other witches at Zenith’s side with the order, “Take her away. I’ll deal with her later.”

It’s at that moment I realise something odd. Lorcan isn’t by Zenith’s side, but I know he hadn’t joined us, that he’d never. I also doubt he’d just leave…

“Did she really just do that?” the healer who’d joined us asks disbelievingly.

“Only just now noticing Zenith’s a total bitch?” Suvi questions him right back.

Feeling a prickling sensation roll down my spine, I turn around, but there’s nothing. I’d dismiss it as paranoia, but the last time I did that, I was wrong. I nudge Ash and quietly whisper, “Something’s wrong.”

He nods, then detaches himself from my side as he scans the area behind us, trusting the others to have the threat coming from the front. The sprite on his shoulder suddenly screams. A hand lands on my wrist, and I turn to see which of the guys grabbed hold of me, only to find myself face to face with Lorcan.

How the fuck did he sneak up on us?

“Surprise,” he taunts, and then we’re falling, my stomach lurching at the odd sensation.

A moment later, we land roughly on a patch of grass that’s been encircled with a braided rope, with none of the others in sight.

He drops a piece of blackened rope he’d been holding in his other hand, and I barely resist the urge to snort at the sight of it. The method of teleportation he’s used is rudimentary, nothing like the tunnelling technique used by Paimon when he abducted me. It’s not even comparable to my family’s return key. A pre-set single-use charm only capable of transporting to one predetermined location. A location that can’t even be too far away, given the spell’s limits.

It takes a moment for me to realise where we are, roughly only a twenty-minute or so walk beyond the boundaries of the property, but the rocks are familiar. A few large slabs of limestone and other chunks of rocks are scattered all across the field. Whatever this place once was has been long forgotten, but to me, it was a place to explore as a kid. One of the few outdoorsy spaces I’d liked, and now I’m sure Lorcan’s about to ruin it for me.

I yank myself free from his grip on my wrist and slowly back away. “I don’t suppose you’ve brought me here to save me out of the goodness of your heart?”

“Sadly not,” he replies with a disturbing smile, turning his head as Zenith appears beside us. His eyes light up when he sees her, and something about it twists my stomach. At least, I hope it’s just that which is making my stomach clench and turn.

I back away faster as the pair suddenly embrace.

Goddess, that’s disgusting. She’s old enough to be his damn mother.

I’m about to turn and run when I smack into an invisible barrier. I reach out with my magic to feel the space aroundme, finding that this section of the rock-covered field is entirely encased in a bubble. They’ve already set up a barrier.Fuck.

A cold feeling wraps around me as I’m yanked off my feet by Zenith’s magic, her hand outstretched in my direction. She flings me down onto the nearest slab of limestone, a cry of pain escaping my lips as I hit it. Hard. Before I can recover, they’re pulling out bindings from behind the rock and strapping me down to it with a mixture of the ropes and the magic twisted into them.

I feel tears streaking down my face.

“You planned for this. All of it,” I accuse them as I struggle to break free, but I'm outnumbered, pregnant, and they’re far too prepared. I can’t escape no matter how hard I try.

“Of course. We’d be fools to allow such an opportunity to pass by, to let such power go to waste,” Zenith replies blandly, like she’s discussing the damn weather or something. Not my fucking murder.

“Hypocrites,” I hiss furiously.

“Hardly,” Locan huffs. “Don’t worry, Eden, we’ll put this abomination's power to good use. Unlike them, we’re not predisposed to insanity and rampages.”

“What’s your fucking excuse for being so unhinged then?” I ask sarcastically, trying to ignore the cramping feeling clenching my stomach.

This isn't happening. Not yet.

His hand smacks against my cheek a split second later, sending my head rolling to the side, scraping onto the rock’s surface. The result leaves both sides of my face stinging like they were the one slapped.

“You hit like a six-year-old girl,” I inform him, unable to resist the jibe, even in my current circumstances. He doesn’t scare me the way Paimon had. Compared to him, Lorcan’s just an arrogant little bastard with unchecked delusions of grandeur.

He raises his hand to smack me again, but Zenith catches it.

“There’s no need for that, now is there, darling?” she asks charmingly, one eyebrow raised as she looks at him. “We need heralivefor the sacrifice. Wasting the power lashing out in anger would be pointless. You’ll be putting a dagger into her soon enough.”

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