Page 30 of Demonic Division

15

Dagny

It’s beenseveral hours since Cyprien and Lir left, and I’ve checked the room five times over for secret doors or false stones, hoping to find an escape. When that was unsuccessful, I set out to find something I could use as a weapon, but came up empty once again. Since then, I’ve been curled up in my furs, counting the cracks in the walls and ignoring the vicious rumbling of my stomach.

The light spilling onto the floor is snuffed out like a candle, and I whip my head toward the window, surprised to find the sky bathed in darkness. The sun has flipped to a stunning silver moon, casting the land in an ethereal shimmering light.

It must be nighttime…

I climb out of bed and walk toward the window, standing on my tiptoes to peek over the stone. The land is eerily still, covered in a bright white blanket that consumes any hint of life or color. It’s calming and terrifying all at once, and a shiver runs down my spine to think of the creatures that call this hell a home.

I step back from the window, pulling the blanket tighteraround my shoulders as I retreat to my bed. Sitting alone in the dark, I can’t help but compare it to the dungeons. At least there, I had M to talk to. At least there, I wasn’t so woefully lost.

Come find me,he had said.There is so much more we need to talk about. So many more secrets I need to share.

My chest squeezes the longer I think of him, and before long, I’m pulled to my feet by that strange thing living beneath my skin. I blink, and I’m in front of the door, my hand wrapping around the handle and twisting.

When that doesn’t work, I wave my hand in front of the lock like Kaebl had done, willing the lock to unbolt with all my might.Nothing.

I try the doorknob again, this time pulling. Logically, I know trying the door over and over won’t make it any less locked, but for some reason, I just need totry.

Frustration builds in my veins as I twist and jiggle the knob violently, growing more angry with each failed attempt. It’s irrational, but now I’m determined. The thing inside my chest is scraping and clawing, desperate to get the fuck out. Heat builds beneath my skin, flowing through my veins and collecting in my fingertips.

White-hot, blinding light builds behind my eyes, blocking out the world as fire sears my fingertips. I open my mouth to scream, but nothing comes out, and a burst of heat strikes the air in front of me.

The door pops open, and I fall forward onto the stone, barely able to catch myself with my palms before my chin smacks the ground. My body trembles, recovering in the aftermath of whatever the hell just happened to me.

I take a few deep breaths, calming my racing heart before pushing to my feet. I don’t have time to think about it, and it’s not like I would have the answers,anyway. My best bet is to get to M and ask him what just happened.

Holding a hand to the wall, I begin creeping down the hallway, blinking against the shadows that conceal the path in front of me. I try my best to follow the twists and turns Kaebl took when he first led me to my room, and eventually, I make it to the spiral staircase. I grip the rail as I take the winding spiral down to the abyss, my breath exhaling in shallow puffs of vapor.

It’s pitch black on the main floor, and I have to use the wall to find the passageway that leads to the dungeons. My fingers tremble as I unhook the bolt and descend into the pit, the hair on my arms raising as an ominous energy thickens the air.

M is standing at the bars of his cell, one menacing red eye glinting in the dark.

“Wildfire,” he whispers. “You’re back. I was starting to worry.”

I step toward the bars, that invisible string pulling me toward him. “You were worried?”

“I was not sure what horrors Kaebl had planned when he dragged you from here. I feared I would never see your enchanting face again.” His eyes drag down my body lazily, savoring each dip and curve with hunger in his gaze. “Among other things.”

I stop just shy of the metal bars, my eyes fixed on his taunting smirk. “Other things?”

His lips pull back in a manic smile. “I’m glad to see you unharmed, sweet thing. How are you faring? Did you have a nice day frolicking in the castle?”

I bristle at the insinuation in his tone. “No one wasfrolicking, first of all.”

“Hmm.” His eye glows molten as he takes adeep inhale. “I smell him on your skin, little one. I smell themboth. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you quite enjoyed yourself today.”

I scoff, even as memories swarm my mind. Everything that happened between Cyprien and me. The kiss. The growling, claws, teeth, and blood. The want. The need. The sensation of being alive—of seeing in color after so many years bathed in gray.

“I’m only teasing.” His voice interrupts my thoughts, his tone low and soothing. “You desire to leave this place, right? To go home? I doubt a few muscle-bound demons could change your mind.” He tilts his head with a diabolical smile, eyes fixed on the grim set of my mouth. “Unless… you don’t actually want to go home. Perhaps a piece of you never did.”

“I don’t know what I want anymore,” I answer truthfully. “Nothing makes sense—it hasn’t since Cyprien showed up at the foot of my bed. Since I… bonded with him.”

“And you’re hoping I will provide you the answers you seek?” M asks, reading my mind. “I can’t promise they will make you happy, little one.”

“I still need to know,” I whisper, stepping forward to clutch the bars of his cell. “Do you think Kaebl plans to harm me? Kill me?”

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