Page 54 of Demonic Division

Roark snarls, his glowing purple eyes narrowing with rage. Sensing the impending fight, Lir steps between them, hiding Cyprien’s irritating smirk from Roark’s view. “Stop fucking poking him, Cyprien. And you—” He turns his serious gaze onto Roark. “Cyprien had a point. You’re all kinds of fucked up. We need to heal your wounds before… well, before we think about doing anything else!” Lir looks off to the side awkwardly, and I have to suppress my giggle at the sight of Lir’s cheeks tinted with pink.

Roark releases a low whine but doesn’t argue. Instead, he chooses to bury his head into my neck. “Mine…”

I sigh, running my hands down his arms, smiling as his powerful muscles shudder beneath my touch. “Yes, Roark.Yours.But you have to let me go. You have to let Lir heal you.”

He just shakes his head, and I look toward Lir helplessly. “Can you…?”

Lir frowns, shaking his head imperceptibly. “I’m afraid to pull him off you…”

I turn my attention back to Roark, continuing to trail my palms lightly over his torn flesh. Unexpected heat pools at my fingertips, pushing into Roark’s skin and pulling a relieved groan from his parted lips. I’m not sure exactly what I’m doing, but something urges me to continue, to finish this strange ritual.

A faint light pulses to life beneath my hands, spreading from the area and coloring the skin a beautiful silver hue. Wherever the light touches, the wounds close, the edges drawn together by an invisible thread until nothing but pale pink scars are left behind.

The golden glow vanishes as the last of the heat seepsfrom my veins, and I pull away from Roark as Lir’s gaze burns a hole into my profile.

“How… did you do that?” he asks, his voice an awe-filled whisper.

My eyes flick toward him, finding his mouth parted slightly in shock. “I don’t know,” I answer truthfully. “Sometimes I can just… do things.” I’m about to explain what Kaebl told me in the ice tunnels—how I might be half-demon—but before I get the chance, I’m overcome by a violent wave of vertigo.

My head swims, lining my vision with black spots as my ears fill with a loud whooshing noise. My bones turn to Jell-O, causing my feet to fall out from under me. If it were not for Roark’s grip, I would have crashed to the hard ground.

I lie limp in his arms for several minutes, trying to catch my breath. It feels like I’ve been underwater for eons—like someone sucked all the oxygen from the room, and I can’t seem to get enough of it.

“Shit,” Lir murmurs, hurrying over and helping Roark lower me to the ground. He supports my head as Cyprien crouches next to him, placing his clawed palm onto my chest as a worried frown pulls at his mouth.

“What’s wrong with her?” Cyprien demands, turning desperate eyes onto Lir. “Fix her!”

Lir shakes his head, waving a hand in front of my half-lidded eyes. “I don’t… there’s nothingtofix…”

Roark whimpers helplessly, pushing his face deep into the side of my neck. “It’s my fault. She’s like this because she tried to help me.”

With what little strength I have left, I raise a hand, placing it onto Roark’s face to comfort him. Violet eyes rise to meet mine, and my chest squeezes to find them brimmingwith tears.

“I’m… okay…” I whisper, taking deep breaths between each word. “Just… tired…”

Roark whines, his chest vibrating with the sounds of his agony. “Lir, do something!”

Lir sighs, placing his palm on my forehead. My skin heats as healing magic pulses beneath my skin, but there are no real effects other than that pleasant warmth. Realizing it’s having no effect, Lir rips his hand away with a whimper, then stands and begins pacing the room.

As their panic mounts, I raise my head, blinking weakly past the haze coating my vision. “Guys… I promise… I’m okay…”

No one seems to hear me—too busy caught up in discussions of possible remedies—but then, a deep gurgling breaks the air, and all three demons fall silent.

“What the fuck was that?” Lir demands, his gaze falling to the source of the noise. “Did your stomach just speak?”

I blink, and some of my vision clears, allowing me to take in the confused expression twisting Lir’s handsome face. If I had any more strength, I would laugh, but all I can muster is a small smile. “Yeah… I forgot. I haven’t… haven’t eaten in a while…”

Lir turns his accusatory gaze onto Cyprien, whose own expression has crumpled into one of abject horror. “What is she talking about?”

“I… don’t know. I gave her human food when we first got here. Maybe she has to eat more often than us?”

“You didn’taskher?” he snarls, his features flickering with his transformation. “I swear to the gods, if your stupidity has hurt her…”

Cyprien whines, hanging his head low. “I’m sorry, bunny,” he whispers, his eyes shining with desperation. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry—go and get her some sustenance!” Lir snaps, his chin shuddering with the strength to keep the transformation at bay. “Now,Cyprien.”

He doesn’t have to be told twice. In a flash, Cyprien is up and out the window, his powerful yellow wings soaring through the sky like a missile. I watch his outline retreat over the horizon, my chest twinging painfully at the increased distance. “Where is he going?”

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