Page 9 of Hunting Her
Our thumbs press together, blood mixing, droplets dripping down to the floor.
Something hangs in the air around us, a weighted veil that muffles the sounds outside me and him. The demon king repeats the terms we’ve gone over, before ending the spoken contract with a mantra. “By Nuvelia, it is done.”
Damek watches me, the veil not yet lifted. I swallow, realizing it’s up to me to seal the deal now. I run back through everything he said while his hand rests warm against mine, trying to make sure he didn’t slip in any trickery.
He only said everything we’d already discussed. That’s not to say there aren’t loopholes remaining, but it’s as good as I’ll get on a deal with a demon.
“By Nuvelia, it is done,” I repeat.
The heavy air falls away in an instant, and I drop Damek’s hand and wipe my blood on the sullied cloth. “Want me to heal that one too?” Izoran asks.
I shake my head. “No, I’ll keep this one.”
The pinprick has already stopped bleeding, leaving only the red smear against my skin. It throbs as a reminder of the pact I just made. I’ll belong to him if I lose—I just promised myself in a conditional betrothal.
Lorcan hands me a towel and a bundle of clothing. I take them hesitantly, lifting an eyebrow.
“There’s water drawn for a bath. I would hurry and clean up, because your head start is only until the sun sets over your hometown,” he says.
There are no windows in here, so I can’t tell how bright the light still is. We might be in a completely different time zone than Washington anyway. They didn’t exactly tell me where mynew home was located when I was stolen away to make good on my soul contract.
“I’ll just change, then,” I say.
The clothes in my hands are the same grey cotton as the ones all prisoners wear, but they’re clean and far less frayed than my set. Plus, there’s a thick coat that I’ll need if I’m going to be out overnight.
“Bathing isn’t optional,” Lorcan says.
“I want the extra time.”
Reaching out, he plucks the coat from the pile of clothes. “Take the time to scrub the filth off, and you’ll get the jacket and the shoes we’ve gathered for you. If not, you’ll play the game barefoot and freezing.”
I clench my jaw, glancing at Damek. He’s grinning and obviously isn’t going to step in. I’m burning daylight by arguing, and I have to admit a bath might make me feel more alive.
Seeing my feet scrubbed clean of dirt has made it clear how dirty the rest of me still is.
I snatch the coat back from Lorcan. “Fine. All of you stay out.”
The bathroom is lit by candlelight, and I storm toward it and slam the door. I rip off my clothes as fast as possible. The warm water soothes and relaxes me as I slip into the tub, but I only let myself have a moment of peace.
Then I grab the cloth and scrub myself until my skin is pink and clean, before getting out and putting on the fresh outfit. When I leave the bathroom all four men are waiting and watching the door, but I head over to Lorcan who has a pair of grey sneakers in his hand.
I take them and put them on, despite how foreign it feels to have something on my feet.
“Let’s go, then,” I say.
“Impatient,” Lorcan snickers.
I only glare at him.
“Lorcan will take you to where we’ll play the game,” Brellan instructs. “Your head start will be until the sun sets, and then the hunt begins.”
“And I hope you know what happens when we catch you, Nova.” Damek comes up behind me, his hand resting on my hip, dangerously close to the curve of my ass.
Heat rises to my cheeks. “Won’t you just be dragging me to the Underworld?”
He chuckles. “Not without fucking you first.”
I squeeze my thighs together, my core tensing in anticipation. “I didn’t know that was part of the deal.”
