Page 67 of A Realm of Fire and Ash

"Vic."

I shake my head. "No, I can't withstand her magic," I whisper, eyes wide.

"If you kill her, the magic disappears." He cups my cheeks fiercely, forcing me to meet his eyes. "You can do this."

I swallow, a whimper escaping me.

Victoria's voice calls out like a siren from the darkness outside the window, her words filling the night with a sinful promise. "Come on out, love," she coaxes, "let me give you the ride of your life." Her voice lingers in the air, offering a temptation too enticing to resist.

"I'm not afraid of you," I shout, my chin jutting out just as a second arrow shoots through the window and slams into the couch Emeric had knocked down to protect us.

"Oh, no?" Vic laughs. "I beg to differ. Your precious Azazel isn't here to protect you now."

I stiffen, hand inches from where I reach for another dagger to add to my belt. "What did you do to him?" My voice breaks as panic claws at me.

"Nothing yet, but as soon as we're done here, I'll rip him apart." She cackles. "Saw him snooping around the woods. Was it you he's looking for? Pity that. You're off fucking his best friend."

I bolt to my feet, hands held up as though cornering a wild animal.

"You want a taste of me?" I cock my head, and Emeric lunges for a larger blade tucked under the pile of discarded clothes. I give him a barely perceptible shake of my head as I slowly advance towards the window.

Vic huffs. "You offering, sugar?"

"Put the weapon down and we'll talk," I say calmly.

"And why the fuck would I do that?" she sneers, leaning closer to the barred window.

"I have something you want."

"I'm listening," Vic growls, her hand still on her bow.

I can sense the moment Emeric uses an invisibility cloak; the heat of his body is right next to mine as we approach the window.

"You want my virginity?"

I feel him freeze, displaced air moving as he whips his head in my direction.

"Bullshit," Vic hisses, raising her bow.

I grin. "Why do you think Caius and Aggonid are so close to me? They want it, too. It's yours if you want it." I pause right within arms' reach of Vic.

I steady my quaking body, my fingers digging into the wooden frame out of sight of Vic, the strain of resisting the magic becoming almost too much. I feel Emeric extract the dagger from my belt loop, placing it delicately in my hand. I wrap my trembling digits around the cold steel, the sound of my heart thrashing in my ears.

"I wasn't born yesterday, girl." Vic narrows her eyes, pushing a wave of carnal desire at me. Fucking incubus. "Make a deal with me that I can have your virginity and I'll surrender the game."

My smile widens, my eyes still hazy with desire. "Okay."

Vic reaches her hand through the bars, yanking my face to hers. "If this is some kind of trick, I'll gut you," she sneers, but just before she crashes her lips to mine, I sink the blade into her neck.

The energy of the room is almost overwhelming, desire pouring from the walls and seeping into our veins like a poison. Vic’s agonized scream rips through the air, and she stumbles back, her lips dripping with a stream of crimson. Her hands grasp desperately at the blade wedged into her neck, and her fingers tremble as she staggers backward.

No longer hidden, Emeric bolts towards the window, throwing his body against the ledge to peer out into the darkness. In a heartbeat, Vic crumples to the ground, her blood staining the stones beneath her feet like roses in snow. As her red light flickers out and rockets into the night sky, a flash of orange illuminating the stars, followed by a crack as the embers shoot in a brilliant display above.

His attention snaps back to the wretched soul beneath the window. The grim number six flashes in a trance-like state above her body, signaling the end of her reign of terror.

He whips his head back to me, watching as I lick my lips with a savage grin, my eyes wild as I use the back of my hand to wipe my mouth of Vic's blood.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

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