Inferno of Darkness (Divisa Huntress #2) - J.L. Weil Page 0,102
queen. You’ve seen my court. We are much more civilized.”
I nearly snorted. Perhaps on the surface that was true, but underneath the glamour and illusions, the Court of Envy was still a court of Hell. The difference was, instead of darkness and storms, Verena’s court was greed, sex, lust, and envy. It was foolish not to entertain the idea that Verena might very well be after the same thing Kali was.
Supreme—a single position ruling all of Hell. Were we trading one queenly opportunist for another?
Was it worth the risk? Did Ashor realize Verena had her own ambitions?
Trust me.
Ashor’s request came back to me.
He’d asked me to trust him, and I did, but it wasn’t the Prince of Darkness I feared. It was the repercussions if either one of the queens killed the other. I had no doubt that this war would eventually trickle into the mortal world.
But right now, I needed to hold on to my trust in Ashor and pray that whatever insane scheme he had brewing, it would all work out.
The slow-burning reality of what was unfolding began to sink in; the first battle between the courts was about to begin.
24
The Queen of Envy clucked her tongue. “It’s your time to shine, huntress. What will it be? Your human boyfriend? Or your mate?” She laid out my choices as two of her guards fell into rank behind her throne.
“Your court is a joke,” I seethed, glaring at her. I wanted her to see, to feel my boiling rage and stomach-churning disgust. “And so is your test,” I spat.
“If you fail the test, I have every intention of handing you over to the queen. Think about that while you’re fighting for your life,” she crooned. “She is very eager to have you back in her possession. Perhaps I should offer her a bargain instead. I wonder just how much you are worth to her.”
“You’re insane,” I hissed.
“That might be the nicest thing you’ve said to me. Now, in light of your secret ability, it seems you no longer need a weapon to kill.”
Bitch. I just wanted to get this over with. I was done with Hell and the games. It was time to go home, and I was taking the goddamn Prince of Darkness with me, so help me god.
Calling upon the seedling of power gifted to me by Ashor, I turned from the window where Kali’s armada waited and approached Colin’s cage. Icy cold spread from my center, moving into my limbs as if filling up my veins.
I stood in front of Colin with dark flames flickering over my fingers, and despite the power coursing within me, I’d never felt so powerless in my life. Okay, not true. That same helplessness had crippled me when I had watched Colin die.
Taking a deep breath, I filled my lungs with warm air, which turned crisp in my chest. This was it. My pivotal moment.
You can do this.
Don’t think about it. Close your eyes and let the darkness do the rest. Just close your eyes and release. You’ve killed demons a hundred different times.
The little pep talk in my head wasn’t working. Verena wanted me to fail. This was a test designed to show my weakness—my humanity.
“Lexi?”
The softness and bewilderment of Colin’s voice had my gaze whirling to his. Those were his eyes—Colin’s, not the demon he had become. My heart sped.
“Lexi?” Colin pleaded from underneath his mop of hair. His brown eyes were wide and haunted, like someone who’s been to Hell and seen too much. “What’s going on? Why am I here?”
Motherfucker.
The fire on my fingers flickered, losing some of its power. “Colin? Is it really you?” I asked, my voice just above a whisper. I was done with the tricks.
His eyes grew bigger, brimming with one emotion after the other. He inched forward from his crouched position in the corner. “I don’t understand what’s happening.”
My chest tightened.
Click.
The lock on Colin’s prison opened. I swung my head to the queen, who only smirked. Would the torment never end? I was getting tired of her illusions.
Colin’s tilted his head just a fraction toward me, a speck of crimson glimmering in the center of his soft brown eyes. It was my only warning before he lunged, going straight for my throat. He took me by surprise, and as his fingers wrapped around the column of my neck, we went tumbling to the stone floor.
Holy crap.
Didn’t see that coming… but I damn well should have.