Inferno of Darkness (Divisa Huntress #2) - J.L. Weil Page 0,16

at you.”

His full lips curved into a lopsided grin, drawing my eyes or his eyes. It was all confusing. “Do I even want to ask just what I’ve done to anger you now, considering we haven’t seen each other in over a month?”

I shook my head. Such an arrogant bastard, and yet the knowledge gave me comfort. He hadn’t changed. He was still the same demon, immodest and rude with questionable morals. “You had no right to kick me out. I could have fought with you, stood by your side.”

He gave me a long look. “I know it. You don’t have to tell me how fierce of a woman you are. But such a battle against my mother would have gotten us both killed. I wasn’t ready to let you die just yet.”

There it was again, that princely pride. Saving me had been a selfish act. That's what he wanted me to believe, but I wasn’t wholly convinced. I also read between the lines. He wanted more time with me. I didn’t know how I felt about that, but my heart skipped a beat at the thought of seeing him in flesh and blood. “Will I ever see you again?” I couldn’t stop myself from asking.

A coy smirk. “So you do miss me.”

My fingers curled into a fist, fighting against a deep longing to touch him, to smell him, to know that he was real. It struck me with such force, I nearly wept. I didn’t want to feel this way, but I couldn’t deny there was something between us. Was it just the soulbond or something more? Did I want it to be more? “I just want to know if I will get the chance to kick your ass.”

“Ah, yes, a tangle would be fun indeed. However, I shouldn’t see you again. For your own safety, I should stay away.”

Pain and regret became a living thing inside me, pounding in my chest, and I opened my mouth to give him a piece of my mind, except he cut me off.

“But I am selfish by nature,” he said, responding to my disappointment and anguish.

I snorted in my head, my heart rate quickening for entirely different reasons. “That is something we can agree on.” Damn if it wasn’t becoming a trait in his character I found endearing.

“You haven’t smiled enough lately,” he said, seeing too much.

It wasn’t until he spoke those words that I realized I was smiling. “When will I see you?” I didn’t try to hide the eagerness in my thoughts.

“The crown still looks good on you. Keep it safe,” he advised me, dodging my question.

I held his stare, those violet eyes glimmering. “Ashor. Don’t do anything stupid.”

“I would never.”

Lies!

I sensed our time was coming to an end, but there was still so much I had to say. “I hate you for leaving me. I—” My voice snagged on a glob of emotion.

His fingers lifted, brushing over the mirror, and I swore I felt the gentle stroke of his touch over my cheek. “Not nearly as much as I hate myself for bringing you to the underworld.”

“But if you hadn’t, I never would have known about you.” Or the world he lived in, but honestly, I could do without knowing the five Courts of Hell. Some information was better off left in the dark; not that any of it would change Kali’s hunger for power. That had been a long time in the making.

“And you would be safer for it,” he said quietly.

“You can’t always protect me.”

His cheeky chuckle caused a flush to spread through my body. “I beg to differ. Will you kiss me when I see you again, Lexi luv?”

Would I? I knew what my lips would say. There wouldn’t even be a discussion. They would have kissed him without hesitation. “There is only one way to find out.”

“You tempt me,” he purred, causing heat to pool in my blood regardless of the cold.

A raven cawed from a tree near the pond, followed by another and another. Their cries echoed over the hushed woods. I lifted my head and stared out into the snowy-kissed woods, my gaze landing on raven-filled branches. More than a dozen of them stared at me with their beady black eyes—an ominous omen. Some cultures believe the sight of such a flock was a sign of death.

Fucking great.

Like I need more death in my life.

I veered my gaze back down to my reflection, and my stomach dropped. Disappointment crashed into me, sharp and