Inferno of Darkness (Divisa Huntress #2) - J.L. Weil Page 0,17

piercing.

Ashor was gone. The mirror between us had shattered, leaving me alone in the woods with a flock of ravens. My fingers sank into the snow, and as I listened to the caw-caw of the black birds, a frozen tear slipped from the corner of my eye.

5

My feelings toward Ashor were a mess, much like my life at the moment. Wavering between tolerance to something just above hate. It made no sense to me why I was in a constant state of mayhem when it came to the Prince of Darkness. Okay, perhaps I liked him a little. And hate was too strong of a word to describe the feelings he enticed within me. Confused summed it up.

What was important was not my irrational heart, but that what happened to him could affect me. We were soulbound, which didn’t automatically make me in love with him. So what if he was absurdly attractive. Or that he pretended to be something he wasn’t. If I’d learned anything about Ashor, it was that he trusted very few people and he would do anything necessary to keep me alive.

I hadn’t done anything to earn that protection other than being his mate. That meant something to him. I didn’t feel worthy and was once again racked with guilt.

The betrayal of his mother cost him dearly, which was why I sensed something was wrong. It plagued me the entire walk back home—that speck of suspicion. He had been too playful, too wickedly charming. Ashor was hiding something, and I was afraid I knew what. His warning echoed in my head. Demon war. Doom. Hell on Earth.

Our time had been short, not giving me the opportunity to bring up the strange flames or his message. What other kinds of surprises was I in for, being his mate?

I knew what I would do—what I had to do. For both our sakes. He might be a master at deception, but he wasn’t the only one who could trick, pretend, and play the game.

I’d been contemplating an idea, and although my family would not approve, it was something I had to do—for Ashor, for myself. I owed him, regardless that it was because of him I’d been in the situation with his mother to begin with. Yet, if it hadn’t been Ashor who had kidnapped me, she would have gotten another demon to do her dirty deed. So in a way, she helped me.

It was time I set my plan in motion. Seeing him today only solidified what my heart knew was right.

But first, I wanted quiet, a long, hot bath, and glass of something to take the edge off.

When I strolled into my house, frozen to the bone, my brother was lounging on the couch, legs kicked up on the coffee table and remote control in hand. Sneaking upstairs to my room unnoticed wasn’t an option, and besides, Travis had been avoiding me—at least, it felt that way. I had seen very little of my brother since I’d come home.

I wanted to know why.

Then again, I actually had rarely left my room.

The bath and bubbles could wait, but the wine I needed now.

His eyes were glued to the little guy running across the TV screen, so I meandered into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of moscato Chloe stashed in the cabinet before I returned to the family room. Unscrewing the lid, I plopped down beside my brother and took a long pull, letting the alcohol warm my blood as I watched him guide his guy through the video game map.

“Tough day at the office?” he asked, his fingers flying over the buttons on the controller. He was dressed casually in gray sweats and a T-shirt.

“Shut up,” I retorted, offering him the bottle. “I can see you spent your day hard at work.” I nodded toward the TV.

He took the wine and slammed back a healthy swig. “Every muscle in your body needs a workout, including your fingers.”

I grabbed the bottle back out of his hand. “Anyone ever tell you that you are lame?”

He arched a brow, a lopsided grin tugging at his lips. “Today?”

“Funny. No Emma?” I inquired, wondering why he wasn’t spending time with his girlfriend. They’d been inseparable since I’d been back.

“She’s got a job interview.” He pulled his eyes off the screen to really look at me for the first time. His brows bunched together as he took in my flushed cheeks, windblown hair, and damp clothes that I really should change out of.