Inferno of Darkness (Divisa Huntress #2) - J.L. Weil Page 0,19

eyes swung to mine, specks of gold glowing bright. “What? You can’t be serious.”

“I am. Deadly.” I clamped my lips together and folded my arms over my chest.

Travis twisted on the couch to face me, his features deadpanned. “Not funny. I don’t think that’s a good idea. What about Dad?”

I shrugged, ignoring the pang in my chest at the mention of our dad. “What about him? Look, I can’t sit around at home all day and do nothing. I get that’s your deal, but I’m going crazy.”

“Go back to school, then. Dad told me you want to drop out.”

“I already did,” I informed, my nails digging into my jeans.

“Lex,” he groaned.

“I’m doing this, Travis. There is bigger shit happening. Shit I get no one wants to deal with, but the truth is, we’re involved whether we want to be or not. Angel’s in danger.”

“How do you know that? What aren’t you telling me? What shit? Did that demon threaten Angel?” Travis rattled off, jumping to conclusions.

That demon being Ashor. Travis not only wasn’t one of Ashor’s groupies, not that Ashor had a fan club with his winning personality, but being the overprotective brother, Travis despised Ashor for everything he put me through. I couldn’t fault my brother for his ill feelings toward my mate. I think that got to him, too, that I was bound to a demon—as if Ashor had somehow forced the connection between us. And to be fair, I wasn’t entirely certain he hadn’t or that it wasn’t in Ashor’s power to do something so manipulative. He’d proven to be quite the mastermind. “Of course he didn’t threaten Angel. I would kill him. It isn’t Ashor we need to worry about.” Or so I thought. “It's his mother.”

“She still hasn’t given up her quest for Angel’s Hellish throne?” he guessed, because power-hungry demons didn’t just let their prize slip away. We knew firsthand how relentless a higher demon could be.

“Not by a long shot. Ashor might have bought us some time, but in the meanwhile, we need to figure out how to deal with the Queen of Darkness once and for all.” Not just for Angel’s sake, but Ashor’s as well. I kept that bit of information to myself. Travis didn’t need to know every reason I had for going to see our mother. A girl had to have some secrets. And finding a way to release Ashor from his contract with the Wild Hunt was also on my list of shit to learn.

I wanted to know all I could about the Courts of Hell, the Queen of Darkness, and demon contracts. What better resource than a demon herself?

Travis slouched back against the couch, his eyes brimming with brotherly concern. “Just promise me you’ll be safe.”

I gave him a half-hearted smile of encouragement. “Safe is my middle name.”

“Like hell it is. Try nuisance or trouble or vixen. I got a thousand other middle names, but safe doesn’t make the cut.”

“Fine,” I grumbled, rolling my eyes. “You’ve made your point.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” he offered, sounding almost hopeful.

I shook my head. “I don’t need a babysitter. This is something I need to do on my own. Besides, someone needs to keep an eye on Dad and Chloe.”

“He is going to be hurt.”

There was no explanation needed for who he was. We both knew he was speaking about our dad. “I know, but I’d rather have him upset with me than dead. At least this time, he’ll know where I am.”

Travis’s eyes shifted to the back of my shirt where Ashor’s mark was peeking out. My hair was pulled up into a bun, leaving my neck exposed. “I hope he’s worth it.”

I grabbed the bottle of wine from his clutches and murmured, “So do I.”

6

I climbed into my big fluffy bed, the sheets cool and soft against my skin as I snuggled my cheek against them. The last few days had been rough—booking my flight, explaining to my dad that I was leaving and wasn’t sure when I would be back.

This was my last night at home before I headed off tomorrow to see Mom. Going to her, staying with her, they were big steps in my life. I didn’t want her to get the wrong idea. This wasn’t about her and me trying to form some sort of relationship deeper than what we had. I was comfortable with her at a distance. I didn’t want to change the dynamic between us, and I intended