Inferno of Darkness (Divisa Huntress #2) - J.L. Weil Page 0,7

you where your loyalties lie,” Kali mused.

“Sounds delightful” was the prince’s only response.

I missed his arrogance.

“Cayden.” The queen summoned him from the shadows. She didn’t stick around to watch, which surprised me.

The prince’s friend stepped into the cell, a wicked-looking falchion sword in his hand. The blade was thinner at the hilt, growing wider along the length. Fear entered my soul, whereas Ashor felt nothing.

At the first lash of the blade across the prince’s bare chest, I was sucked from his head, slamming back into my own body.

I woke up with a gasp that formed Ashor’s name. Icy air coated my lungs, but it wasn’t enough to freeze the terror or queasiness that came next. Forcing a steady breath, I sat up, a shiver snaking through my body.

It didn’t help. The repulsion continued to roll in my stomach. A clock chimed from downstairs as I raced through the open window into my bedroom, making a beeline straight for the bathroom.

I dropped to my knees, hung my head over the toilet, and vomited.

3

Chinese food wasn’t as great coming back up. After I purged my stomach, I curled into the empty bathtub and my cheek pressed against the cool porcelain as my eyes fluttered. Time went by as I drifted back off to sleep, but it wasn’t for long.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Knuckles rapped on my bedroom door, but the sound was like nails scratching against glass in my head. I winced and mumbled something inaudible.

“Lexi,” a quiet voice called. Footsteps sank into the plush carpet of my bedroom. Whoever had invaded my room was making their way toward the bathroom. “Lexi,” they summoned again, but this time I recognized the voice.

“Angel,” I mumbled in a dry and raspy voice.

The bathroom door pushed open slowly, and a dark head poked in. The violet eyes of my best friend found mine. They were different from Ashor’s, rimmed in crimson instead of starlight. “Are you sleeping in the bathtub?” she asked, her freckle-dusted nose scrunched up.

I peeled my heavy eyes further open, forcing myself fully awake. “Maybe?”

She sauntered in, dropped the toilet cover down, and sat. “Why?”

I rubbed my eyes. “Do you want the short version or the long, detailed version?”

She chewed on her lower lip. “Depends. How detailed are we talking?”

I picked a loose thread on the blanket I’d dragged with me into the bathroom. “Like the texture and taste of regurgitated Chinese food.”

She put a hand to her mouth. “Absolutely not. I thought I was the only one with morning sickness.”

I shoved myself up in the tub, running a hand through my messy blonde hair and making a mental note to shower today. Hell, I was already in the tub. “Mine was like nightmare sickness.” I was still getting used to the idea of my best friend growing a baby inside her belly—a part-demon baby at that.

“You want to talk about it?” she asked, removing her hand, although her face still looked a shade green.

I hugged my arms around my knees. Did I want to talk about it? Talking and opening up hadn’t been easy for me after returning from the underworld. I couldn’t begin to explain what I’d endured when I myself didn’t really understand it. But it was Angel who I had finally poured my guts out to. She knew about Ashor, so it only took me a moment of consideration. “I had a dream, or I think it was a dream. I can’t be certain.”

“Of Ashor?” she guessed.

I nodded and told her what I’d seen and about the bargain I believed Ashor had struck with the queen.

“So you were seeing the whole thing from his eyes?” she asked, a bit intrigued.

“Yeah. Weird, right? Have you ever experienced anything like that?” I inquired.

She shook her head. “No, but from what Chase and I have learned about the three bonds, the connections are different for each pairing. And we can’t be sure what you saw was real.”

“It felt real. Too real.” I glanced down at my arm, half expecting to see the symbol the queen had marked on Ashor’s forearm there.

Leaning forward, she pressed her elbows into her knees. “You know what you need?”

“A week at the spa?” The ends of my hair were split, my skin was dull, my nails were unpainted, and my hair color needed brightening. I was sorely in need of some pampering.

Her lips twitched. “Close. I was thinking retail therapy.”

The old Lexi wouldn’t even blink over the chance to spend the day with her best friend, but I