Inferno of Darkness (Divisa Huntress #2) - J.L. Weil Page 0,14
I darted in and around clusters of bushes, hurdled over fallen logs, and hauled ass at blinding speeds. It was Chase’s idea for me to get back into training. He claimed my skills were rusty, and although he was probably right, I’d never give him the satisfaction of saying so. He even suggested we go hunting together, thinking it would help me recover.
It wouldn’t, but his offer was a tribute to how much my cousin cared. So very opposite of the family Ashor grew up with. He was raised in the underworld by a demon queen who only gave a damn about what her sons could do for her.
Since my return from the Court of Darkness, I’d been ignoring something about myself I didn’t want to admit. My brush with the Wild Hunt and death had left a stain on my soul, a dark mark different than the one Ashor had branded me with. The demon living inside of me recognized the blemish and responded in kind. It often felt as if there was a war going on within me, my demon and my humanity going head-to-head. During those bleak first few days, I was sure my demon would win.
I’d never given myself over completely to that sinister part of myself. The fear of what I might do kept the demon in check, but after all that I’d seen and been through, that fear no longer resided in me, which left room for other emotions.
Like anger.
That particular emotion was one my demon liked very much. She purred and whispered when the stirrings of darkness fired in my blood. It didn’t take much these days to light the spark, and I didn’t know how much longer I could keep her leashed and that untapped power of flames at bay. I hadn’t been able to summon them again since that run-in with the shade, but they were still there, swimming under the surface.
The unsettling rage that festered and brewed deep in my bones was threatening to boil over. I had to do something with all this anger, and Chase’s idea of training was the outlet I hoped would suffice. At the moment, what I really wanted was a demon to hammer into. I wanted to sink my blade into its oily flesh, watch its ashes scattered in the winter wind, and burn it alive with this inferno of darkness that blazed in my blood.
Snow crunched under my boots as I panted through my nose. For miles I ran, attempting to rein in my demon. Not likely to happen anytime soon. It seemed it would take more than physical exhaustion to calm the relentless beast.
I dropped my speed down to a jog before coming to a stop. All around me the ground was blanketed in drifts of white snow, untouched and clean. The woods were silent; the only sound was my breathing and the howling of the wind. I took a moment to admire the gentle beauty of the snow and the warmth of the sun on my face as it broke through the branches.
No gleaming red eyes.
No darkness.
No moving shadows.
I might have spoken too soon.
The hairs in my arms prickled as I peered under a canopy of pine needles. Less than a few paces in front of me, hidden under a cloak of branches and snow, was a shade. It had made just the smallest of movements, a flicker that woke up my instincts, quieting the churning anger slightly.
With light footsteps and careful movements, I inched forward, my eyes never wavering from the shade. It might not have eyes of its own, but I swore the thing watched me like a hawk, waiting to see what I would do next.
Was it here with another message?
Had it followed me into the woods?
Was it here on Ashor’s bidding or the queen’s?
The shade roiled around the thorn-sharp needles of the tree, wrapping itself around the textured bark of the trunk. Hello, demon huntress, it whispered inside my head.
I stared for another heartbeat at the writhing shade. “How are you able to find me?”
“You bear the prince’s mark. You reek of his scent. And you wear his crown.”
His crown. That was how the darkness was able to track me. My eyes flickered upward to where I knew the prince’s crown sat weightlessly on my head. “Did he send you?”
“The prince wishes to be kept apprised of your whereabouts,” the shade hummed, its voice surrounding me from all sides.