Violet Flames: Primordial Gods Book 1, page 17
If anyone had told me that I would be standing in front of a cell staring at a Demon who knew my name, I would have laughed. Now it was too real. I did not even have time to respond before the males I was with reacted.
“Don’t speak to her!” Valarian spat out a growl at the Demon, moving between me and the cell.
“Only talk to us, Demon. You are not worthy of her attention.” Zayn moved too. Both males were now in front of me, blocking the Demon from my sight.
Ember, keep your shields tight. He is an Introspector. I can feel him trying to get into me. Zayn can too.
The Introspector is a thought reader, right? I asked.
Yes. He can read your thoughts and your feelings. He can read the deepest part of your soul if you let him in. He can take hold of your brain and turn you into a living puppet.
I froze in response, willing my shield to be thicker than the mountains.
“I wish to speak to the girl alone.” The Demon was calm and did not look fearful.
“That won’t happen.” Zayn shifted to the left slightly, and I locked eyes with the Demon.
Speak with me, girl. I know things. Things you don’t know but will wish to know. I was in shock hearing him in my head, even after Val’s warning. My heart thundered in my chest.
“Who sent you to attack?” Zayn stared down the Demon.
Talk with me, Ember. Ember Lavaris. Your pretty little sister may not be safe. The Demon was not backing down.
“You don’t know my sister or me, stop your lies!” My cheeks got hot with anger.
Valarian let out a low rumbling growl. I placed my hand on his shoulder, calming him.
“We have told you not to speak to her, Demon. Not aloud or in her thoughts. We won’t warn you again.” Zayn stood taller, ready to stand by his threats.
Don’t answer him, it's not safe. I rubbed Val’s shoulder, trying to soothe his uneasiness.
“I asked you a question. Who sent you?” The Demon ignored Zayn’s questions, still trying to bait me.
“Your mother was not killed by Vampires, Ember. I know what happened.” We all froze.
“What do you mean?” my voice came out in a whisper as my chest filled with utter pain.
“The males you are with…they know as well. The king knows too.” His face was empathetic.
“Stop this now or I will rip your heart out.” I did not doubt that Valarian would stand true by his words.
Talk to me through your thoughts, and I will tell you the truth. The truth that no one else is ready to say to you. I could not help but answer.
What is the truth? I instantly regretted the decision I had just made, but curiosity got the best of me.
You’ve been told lies for the last two years. Your father is more than he says he is, he is a Debaser. A soul-taker. He did not kill your mother, but her fate was in his hands.
His evil red eyes stared hard into mine. My shoulders relaxed, and I felt my shield drop.
“Ember?” I heard someone say, but I completely ignored them.
How do you know this? I had this tremendous feeling fill my body, telling me the Demon was harmless.
Attack the guard, get the key to the cell, and open the door for me. Then we will discuss it. His voice sounded like music.
I dropped my quiver and bow and turned around quickly.
“Ember? Where are you going?”
I walked toward the exit and immediately attacked the guard, punching him in his face. I grabbed the cell keys from his hand. He was in such shock that his instincts took a second to kick in. I had to be fast, so I brought my knee up and hit him in his groin, causing him to fall to the ground.
Zayn and Valarian were on me in an instant. I whipped around and shot a fireball at Valarian, who fell to the floor while dodging it. Zayn was too close, so I elbowed him in the face and sprinted past him toward the door.
I must open the door. I must do it now.
“Ember, stop! Put your shields up.” Valarian grabbed me by the waist, holding me as tight as he could without hurting me.
He was keeping me from my task, so I flailed in his arms, kicking and screaming.
I must open the cell door. I must open it now.
With all the fighting going on, the keys fell from my hand. I looked over and noticed the Angel had recovered from the hit I had given him. He had blood dripping down his face and he was headed toward us. Time was running out.
Valarian let go of me and reached down to pick up the keys I had dropped.
Stab him, stab the one you love in the heart. Stab him and then open the door.
Taking my dagger from its sheath as Valarian raised up with the keys in his hand, he met my eyes, and in an instant, I stabbed him in the chest, right between the leather straps of his harness. His eyes went wide with shock and then sadness.
Zayn lunged for me and grabbed me by my wrist. His arm was sliced while he was trying to get the dagger from my hands. The dagger fell to the ground as Zayn tightened his hands around my wrists, blood was pouring off his arm.
“Look at me.” Zayn’s words were beautiful as I met his eyes. He dropped my wrist and moved his hands to my cheeks.
An overpowering feeling took over my body as magic surged through my veins. I relaxed slightly.
“You are in control, Ember. Push him out and then put your shield up.”
Feeling the magic he was wielding take hold of me, I threw my shield up hard and felt a force get shoved out of my head, out of my body. The darkness I did not know was in me disappeared.
Zayn looked relieved and let go of my cheeks. He grabbed the keys off the floor and knelt by Val, who was bleeding. He placed his hand over the gaping wound I had caused. What had I done?
“It’s okay, buddy,” his voice was sad.
Valarian coughed up blood. I threw myself onto my knees next to him.
“I’m so sorry.” I sobbed and grabbed Val’s hand.
“He’s not healing, Ember!” Hearing Zayn scream my name made me jump. I looked at him and he had pure fear in his eyes. “Call a healer!” Zayn shouted to the guard, and the guard disappeared.
“Why is he not healing, Zayn?” I let go of Val’s hand, putting my hands over my mouth. I was in shock, and I could not move.
“When did he feed last?”
“He just fed yesterday.” I blinked tears from my eyes.
“Hand me your dagger.” I turned around, grabbed the dagger off the floor, and handed it to Zayn.
He put the dagger between his hands as I quickly threw mine on Valarian’s wound. I don’t know what Zayn did, but the blade started to glow. I had never seen it do that before.
“Whoever gave you this dagger spelled it with Demon magic. It can kill any supernatural being with a fatal blow. No magic will help him now.” Zayn threw my dagger across the room and put his hands back on Val’s wound. His eyes filled with tears and utter pain. I slid my hands away as my mouth dropped open.
Looking at my blood-soaked hands, I whimpered. It was his blood—the blood of the man that I was in love with. My father had given me that dagger right after my mother died. I had stabbed him, I had stabbed Valarian in the heart.
I looked at Zayn’s face with a pleading question. He shook his head in response. It was a silent sentence he said with his blue eyes. Valarian was going to die, and I was the one that gave the final blow. Pain burned through my body, threatening to eat me alive.
“We have to do something, Zayn. I am in love with him.” My heart was breaking, my voice cracked. Zayn’s eyes blinked as tears ran down my face.
A wailing cry of pain shot through the room. Zayn looked at me in shock, and I realized the sound came from my own body, from my mouth. It came from somewhere deep in my soul.
I started bawling and fell against Val’s chest, where I could faintly hear a heartbeat. I couldn’t make out his face anymore through my stinging eyes.
“I love him!” I screamed as more tears fell down my cheeks. My whole body was trembling.
“Put your hands here.” Zayn moved his hands off the wound, and I covered it with mine, placing my chest on top of my hands, willing the blood to stay in. I was not going to give it a choice.
“Please, how can we fix this? I know you know, Demon.” Zayn walked in front of the Demon’s cell and pleaded with him. The Demon didn’t respond.
“Please!” Zayn screamed. I could hear him shaking the bars of the cell.
“The wielder of a Demon blade must sacrifice a part of themselves for the one who was stabbed if she wills for him to live,” the Demon said bluntly.
“I will do anything,” I whimpered. I would sacrifice anything at this point to save his life, including my soul.
“Feed him your blood, girl, and he will heal. If it is not too late, that is.” The Demon had a creepy smile. I paled at the thought.
“I can feed him.” Zayn was ready to do what was necessary. He slid back onto his knees on the other side of Val.
“Only the one who truly tried to end him can bring him back. Time is almost up.” The Demon looked bored.
Valarian had gone completely still. I did not hesitate. I crawled over and grabbed the dagger off the ground, then scrambled back next to Val.
“Don’t cut too deep. It’s a Demon blade, you will die.” Zayn reminded me.
Pain soared through my arm as I took the dagger upon my wrist and sliced it open.
I looked at Zayn, confused about what to do.
“Put your wrist up to his mouth.”
Drops of blood dripped down inside his mouth as I held my wrist up to it. He did not move, nor did he swallow. I glanced up at Zayn, and he shook his head, eyes furrowing together like he did not have any information.
Genuine fear ran through my body at the thought of this not working. The fear threatened to rip me from the inside out. My heart ached, and my eyes burned.
“Drink, Val!” I pleaded. “Please, love.”
I was unsure if he had heard me or just the timing, but I immediately listened to a swallow. I put my wrist up until it touched his lips, and he started sucking on it gently. Whimpering sounds came out of my body as tears streamed down my face. I was choking on air from crying so hard. I looked up at Zayn, and he looked relieved as he wiped tears from his face.
Then everything changed when Valarian moved. He moved so fast that I did not even know what was happening. His face had veins running through it, and it did not look like Valarian anymore.
He had scrambled to his knees with lightning-fast speed. I only saw his face for a second before he landed on top of me. He grabbed the back of my head and bit the left side of my neck.
Chapter Twenty
Before I could even recognize the split second of pain, a blissful feeling fell upon me. My entire body felt like it was on fire but in an exceptionally fantastic way. I could die in this man’s arms right now and be happy about it.
The warmth spread from my head and down to my toes. The fire moved between my legs, at my core. I wrapped my legs around Valarian, pulling his body closer to mine as he fed from me. The world fell away as he drank my blood, leaving only him and I intertwined as one.
My blissful world was interrupted when Val was ripped away from my arms, coldness now filling the warmth that was once there. My breathing was heavy as my heart raced. My chest ached, and I missed the feeling of his body on me. I needed him back, I needed his body to complete me.
Zayn had his arms around Val, dragging him away from me. The guard came back, rushing in with a healer right behind him. The guard tried helping by grabbing for Val, but he was strong. I blinked a couple of times, coming back to reality. I felt the blood from the bite running down my neck. I reached up and put my hand over the wound. The daze I had finally wore off, and I realized what had happened. Valarian was in bloodlust, and I was his target.
Come in here with me, where it is safe, girl.
“Fuck you, Demon.” I made sure my shields were up and strong. I felt utterly betrayed as anger filled my body.
I grabbed my bow, nocked an arrow, and shot it through the bars of the cell. It hit the Demon in his right eye.
He flailed his arms, thrashing, screaming in pain, and fell to the floor. The arrow would not kill him, but it felt good to see him in pain.
“Help me hold him down!” Zayn’s voice brought my attention away from the Demon.
I was not sure if he was talking to the guard or me, but we were both there to help in an instant. Once we had him contained, Zayn grabbed Val’s cheeks and locked onto his eyes, willing him to stop fighting.
“You are okay, buddy. You are fine. Come back to us.” He spoke the words so gently they sounded like a spring breeze.
Valarian’s legs stopped thrashing, and his body finally went limp. The healer walked up and touched his arm. Valarian’s whole body seemed to radiate pure goldenness, then the light disappeared. We all eased off him slowly and stood up, giving him room to breathe.
The healer quickly grabbed my arm, and I watched as the wound on my wrist closed. I reached up to the one on my neck, and it was gone too. The healer then grabbed Zayn’s arm and healed him. I had forgotten that he got cut from my dagger. I felt terrible.
Zayn reached down and offered his hand to Val, then helped him up. Valarian looked at me, and I took a step back. Fear flooded my veins as my heart raced. I didn't want the man I love to hate me forever.
He walked over and grabbed my face, staring deeply at me. I swallowed as tears fell from my eyes.
“Are you okay, my hertis rote? I didn't mean to hurt you.” I nodded. I did not know what the other words he said meant, but it was not important right now.
Val looked me over to see if I was truly okay, and then he turned his attention to the Demon. The Demon had pulled the arrow out of his eye and had gone still on the floor. He watched us curiously with one red eye as dark green blood oozed from the other.
Val looked around the room, his eyes finding the keys that Zayn had dropped at one point. He grabbed the keys off the floor, unlocked the cell door, and opened it.
I could not move because my body was still in shock. Zayn looked like he was in shock too. None of us bothered to stop him as he entered the cell.
Valarian walked up to the Demon and grabbed his neck, lifting him off the ground with ease, pinning him against the wall. The Demon smiled in response.
“You are now life-bonded to the female,” the Demon’s voice was calm as he spoke the words. “How does it feel to have her life in your hands?” I froze. My heart started racing, my breathing getting shallow, my chest tight. What had I done?
Valarian’s response was quick. He punched out his fist right into the Demon’s chest cavity and yanked his heart out of his body. He then let the Demon’s limp body fall to the floor.
He strolled out of the cell over to us and yanked the dagger off the ground. We all watched him curiously—none of us moving. He walked up and handed it to me hilt first. I took it hesitantly with shaking hands.
“Would you like to do the honors, bond-mate?” He held the heart out to me as an offering.
Taking the dagger from his hands, I stabbed the heart right in the center, and dark green slime oozed from its insides. The heart wilted and turned to black mush in his hand. The slimy gooiness ran through his fingers, melting away to the floor, then it disappeared.
We all stood there silently, looking at each other as we tried to slow our heartbeats. I glanced at Zayn, who ran a hand through his hair and let out a sigh, then I turned my attention back to Val.
He put his hands around my waist. He was so close I could feel his breath upon my face. My body willed itself closer to him, pressing against him.
“I’m so sorry,” my voice crackled with genuine sorrow as I trembled in his arms.
He lowered his head down to my mouth and placed a gentle kiss on my lips. The warmth and the softness of his lips were thrilling. The world could melt away and leave us standing there alone, and I wouldn't have noticed.
“Ahem.” Zayn cleared his voice. We broke free from our blissful encounter.
“Hey, we need to report to the king immediately,” Zayn said, and Val nodded in acknowledgment.
“Grab your stuff.” Val pointed his head toward my bow.
Quickly sheathing my dagger, I picked up my bow and quiver. Valarian grabbed my hand as we all headed up the stairs and out of the castle. None of us spoke or even looked at each other. The silence was a blessing and a curse. We got away from the castle, and we all just stood there.
“I don’t even know what to say.” Zayn scrubbed his hands over his face. The Angel looked between us. Val was still holding my hand.
“Welcome back, buddy,” Zayn said as he hugged Val. Val dropped my hand as he hugged the Angel back. As soon as they were done, Zayn grabbed me and hugged me too. “I am glad you are both okay,” he said. As soon as we were done hugging, Val immediately grabbed my hand again.
“I am going to fly back to the portal so I can calm down. You two take some time to process and talk. I will see you both before we see the king.”
The Angel released his raven black wings, and a gust of wind hit me. My breath caught at the beauty of them, every feather was perfect. I would never get acclimated to seeing them. He fluttered into the sky and flew away.
We were completely alone as I looked over at Val. I dropped his hand, feeling uneasy now that the adrenaline was wearing off.
We both just stood there, not much to say. It was awkward, to say the least. I averted my eyes to the ground, not wanting to show him the shame on my face.
“I was going to thank you for saving me, but since you killed me before that, I’m not sure if I should.” Val laid his hands upon my arms, and I lost it.
I placed my face into my hands. The tears were coming hard. I tried to hold them back, but they would not listen. They broke free. I felt the warmth of him as he slid his hands around my body, pulling me in.
“I was kidding,” he spoke the words into the top of my head, placing his cheek upon it. “Thank you for saving me,” he whispered.
“I killed you, Val. I stabbed you with a spelled dagger.” I broke free from the hug and started pacing.
