while you’re watching the stars without him.” He steps back and leaves me in silence.
3 Unforg iven
I STILL AND STRAIN TO HEAR IN THE DARKNESS. The scent of sulfur washes over me. I can sense his shadow, hunting me. The purring in my veins intensifies the closer he gets. My ability to sense high-level demons, is a new gift courtesy of my mate bonding with Asher. And this demon is close.
Asher’s face flashes through my mind and my gut twists. The raw ache of not being with him becomes more intense with each passing day. Don’t think about him, Eve. Focus.
As the demon approaches, my fingers twitch instinctively, wanting to remove my daggers from their sheaths. I wait. The air shifts, becoming bitter and stale around me. Without moving, I slide my eyes to the right as a cloud of smoke slithers its way over my shoulder. No matter how hard I try to control it, my heart slams against my chest.
I allow the creature’s wisp of vapor to move in front of my throat before my eyes snap forward focused on the shadow hugging the wall. Instantly, I transport myself into the dark silhouette, away from the evil being.
With newfound agility, I turn to face the creature and release my daggers from their leather casing, crossing them in the process. At the sound of scraping metal the demon snarls. In response, I take on a warrior’s stance and my grip tightens in preparation of a fight.
The being stands taller. “You’re mine, daughter of Heaven.”
I smile at the hollow threat. “You want me? Come and get me, hellion.”
The demon lunges at me as I twist away with incredible speed, another gift of my bonding. Now facing the opposite way, I connect my foot with its back and a sudden stream of light flows through me and into the creature. Oh shit. That’s new.
The beast howls in pain as the luminous burst burns his skin. What the hell? I stare in shock at the singed spot while it smokes. Taking advantage of my moment of distraction, the creature slams his clawed hand into my stomach, sending me staggering backwards as I work to regain my breath. Fuck that hurt.
I look down and try not to think of the blood that’s seeping out of the open wounds, onto my shirt. Don’t panic. I know it’ll heal shortly. Ignoring the ache, I growl at the demon.
“Do you know what I’m going to do to you for this?” I seethe with a fake smirk.
“Why don’t you stop yapping and show me, Batya,” he taunts while advancing on me.
There is no time to think of a smart response. Instead, the demon throws a ball of fire at my head, forcing me to duck and roll on the floor before pushing myself up. I stand behind the demon with his back to me and notice how heavy I’m breathing. I have to end this before I run out of energy. It’s already taking too long.
With lightning speed, I rush for the creature like I’m going for his throat. He turns, sensing my strategy and I change course. Bending low, I allow my dagger to find its way into his leg. I hit the floor with a hard thud and grunt in pain. Quickly turning onto my back, I watch as black tar seeps out of the cut my knife inflicted. I smile in triumph.
“Enough.” Marcus’s stern voice floats over us and the lights flicker on.
I drop my head back to the ground and release a harsh breath, grateful that the protector stopped this when he did. When I rise on my elbows, I meet the shocked expression of Ethan. His gaze falls to his designer jeans, his face a mixture of pride and annoyance.
“These were my favorite,” he whines. “You totally owe me two hundred bucks.”
Ethan is an upper-level cambion and Nassa’s friend. Instead of being born from the union between a fallen angel and human, Ethan is the product of a human and demon. He can shift into his demon form at will, which has been helpful during my training sessions.
“You actually hit me this time, daughter of Heaven,” Ethan says as the side of his lips lift.
“I did. I’m getting faster,” I say, pointing