4. Selena

4

SELENA

" I 'm not here to harm you," the demon says, his voice surprisingly melodic. "I only wish to explain."

Although my blades are placed away, my fingers tighten around the hilt of my sword at my hip. Every instinct screams to attack, to avenge my fallen partner. But something holds me back. Curiosity? Shock? I can't quite place it.

"Explain what?" I spit. "How you murdered innocent people?"

The demon's eyes shift color, swirling from an icy blue to a soft lavender. "I haven't murdered anyone. I saved that village."

I scoff, but my resolve wavers. This isn't how I imagined a demon would act. Where's the snarling? The threats? The bloodthirsty gleam in its eyes?

"Why should I believe you?" I size him up although he towers over me.

"Because I'm still talking instead of fighting." He spreads his four arms wide, palms up. "I could have attacked you a dozen times by now."

He's not wrong. I've left myself open, distracted by his strange appearance and calm demeanor. Stupid. Careless.

"What are you?" The question slips out before I can stop it.

A sad smile plays at the corners of his mouth. "As I said before, I am Zephyr. And yes, I'm a demon. But not all demons are the monsters you believe us to be."

I want to argue, to remind him of all the atrocities his kind has committed. But the words die in my throat as I study him. His silver-gray skin gleams in the sunlight, and those ever-changing eyes... they're mesmerizing.

"You're lying," I say, but there's no conviction behind it.

Zephyr takes a step closer, and I tense. But there's no aggression in his movement, just a careful grace.

He takes a deep breath. "I understand your hatred," he says softly. "But I'm not your enemy. Let me prove it to you."

My mind races. Everything I've ever known tells me to end this, to strike him down. But my gut... my gut says to listen. There's just something about him.

"How?" I ask, hating how uncertain I sound.

The demon's voice rumbles like distant thunder, low and soothing. I hate how it makes my skin prickle with awareness.

"I only wanted to help," Zephyr says, all four hands spread wide. "Those villagers were innocent."

"Right. And I'm the queen of-" A bone-chilling shriek cuts me off. My fingers tighten around my weapon as I whirl towards the sound.

"Harpy," Zephyr hisses.

The air shifts, carrying the stench of rotting flesh. I gag, fighting the urge to cover my nose. That was such a rookie mistake.

Wings beat overhead. I catch a flash of matted feathers and razor-sharp talons heading straight towards me.

"Down!" Zephyr tackles me, his body covering mine as claws whistle through the air where my head just was. My cheek scrapes against rough stone. Just what I need, another scar on my cheek. The pain flares, but the adrenaline dulls it to background noise.

He rolls off me in one fluid motion. "You okay?" He tries to touch my cheek but I jerk my face away.

"I had that," I spit, scrambling to my feet.

A screech from above lets us know the monster isn't done yet. The harpy dives again with its beak aimed at Zephyr's throat. He twists, impossibly fast. The wind whips around us as he raises two arms. The harpy shrieks in confusion as an invisible force knocks it off course.

I grip the notch on the arrow, tracking the creature's erratic flight. I find an opening and let the arrow fly. It sinks into leathery flesh with a satisfying thunk.

The harpy plummets, screeching in pain. It hits the ground hard, but it's not dead. Not yet. Yellow talons scrabble against stone as it lurches towards us.

My head glances over to Zephyr whose eyes are now a flaming red. "I'll draw its attention," Zephyr says. "You finish it."

Before I can argue, he's darting forward. Silver skin gleams as he weaves and dodges, all four arms a blur of motion. I observe Zephyr for a moment. He is aggressive when combating, direct and calculating. Almost similar to my style but of course more powerful. He moves with skill and a forceful grace when battling. I hate to admit it, but he's impressive to watch.

I shake off the distracting thoughts in time to watch the harpy set its focus onto Zephyr, giving me the opening I need.

I circle behind, unsheathing my sword. One clean strike. That's all it'll take.

Zephyr feints left. The harpy lunges, overextending. Now is my chance.

My heel pushes against the ground as I take off running. I jump onto the boulder in front of me. With one swift step, I lunge myself off the boulder, raising my sword high in the air. With every ounce of energy left in me, I wield my sword down at the harpy. The sword bites deep. Hot blood splatters my arms as the harpy's head topples to the ground. Its body twitches, then goes still.

Silence descends. I take a moment to calm my breathing while still in a battle stance. I take deep breaths to center myself before wiping the blood off the blade of my sword. I try to avoid it, but I am aware of Zephyr's gaze on me.

"Not bad," he says. "For a human."

I snort. "You're not so terrible yourself. For a demon."

His eyes change again, from a flaming red to a swirling mix of blue and green. His lips crinkle at the corners. Is he... amused?

"Perhaps we should continue our discussion somewhere less exposed," Zephyr suggests.

"No need, I've searched hours for the perfect spot to set up camp. I'll head back there. And don't think about following me." I stare at him with intent.

"Well, the offer stands. Unless you'd prefer to face the rest of the harpy's flock? Alone?" He stares at me with a devilish grin.

I hesitate. Everything I've ever known screams at me not to trust him. But he just saved my life. And those villagers...