Chapter 34

B y dim candlelight, I laid on what must have been the realm's most uncomfortable bed. Straw poked my back as I pretended to be immersed in the book of prayers in my hands, but I had no intention to worship.

Earlier in the afternoon, while passing each other in the hallways, Skrain slipped me a note, and that little square of paper was burning a hole into the pocket of my itchy robes. I had waited hours for the right moment to read it, distracting myself with memories of his fingers brushing mine as he gave me the message, his touch electrifying my senses.

After a small eternity, the rustling of pages and shifting of cloth from the other rooms stopped. Mine was the last candle burning. Everyone else was asleep.

I sat up, gently closing the tome and slipping it beneath my pillow before taking out the note. It was a torn page from one of the chore books, stark graphite lettering on thin, coarse paper.

I figured out where the tongues are. Retrieve the gem and prepare everything for the invisibility enchant, you'll find potion brewing equipment to distill the blood in the kitchen. Then meet me in the library at one hour past midnight. I can't wait to be out of this hellhole so I can fuck you silly. I miss you, my darling wife, my priceless treasure. I love you.

A tingling in my belly, I held in a giggle. White flashes of memories crossed my thoughts, passing dirty notes in the mine pit when he delivered gems for me to appraise. We had always found a few minutes and an excuse, a dark corner to relieve the fire burning in our chests and loins.

When had pure sex turned into love? I wondered. When had I begun to trust this criminal who captivated me with his rugged charm?

I shook my head and shoved the paper into my pocket, images of the past disappearing like thin smoke. In time, I hoped I would recall more and more of our life then, but as curious as I was, our future was the most important.

My feelings for Skrain were too strong to ignore. My love for him was real, and the past days had only renewed my determination.

For better or worse, I couldn't be without him. Even in this second chance at life and love, he was the one I chose—the one I'd choose over and over. And if I never regained all my memories, if I never remembered everything we used to have, I'd enjoy every moment of getting to know him again.

I was going to stay with Skrain, see this through to the end, and when we faced the demon, I would be by his side.

Win or lose, live or die—we'd do it together.

A shiver crept up my legs as I placed my bare feet on the cool tiles before slipping on my shoes. I took the stubby candle from the desk, shielding it with one palm to dim its glow. My breath halted as I left my chamber and snuck past dark, doorless rooms.

I flew through the winding corridors. At least I knew where I was going. Assignments of cleaning the floors and tending to a little indoor garden in another wing—plants kept alive by some sort of dome-shaped ward to simulate sunshine—had allowed me to get a decent grasp on the monastery's layout.

A cup of tea for an upset stomach would've made for a good excuse if I encountered anyone. But once I got to work, it would be impossible to explain away boiling blood and cutting a gem from my flesh in the middle of the kitchen.

My throat constricted. When I brought dirty dishes from the mess hall, I saw the dull knives the order used for food preparation. Turning such a blade on myself was sure to be less than pleasant, but?—

"Keryssa," a hiss sounded.

I froze, one foot in the air.

The monastery was spooky at night, but I didn't think I'd start imagining ghosts or?—

A door to my left creaked open.

"Keryssa. Come here."

No, I hadn't imagined it. Someone from inside that pitch-black room was whispering my name.

"Skrain?" I whispered. "Is that you?"

A snarl sounded, and something shot from the chamber. It snapped around my wrist, yanking me into the darkness. The door fell shut behind me, and I bit my lip to hold in a scream.

My pulse thrummed so hard I felt it in my neck, my hand shaking as I raised the candle. I squinted, making out shelves holding cleaning supplies and food preserves, obscured by a black mist wafting through the center of the room.

"Not Skrain," the voice hissed. "I should be insulted that you'd confuse me with that pathetic mortal."

My shoulders dropped as the fog took shape, and Aculeus appeared, head ducking to fit beneath the low ceiling. A shudder racked my body. Somehow, slouching like that, arms dragging along the floor, thorns growing from his bent back, he looked more terrifying, more monstrous than ever before. And now that I knew he'd manipulated my vision, played me, it took every shred of self-control to keep calm.

"Why are you here?" I forced out, trying to rein in my nerves.

"Just checking in to see how our plan is advancing," he purred. "I didn't take you as one for spiritual retreats like this."

"I'm not."

"So, you're not going to tell me why you're here, Keryssa?"

My brows quirked. "No, I'm not. But I'll tell you that I'm doing what I need to do to make the soulstone. And rest assured, Skrain is none the wiser," I said, putting all the disdain I could muster into my voice. "I can't believe how quickly he fell for my ruse. If he'd stop thinking with his damned cock, he might actually see through me. But I guess that's the undoing of every arrogant, self-important man. They think everyone trips over themselves to serve them and cannot imagine another reality."

Guilt needled my heart.

Traitor, that was the role I had to play. Scorned wife set on revenge.

But even putting on this act made me feel sick to my stomach. I would have rather thrown myself off a cliff or burned in the desert sun before I betrayed Skrain.

Aculeus rattled a snicker. "Oh, Keryssa, but you are making sure to keep his dick wet, aren't you? Most days, you barely leave his bed. If I didn't know any better, I'd almost think you enjoy being his whore."

I ground my teeth.

We'd assumed Aculeus might've been watching where Skrain couldn't detect him, and we acted accordingly, keeping up the front every minute of every day.

Any sensitive topics were only discussed in my warded study, where actually being inside the room with us was necessary to listen in. The wards wouldn't keep a powerful demon like Aculeus out, but they would ring, alerting us to the intruder. They were a second safety measure beyond Skrain's sixth sense for his presence.

But to hear it confirmed that the demon spied on us made my skin crawl.

"I know how to fake orgasms," I responded flatly, unwilling to let my anger and worry show.

The lilt of a grin tinted his tone as he continued. "It was difficult to make contact, what with you riding Skrain's cock every waking minute—metaphorically and literally."

"Sorry." I shrugged. "The rune doesn't allow me much flexibility either."

Aculeus scoffed. "I'm not surprised he hasn't removed it. He's a sick man. Probably gets a kick out of knowing you can't leave."

I kept my expression as impassive as I could. "Probably."

In fact, Skrain offered on multiple occasions to have Emily remove the rune, and eventually, I wanted to get rid of it. But for now, it provided a good excuse to avoid meetings with Aculeus, and the less I saw of him, the smaller my chance of slipping up and revealing our secret ploy. I wasn't exactly spymaster-material.

His head cocked. "How did you persuade Skrain to allow you this much freedom?"

"First, I apologized, said I was wrong and that I loved him. Then …" I put my free hand on my hip, smirking. "I told him about the soulstone."

The demon closed the brief distance between us so fast I didn't see him move. Every hair on my body rose. His aura made my stomach twist, a sour burn scorching my throat, but I didn't step away.

"You what ?" he hissed.

"Don't sound so Creators damned surprised." I clicked my tongue. "How else was I going to explain my search for the ingredients? I lied and said I would help him create the stone to capture you instead."

"Then consider this visit a little reminder, Keryssa," Aculeus crooned. "A reminder whose side you're on, a reminder whose orders you're supposed to follow or?—"

The door swung open. A blonde nun stood in the frame, candle in hand. Her eyes rounded, the stump of her tongue flapping in her gaping mouth like, well, like she'd just seen a demon.

Two thorny vines shot out from Aculeus's body. One wrapped around the woman's waist, pulling her inside, the other closed the door before writhing toward her face. She stood ramrod-straight, didn't move, didn't flinch, and I figured he'd paralyzed her with poison like Skrain immobilized me.

Her panicked gaze was wild, snapping to me, pleading. I shook my head.

I couldn't stop a demon by myself.

Motionless, I watched as one vine pried between her teeth, her throat bulging as it forced itself down her esophagus. Aculeus shivered with quiet, sadistic laughter while she choked, her chest swelling, her stomach protruding. The veins on her face and neck darkened with shadow, red tears streaming from her eyes, a trickle of crimson beneath her nose.

I was sure she would have screamed if she could.

Aculeus took his time corrupting her, feeding on her suffering, on her terror. I stood as if I was made out of stone, an accidental onlooker. Impartial. Disinterested.

Don't show fear , I thought over and over, like a prayer. Don't show fear .

Inside, my pounding heart was nearly cracking my ribs. My lungs refused to draw air, and dizziness took a hold of me.

Thorns erupted from the woman's skin, long, black spikes, glistening with her blood. They pierced her flesh, shredding it with wet squelches, her bones first bending, then breaking with sickening cracks.

I swallowed a surge of bile, but I kept looking.

Skrain was strong, and he only possessed a fraction of Aculeus's power. Certainly, the demon could've easily killed her faster, but he was using the opportunity to not only feed on her suffering but to make a point, to intimidate me.

I didn't want him to know how well it worked.

The demon's body expanded into dense, black fog. It curled around the woman's ravaged form, enveloping it, swallowing it.

"Go, little Keryssa." Aculeus snickered. "And don't forget what I said. Always remember whose side you're on. I'll check on you again soon, and then you'd better present me with some progress."