The first thought that went through my head was, I am in some hot water, and this time the pun was not intended. I found nothing humorous about being naked while I was amid a betrayal and about to be killed by a horde of who knew how many demons.
I bent my knee under the water, bringing my thigh towards my hand in what I hoped to be an inconspicuous fashion, and wrapped my fingers around the hilt of my dagger.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Zoran threatened, fluidly transferring his arm from my collarbone to my waist as he trapped my arms to my sides and managed to pull me even closer against him. I wasn't sure if it was his voice lowering several degrees that chilled the temperature of the water, or if his ice Insignia had more to do with it.
The hair along the back of my neck spiked as a chorus of disturbing howls joined the shriek. Zoran waded deeper into the alcove as a slew of splashes entered the pool on the other side of the waterfall. Flesh smacked against the water, sending ripples at us as the cries grew to a crescendo.
"Let me go," I rasped through gritted teeth.
"What're you going to do? Take on a bunch of demons like this?" he seemed to murmur as his fingers trailed a line of fire up the side of my ribcage. His arm followed the movement of his hand, sweeping over my exposed stomach before his fingertips tracked back down my side and came to a rest over my hip.
My body begged me to arch into his embrace and lean my head back on his shoulder. I wanted to feel his delicate fingertips and rough calluses scour every inch of me. I imagined his soft lips on my neck and experiencing the thrill of the pleasuring pierce of his fangs in the wake of a kiss.
The thoughts were vastly inappropriate considering I was fantasizing about the man conspiring with the demons and had led them here to kill me. Or worse, take me with them.
Just because my illusions were unfitting didn't mean I couldn't play into them. With that justification in mind, I tilted my head to look him in his dark green eyes. The amber ring in the center of his irises flared as his smoldering stare intensified. His hand leapt from my mouth to my throat and I bit my lip, drawing his attention to what I hoped was a seductive smile.
"Yes," I murmured, dropping the back of my head onto his shoulder as water gushed in front of us with more vigor.
"Princess," he grunted.
The huskiness of the way he said my nickname warmed the pit of my stomach. I moved an arm out from under his with an ease I hadn't expected, and cupped his cheek, guiding his face down to mine. When his lips were mere inches from mine, his eyes fluttered closed and his thick lashes fanned his cheeks. I snatched the dagger from my thigh sheath and twisted out of his light hold, whirling around on him. I shoved him against the wall, jabbing the tip of my dagger at his jugular. I nipped the skin and Zoran's face soured.
"What are you doing?" he grated.
"You tell me," I commanded. "Because it looks to me like you're handing me over to the Ravos demons."
Zoran's eyebrows narrowed. "Is that what you think is going on? I thought you were more intelligent than that."
Then his eyes dropped and a faint blush rose to his cheeks as he made a guttural rumbling sound at the back of his throat, tips of his fangs poking out. I glanced down at the bare skin exposed at the top of my breasts where the water lapped and felt my cheeks mirror Zoran's. He grabbed my wrist and removed the dagger from my hand, shoving me behind his broad frame as he drew his arm back and launched the weapon at the waterfall.
The water split as a Cursed demon fell through it with a yelp. It collapsed, face planting in the water with my dagger protruding from its eye socket. Thick, black blood oozed around the wound as the demon clawed at it. The substance poured down its face, melting its translucent skin as its dark veins throbbed and pumped more blood out the injury. The demon hissed, black venom dropping from its fangs as it thrashed in the water.
Zoran jumped on the demon's fallen form and yanked its head up by its greasy hair. He stabbed a spear of ice through the base of its skull, slicing its brainstem. The demon jerked and slumped in Zoran's hand, sagging into the water. Its blood floated at the surface of the water and I worried about it tainting the water for the Dracnae. I hoped they were immune to the Curse like Elora predicted, but that didn't mean the molten blood couldn't harm them.
Zoran pulled out my dagger and flipped it in his hand, pivoting to hand me the hilt of it.
"The next time you pull a weapon on me, I'm not going to use it to save your life," he said as I took it from him.
My knuckles whitened around the handle as I realized how wrong my assumption had been.
"So, you didn't bring the demons here to capture me?" I inquired, ruby ring heating around my thumb.
"No, I did."
Zoran spun around as a demon with strawberry blonde hair burst through the waterfall. A patch of bone covered one side of his opaque forehead and a red ring surrounded his navy-blue irises as veins zigzagged to the corners of his eyes. Thick, dark veins pulsed down his neck and his fangs were thinned to sharp incisors. The roots of his hair were white, giving way to the strawberry blonde strands just above his ears, and the bottom of his horns were ivory.
"Bastion," Zoran said, forming a fist with his hand as he froze the waterfall.
"You should have killed me when I gave you the chance," the demon shifter replied, black robes floating around him.
I stepped forward, careful to keep most of my body submerged as I interrogated, "How did you find me?"
"The ring, Aer," he said as bodies relentlessly thumped against the wall of ice behind him. "It alerts me where you are."
"Why are you doing this?"
"Remember the night we were sent out in pairs to kill demons in Mavis and Solas and the other towns outside our gates, and Penn came back with that ring around a demon's finger she'd killed? That finger belonged to King Kristos' youngest son, Jett Cross, which is why she was abducted when we attacked the academy. I was her partner during that challenge, so we both must pay for killing the prince."
"Is Penn still alive?" I needed to know, coming to stand next to Zoran as apprehension made me anxious.
Bastion nodded his head, sorrow donning his features as his eyes drooped and a frown tugged on his lips. "Yes, but I'm sure she wishes she wasn't. I was given the ring they found in her pocket and instructed to give it to you. They infused some of my blood into it so I could feel your presence the closer I got to you. The king threatened to kill Penn if I didn't make you put it on. He's coming for you, Aer. You need to get out of here. Now."
Tears sprung in my eyes at the confession of Penn's state. Immense guilt flowed through me as I pictured her getting taken away by the demon shifter while I watched it happen.
"Why are you warning us if you're working with the demons? You're one of them," I said, swallowing the lump in my throat as I forced back tears.
I got a closer look at Bastion and noticed the ghastly skin pulled tight over his cheekbones and the way his robe hung over his slim frame. Dark purple spots littered the parts of his body not covered by the cloak and circles were bruised around each of his wrists.
"I have no choice," he admitted, hanging his head in defeat.
I wanted to believe Bastion. I needed to believe he was telling the truth and he was here to warn me about the king searching for me.
But I knew I couldn't trust him. The Ravos demons were manipulative, and my best friend had just led a mass of demons to capture me.
The wall of ice splintered and crackled as the demons banged against it. The entire structure shattered and the demons surged toward us with pure black eyes and gnashing teeth as water rushed from the river above. Bastion snapped out his torn wings and the Cursed demons bumped into them, crashing to the water as Zoran flung shards of ice at the fallen ones. Blood spurted from the demons and streamed out of the space we occupied.
Curling his wings against his back, Bastion slipped off his robe and tossed it at me. I caught the heavy material with my arms and hugged it to my chest as he flicked his head at me, instructing, "Put that on. I'll hold off the horde of demons while you two escape."
Bastion stood in just a pair of black pants as he brandished the two longswords strapped against his back. His ribcage was visible as he slashed the blades, cutting through the midsections of several demons at once. Zoran's discarded swords gleamed in the demon shifter's hands as he mowed down demon after demon. I tugged Bastion's dense cloak around my shoulders and closed it around me, grateful for the covering. Zoran didn't make a comment about Bastion stealing his swords and grabbed my arm, saying, "This way."
Zoran directed me to a tunnel off to the side and placed his hand on my lower back, coaxing me into the darkness. He whirled back around at the sound of a bellowing yell of agony and I followed suit to see a Cursed demon's jaw lodged around Bastion's thigh, fangs piercing through the fabric of his armored pants. Zoran rushed over and injected another fragment of ice into its head, killing the demon. He plucked the demon off Bastion and flung it against the wall, ordering, "Follow the princess into the tunnel. Keep her safe or I'll make you wish it was the Ravos king torturing you instead of me."
Bastion met my eyes over his shoulder and handed the swords over to Zoran who took out more demons. Bastion crossed the water to get to me and ushered me deeper into the passageway as neon blue flames erupted from Zoran's mouth. Frost fire cascaded over the endless throng of demons, causing them to stiffen and release blood-curdling screams of torment as they rolled in the water to put out the flames to no avail. Their bodies sizzled and burned in the icy hot fire until their liquified bodies of skin and bone mixed in with the water jetting down with the waterfall.
Zoran entered the tunnel with us, saying, "I think I'm getting the hang of breathing frost fire."
Bastion beheld him in shock. "How is that even possible?"
"Serene granted him her frost fire power when she chose him as my Champion, and I don't have my own Insignia to share with him in exchange for his ice wielding capabilities once we're bonded together in the Force," I blurted, slapping a hand over my mouth.
Here I was, spilling confidential information to the demon who betrayed the entire empire. I was still having trouble viewing Bastion as the enemy.
"And now that you know our secrets," Zoran said evenly, "We're going to have to kill you."
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