Demon Day by Penelope Fletcher (best novels in english .TXT) 📕

My hands flitted up to rest on hissides. I gave him a squeeze then released him and made him releaseme by placing my hands on his chest and pushing him away. Mydecision was made and my heart throbbed in pain.

“I swear I will help thevampires as best I can, Tomas.” I braced myself. “But I cannot go.He’ll never forgive me if I abuse his trust this way, and Ihonestly don’t think me going with you is the right thing to do. Ifeel like I’m needed here, and I have to start trusting myself, myown intuition. I admit it feels like I will go to your Nestsomeday, just not now. My own people need me now.”

A raven crowed. The sound was loud andbrash. There were always ravens around the Temple, vile carrioneaters.

I waited for Tomas to react withanger, but he became oh so still, and quiet. He looked away andnodded stiffly. “So be it.” The words were uttered so softly myears twitched and strained to catch them.

Tomas turned his infinite gaze uponme, and the small smile that had lifted my lips at his composedacceptance faded. His cold hands came to rest on my cheeks and atthe contact I was sucked into the unending, falling into him. Thedarkness inside me squirmed, writhed, and twisted around my minduntil I thought it would shatter. And I … I wanted to move … tomove us somewhere else. I could not understand where he wanted meto take us. So the darkness guided me, showed me where I was to go.The familiar feeling of being stretched, of being pulled apart bymagic bombarded my senses. I frowned. This was wrong…. Faintly, Iremembered it was easier than last time, and I slipped through theopening, pulling the darkness with me from one place to another. Mystomach revolted, wanted to empty, but I breathed through it. Tomastugged on my hand to make me walk forward…. But I didn’t want to behere … and I … I wondered why he led me this way.

We passed the fist of the dilapidatedbuildings and I felt a tremble of fear. The windows were blown outand I thought I could see glowing eyes peering at me from thegloom. An eerie fog crept along the concrete floor and lightsflicked and died in odd spots in the distance.

The air had a funny dry, ashy smell.Like something had gone moldy, and was so old and putrefied thesmell had aged beyond a particular odor you could name or compareto anything else.

We walked further, I took in the burntout cars, and smashed up pavements and wondered why if the vampireswanted the world so badly did they let it go to hell? Why fight sofiercely for something to turn around and let it fall to ruin? Whydid they back off when the Rupture was over and receded into thedepths of abandoned cities like these to hunt scraps?

The devastation in this city wasminimal, but it had a sinister and unpleasant sort of look aboutit.

“I don’t think we should goany further,” I said without thinking. Literally without thinking.My mind was almost void, blank. Random memories and thoughts pingedaround, but there was nothing underneath but a cloud ofdarkness.

I stopped walking, my thoughtsbecoming less muddled. There was a loud buzzing in my ear. Tuggingmy hand from his, I pressed my palms onto my head and pushed,hoping maybe the pressure would release whatever was causing thiswrong feeling all over me.

Tomas brushed his hand across myforehead. The coolness was refreshing and I looked into hisbottomless eyes, feeling such peace.

“How do you feel?” he askedcompassionately and rubbed my shoulders.

I was being silly, so silly, and herehe was being all brave and strong. I shook my head at myself.“Fine. I think today … all the fighting and use of magics iscatching up with me.” Breathing out I let him take my hand againand squeezed his gently for being so thoughtful and considerate ofmy needs. “I know as a fairy I don’t need much sleep, but it helpsme keep things straight. Sometimes so much is happening around me Ifeel lost, y’know? I mean, I know I miss a lot of stuff … andBreandan says I must start being more aware of….” Frowning I fistedmy other hand and knocked myself on the head. My hand knockedsomething hard, and I fingered the metal pressed into my skin. Howodd. “Uh, everything is a muddle.”

“Come. Once we reach theinner city you can rest.” His voice was light but I thought I heardit crack at the end.

My senses told me dawn was hours away,but I checked the sky anyway. I wasn’t exactly in a right state ofmind – maybe my senses were off too? The sky was inkyblack.

“Are you okay?” I askedconcerned. “You seem strained.”

He smiled, fangs running out as helifted my hand to kiss my wrist. He pressed a kiss to the veins hefound there. “I will be,” he murmured.

A dart of fear and disgust shot downmy spine and I snatched my hand away. Then I was instantly contriteby the startled look I caught on his face.

“I’m sorry. I….” I reachedfor him but stopped before I touched him, somehow, deep downknowing that I should not be touching him. Not with love. My lovebelonged to….

Biting my lip I started walking, notsure why my body trembled when Tomas fell into step besideme.

There was a soft scuttle to my leftand I jumped, even as Tomas quickened his pace and pulled me deeperinto the city. My eyes darted across the flat walled buildings andtried to pierce the dense shadows that hung over every surface. Icould see in hues of blue and purple in the dark, but it was almostlike my gaze passed through anything that did not want to be seenin those shadows.

Were there really dozens of hungeredred-rimmed eyes staring back at me through the dark from down thealleyways?

The deeper into the city we rushed Ifelt my magic being pushed into me, compressed inside my body andmy heart sped up.

There was more scuttling from behindus, and I shot a fearful look over my shoulder. I