The Demon Girl by Penelope Fletcher (each kindness read aloud TXT) 📕

Lochlann’s glacial gaze fell on me, and his face was hard. “He has taken a life,” he said stonily. “By fairy law he dies.”

I shook my head. It felt spongy and full of empty space. “What life? Uh, the Cleric was going to kill me. He saved me.”

“He has killed a fairy. He faces the sun.”

“You’re wrong,” I said, fuming he was bold enough to try and take Tomas’ life with such an outrageous claim.

He couldn’t have killed anyone; he hadn’t had the time to.

“We found her body, Rae,” Conall said and knelt down in front of me. Maeve was a step behind him, her eyes wide and sorrowful. “Her throat was mauled and her blood drained.”

“There are shifters around. The fairy wylds border a Pride, don’t they? And the blood, if she was mauled she would have bled out.”

“His trail led from her body to the place in the Wall Breandan took you. We guess it is here you met him?”

Denial at Conall’s explanation died on my lips when Tomas’ own words came to me as a distant echo. “I have already eaten, a skinny girl, bitter.” Was I really to believe a starving vampire would come across a lone fairy and not bite her?

It didn’t matter. The thought stoked the fires of my anger, and I rolled onto my hands and knees. It didn’t matter because he was mine. I gained my feet and ignored the fact the floor rippled.

As I spoke, I staggered forward. “I am sorry for your loss, but you need to let him go.”

“Bind her,” Lochlann ordered.

Chains appeared in Maeve’s hands, which I now saw were wrapped in cloth, and she looped one around my neck and snaked the other around my torso. I dropped like a stone. Was I really so predictable they had prepared the one person who I would never see as a threat with chains? I stared up at her, horrified.

She looked away in shame and turned her back on me. “I’m sworn to him, Rae. I have no choice.”

I looked to the east and saw the tip of the sun kiss the sky. We were still shaded by the trees. There was time.

Conall was still on his knees, trying to comfort me, but he preempted my plea, “I too am oath sworn to Lochlann, and I do not think this creature should live.”

I looked him in the eye. “You say you’re my brother.”

“Always.”

“Then help me,” I said. “Just take him down so he can hide.”

He looked away. “I cannot.”

My eyes spun round, but even as I thought his name, I realized the folly of my hope. The fairy-boy I was bonded to, and supposed to mate for life with would save the vampire-boy who I had a blood tie to and who shared half of my heart? Still, I looked to him. Hoping he would find some compassion for a fellow demon and save him. Breandan was no longer bound to Lochlann’s will and could act as he chose. He avoided my gaze and turned his back to me. No word or other gesture could be so bold a statement.

The first rays of the morning warmed my arm and splayed across my face. I locked gazes with Tomas, who breathed hard, eyes wide.

“I am not afraid,” he told me. “But I regret-” He groaned and gasped in pain.

I battled with the chains, tears of frustration and pain sliding down my cheeks at the realization I could not break them on my own.

“Be still, Rae,” Conall urged. “Can you not see the evil you have tied yourself to? This is for the best, little sister.”

I couldn’t do it. I could not watch another person die for me. If I had listened to him we never would have been captured, and I never would have watched Devlin steal the life away from the most beautiful and vibrant person I’d known. I closed my eyes against the coming horror. Gods, give me strength. A prickle of power radiated outwards from my chest. The amulets! I had forgotten all about them. Maeve had made a mistake. The iron around my neck and torso drained my strength, but this time I could move my arms and legs.

Sunlight touched Tomas face and he started to burn. His fangs ran out and his eyes glazed over black. His skin looked awful in the light, translucent. As the daybreak grew it blackened and peeled away.

It was a struggle, but I stood, keeping my eyes on Tomas. He needed me, now was not the time to be weak. I slipped my hand into my pocket pulled the amulet of protection out.

Lochlann lunged for me and I sent him flying with a pulse of energy. He landed on his feet, but seemed winded. He hesitated before trying again. Good, because I didn’t think I had much control left in me. The next people to get in my way were in for a rough ride.

“Stop her,” he commanded.

Maeve came next and I dodged her easily enough, she wasn’t even trying. Conall tried to grab me, but the look I sent him had him over-shooting his aim by a mile. Lochlann went for me again, but Breandan wheeled round to plant himself between his brother and me.

“Move,” Lochlann said. “You risked everything by defying me, and I allowed it because you are my brother. I will not let you unleash another danger upon our kind.”

“This has nothing to do with you anymore. You may not touch her.”

“Young fool. She chooses another and you stand by and let her.”

Breandan shrugged and the defeated slump of his shoulders was heart wrenching to see. I didn’t have time to reassure him, or thank him.

I pulled the amulets of wisdom and power that hung from the leather cord around my neck, and slipped the amulet of protection into the last place. The air stilled and then crackled with a zing of electricity you could reach out and touch. My hair was swept up in a cyclone of wind, and I breathed in the scent of soil and sunlight that reminded me of Breandan. He was close and he was on my side. His strength and dedication to me helped me see who I really was. I was Rae. The last pure fairy who could wield the power of the key and who was destined to be a Priestess. It was my purpose to lead these demons from the darkness.

I was not afraid. I was strong and I had magic.

Drawing deeply on the Source, filling every nook of myself with power and energy I called to the forest then flung myself at Tomas. I crashed into him and the tree bough cracked, almost like it gave way for me. It seemed like we fell forever, entwined, gazes locked. The tree groaned and swept down, its branches twisting and curling into a shroud around us. We landed hard, me straddling him, and the ground rumbled and shook in a tumult. In an explosion of mud tree roots shot up from beneath the earth to surround us. I glimpsed the bright and beautiful dawn as the tree roots and boughs smashed together, encasing us in a living tomb. Then it was dark.

Tomas trembled beneath my body. He felt hot as I ran my hands over his face, and I winced. It was cracked and rough. He smelt foul like, well, burnt flesh and I gagged. Easing off him, I steadied myself and placed my wrist over his mouth.

“Tomas,” I said, breathless. “You have to feed before you die for the day.”

He didn’t move. I rubbed my wrist over his mouth and then instinct took over. His teeth sunk into me and I lay there as he drank himself better. It was not long before he moaned and then his head hit the floor with a solid thunk. I ran my hands over his face. He felt cooler and his face smoother.

“Was that enough? Will you wake up again?”

He was quiet for a moment. “I believe I will.”

I touched his cheek and the skin slowly healing blackened under my touch. I jerked away. “I’m hurting you. My skin, it’s glowing, I-I think it’s sunlight.”

At any other time or with any other vampire, sunlight seeping through my pores would be crazily fortuitous, but my voice was horrified. Eyes closed, his fingers searched for mine. Again his skin burned the moment he touched me, and I tried to pull away, not understanding why I was causing him more pain. There was no off switch, and though my light was dimming, I didn’t want to risk hurting him.

“Don’t pull away from me. I will heal.”

My skin looked dark next to his. He looked deader than usual and it scared me. The glow of my skin had cranked it down a notch and he held on tighter.

“Does it hurt?”

“Yes,” he said slowly, and sounded like if he had the energy to make fun of me, he would. “Rae, promise me something?”

“That depends. The last time I agreed to something before knowing what it was, it caused me a lot of trouble.”

He coughed and laughed. It was a wet, horrible sound and I grimaced.

“Go ahead then, tell me.”

His eyes sparkled like shiny rocks before the lights in them went out, and they slid closed. He died for the day.

“Tell me,” I said loudly, panicked.

It was in vain. He was beyond me now and would not be within my reach until the sunset. I watched as my blood healed his body, faster than if it had been human blood. For once I felt relief that I was fairy, being this way had helped him survive.

I was tired and sad, but the silence and stillness was not welcome. I was worried about what would happen when I stepped from the living shroud. I ran my palm over the earthen roof above me, and blinked when dirt fell in my eyes. The walls and floor were soft and hard. A mixture of leaves, mud and bark. There was a root dug into my back and I shifted closer to my slumbering vampire-boy. He was cold again and though it made me shiver, I scooted closer and rested my head on his chest.

The best thing, I figured, would be to wait for sunset. Tomas would hopefully be better and he could have more of my blood if he needed.

Breandan was going to be mad.

The thought alone was enough for me to want to be entombed there for the rest of my days. In the end, he had helped me save Tomas, but I knew he was not happy. I could feel he was not happy. He was also close by, so close if I was to stand he would probably be sitting less than a few paces away. Guarding me. I was proud that he had chosen to do the right thing, even though he knew it might mean losing my love to another. It made me love him more. Gods, how selfish was I? I loved Breandan but was too afraid to tell him. He was already crazy possessive and I was not okay with that. I was bonded to him by magic and that was commitment enough as far as I was concerned.

A further problem was that Tomas was a part of my being now. As much as I needed air to breath, I knew I would need him around. Just being next to him was dangerous. He was a starving vampire who was disconnected from his humanity, and unscrupulous in his belief he had to kill to survive. Yet I found him endearing and worth