I turned, scanning the night air, the crowd below. That was when he appeared again—a powerful warrior’s body materialized out of moonlight. He rushed forward, and I started to fly to meet him, to strike first.
But his velocity was so intense that he slammed me hard into the tower wall. I flinched, anticipating the shock of pain that would splinter my back. But the pain didn’t register. Orion had deftly managed to cushion the blow—one hand around my waist, holding me closer to his rock-hard chest, and the other pressed against the stone wall itself to stop me from making contact.
His warm magic swept around me, singing over my skin. The night wind whipped over us. I’d never felt so alive.
“I shouldn’t have kicked you out,” he said softly. Up here, the silver light washed over his perfect cheekbones and sparked in his eyes. For the first time, I noticed that the pale blue in his eyes was shot through with silver flecks like moonlight. “I’m sorry I took the revenge that should have been yours.”
“Here it is,” I hissed, pressed against him. “The incubus’s most confounding weapon. Charm.”
His fingers were tight around my waist. “Do you know what I like about you, Rowan? This city is full of powerful demons, and not a single one of them has the balls to admit that they’re scared of anything.” His eyes seemed to be searching mine. “And that’s a lie we’re living. Because we’re all terrified of something.”
“What scares you?” I breathed.
His mouth was an inch from mine now, and he was staring at my lips as if he were going to kiss me. “You.” His eyes flicked up to meet mine again. “Among other things.”
“What other things?”
His breath warmed the crook of my neck. “Someday, I’ll tell you.”
Throwing me off guard. I slid my palms up his chest, then pushed him away from me with all the force I could muster. He flew back into the air, but he managed to stay suspended, looking startled.
I rushed forward, angling my wings for speed. I brought out my claws, ready to strike again. But Orion rushed forward, caught me around the waist, and pulled me in against him again. Our wings pounding behind us, and we hung suspended in the air like the moon itself.
I wrapped my arms over his shoulders.
Staring deep into my eyes, he murmured, “Why not join me, love?” His breath warmed the crook of my neck.
“Because, love,” I said, “you want to fucking murder everyone.”
No denial from him. Instead, he cupped the side of my face, and he stroked his thumb gently over my cheek. “Don’t you want to be free?” he purred. “Demons were never meant to be caged. Cambriel might have been the one to murder your parents, but the mortals are the reason they were in hiding in the first place, vulnerable without the power that belonged to them.”
The little boy from my nightmare flashed in my mind, and a surge of protectiveness lit me up. A long-buried animal instinct sent aggression snapping through my nerves.
I wasn’t mortal anymore.
Demons hunt.
I wanted to devour the beautiful thing before me, to feed off his essence.
My fangs lengthened, and I sank them deep into Orion’s throat. His blood surged into my mouth—deliciously sweet and with a metallic tinge, a dark sort of ambrosia. This was life. This was power. I dominated him.
No wonder demons liked drinking blood.
With a snarl, he pushed me away.
He held his hand against the puncture marks, his brow furrowed. “No one’s ever bitten me before.”
Remember when you said I didn’t have it in me? That you didn’t respect me enough to hate me?
I wiped the back of my hand across my mouth. “Fair’s fair. You drank my blood the first night we met.”
I’d learned something from this fight—Orion was still stronger than me, still faster. But he was vulnerable to the element of surprise.
The corner of his mouth quirked. “You’ve changed, Rowan.”
Force your enemy to let down his guard.
I flew a little closer, eyebrows rising. “Of course I’ve changed. I trained with the Dying God. The Chaos God. Bit of a dysfunctional family you’ve got, isn’t it? He’s your father, and he taught me how to kill you.”
His faint smile faltered with uncertainty.
Now.
The night wind swept over me, and I swiped for his throat with my claws. Blood arced through the air, and I used my wings to give me the speed of a hurricane. I slammed into Orion, and we hurtled toward the ground together. We hit the stone with a force that cracked the rock beneath him. It sent shockwaves across the square as the ground fractured. Orion’s wings were still out, spread beneath him in dark arches of feathers. I was straddling him, legs wrapped around his waist. He stared up at me, catching his breath.