Suddenly, I felt it, the talons that sank into my soul, trying to rip it out of my body.
I fell to my knees, screaming.
Kill.
I shook my head. Never.
Katarina tried pulling me up. “Lady Zari, we have to go—”
The talons dug deeper into my soul, trying to tear it into shreds, and I screamed again.
Kill.
I shook my head. Never. I would rather die, and I hope I took it with me.
My Master’s voice intruded in my mind, fierce and urgent. Zari, I can feel your pain.
D-don’t mind me. His voice came to me faintly, and I knew it was the demon working against me. It’s nearby. Find it. End this.
Katarina was still trying to pull me to my feet. “Lady Zari, it’s not safe here—” She stopped when I tightened my hand around hers.
I wanted to tell her that there was no point in running. The demon was inside me. “Lady Katarina…” The urge to kill her now, here, the urge to fill the forest with her cries of pain smashed into me, and I wanted to yank her down—
But I didn’t.
And so the demon kept clawing against my soul instead.
“I’m sorry.” I forced the words out.
Inside my mind, the demon roared, the words burning wounds into its skin.
I forced myself to look at Katarina, my body shaking with the effort not to wrap my fingers around her throat and squeeze the breath out of her. “I’m sorry I want to kill you.”
“Lady Zari, this isn’t the time—”
Cutting her off, I gasped out, “I’m sorry I think you’re too tall for Alexandru!”
The demon howled and took revenge as more talons pierced my soul.
Ignoring the pain, I went on, “I’m sorry I think you’ve got abs like a guy. I’m sorry I think you’re a heartless bitch for pushing him away but stringing him along for hundreds of years—” I choked back a sob as the demon, weakened but furious, extended its attack to my physical body.
It clawed my arms from the inside, and I started to bleed.
“Lady Zari!” Katarina dropped to her knees. I could hear the healer in her taking over as she ran her hands over my wounds, whispering words I didn’t understand. But with every wound she healed, two more appeared, and I knew that if she continued this, I might just end up bleeding to death.
“Stop.” I coughed out blood. The demon was working on my throat, too, preventing me from speaking.
Katarina released me, realizing that she was hurting me more.
Silence hummed and inside of me, the demon had also ceased its attack. I knew it was resting to regain some strength. Around us, the air had turned still, and the dead trees were nothing but a circle of indifferent witnesses.
“It must be near to cause this much pain,” Katarina muttered. “I should look for it—”
“No!” I coughed out more blood. “I don’t know…how it got into me…we can’t afford for it to get into you too…” My fingernails pierced her skin, and I realized too late what I had done when I saw her wince.
I released her right away. “Sorry.” Tears streaked down my face as I fought the urge to kill her.
Katarina’s gaze narrowed. A moment later, she said tightly, “I’m sorry.”
I only stared at her, too tired and in too much pain to ask what the apology was for.
Another moment, and she answered my question.
“I’m sorry because there are times I want to kill you just as badly.” She tightened her grip on my hand. “I want to kill you because I can see that you love him, more than I have ever loved Alexandru.”
Inside of me, the demon started to stir, its unease communicating itself to me.
Katarina’s voice remained steady as she continued, “I want to kill you because with you alive, he will never be mine—”
The demon screeched with pain, and I realized that with every word of apology uttered, my hatred and guilt lessened, and with it the demon’s hold on my soul weakened.
“I want to kill you—”
The demon wanted to flee, but it was unable to. Forgiveness replaced guilt and understanding replaced hatred, and my soul turned into the demon’s cage.
“Because he chose you. And so even if you were to leave him, a part of you will always linger. I want to kill you because no one can ever compare to the way you’ve surrendered yourself to him.”
The demon went wild and it lashed out, doing everything it could to get free. I could feel my eyes burning as if they wanted to pop out of their sockets. A buzzing filled my ears and my tongue started to swell.
“Lady Zari…” She was smiling at me, but her eyes were glassy with tears as she saw me bleeding all over. “I owe you a c-couple of apologies.”