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Shit.
Tension poured into the room as Karn shot to his feet. He searched the crowd as if he could see within the minds of his subjects.
Maybe he could.
As his attention neared me, the heat from Fane evaporated, and he vanished within the shadows, leaving me completely exposed. And when Karn’s terrifying gaze found mine, his glamour shimmered out of focus to reveal the true beast behind the pretty mask.
“You.”
Demons scampered away, and a light shone on me. Whether it was the demon lord’s doing or just my luck, the magic from the fae runes dissolved.
Oh, fuck.
“We have a raven in our midst.” Karn’s bat wings emerged behind him, the talons on each point sharp enough to rip my heart out. His long finger stabbed in my direction. “Grab her.”
ChapterFourteen
At Lord Karn’s command,demons charged me, injecting a high dose of adrenaline into my veins. My instincts took over, and my body became a machine of muscle memory as my training and years of fighting swelled to the surface.
Of course the creepy lord would have sensed that I was a raven.
I kicked the first demon that approached, cracking his nose. Another one came at me, and I ducked his claws before spinning toward the door, but a group blocked the entrance to the foyer.
Damn it. I had to find another way out.
Hands grabbed me, talons tearing into my clothes. I slipped out of my jacket and crushed my fist into the nearest attacker’s mouth. A fountain of black blood spurted down his scaly chin. I snatched a knife off my belt and started slashing at anything close enough.
Hisses filled the space as my blade tore into flesh and more ebony blood spilled. As a narrow path opened in the crowd of bodies, I sprinted to the right and then dropped to the slick ground, sliding under the arms trying to seize me.
The perks of being small.
I popped up and crashed through a door, entering another maze of hallways. Footsteps pounded behind me, so I rushed through the corridors to lose them. Black and silver walls zoomed past as my pulse thundered like frantic music at a secret rave, and my tangled hair stuck to my sweaty skin.
The hall suddenly dead-ended with a single door emerging. I yanked it open to a flight of stairs.
Son of a bitch. I’d have to jump out of a window. Hopefully, this didn’t lead all the way to the top.
I closed the door and sprinted up the steps with no sign of the mob from the grand room behind me. When I hit the first landing, I slowly pulled the door open, peering into an opulent nook. Silence stretched, and nothing stirred.
I crept out, my breaths coming in quick pants and the knife in my hand slipping. I readjusted my grip as I rushed toward the left. Shouts echoed, followed by footsteps.
Shit!I ducked into a small alcove, pressing my back into the wall and pretending to be invisible. Maybe if I believed it enough, it would become true.
The footsteps thundered down another hall, bypassing the one I currently hid in.
A shaky breath blew from my lungs, and I sagged against the wall. I had to get the fuck out of this mansion.Now. I couldn’t risk being caught. The time for calm strategy had ended, and brute mentality needed to take over.
To escape, I had to lean on that part of me I tried to forget, that part that had saved my ass more than once when I was a runaway. It was how I’d survived. That girl hadn’t died. I’d just pushed her into the darkness within me.
Well, I was shining a light down in that bottomless pit, calling her forward.
I took a deep breath, pushed off the wall, and ran like fire nipped at my heels. My steps remained quiet on the carpet runner as I pumped my arms. Blood pounded in my ears, and another dose of adrenaline set my veins on fire.
A sleek black door emerged within the ruby-red walls, and my boots skidded to a stop. I tried the handle. Of course it was locked. I’d lost my tool when that demon ripped my jacket off, but I didn’t need it. Not anymore.
With one violent kick, I slammed my boot into the knob, cracking the wooden doorjamb and busting my way into the room. Thank every god in the universe there was a window overlooking the street.
I closed the door as best as possible and darted toward the fireplace for the iron poker to break the glass. The second-story drop wouldn’t be that bad, and once I made it to the street, I could get lost in the crowds even without the fae runes.
