Page 7 of To Sway a Demon Heart

“I will want you no matter what for the rest of our lives,” Tyr growled, pressing himself against me. I felt the evidence of that desire hard against my stomach, and heat flooded me as the Pull begged me to make him mine. “I’m not fucking jealous because another male wants you. Of course another male wants you. A hundred males probably want you, Brigid. They’d be fucking fools not to.”

He tilted his head down, so close to mine I thought he might give in and brush his lips against me. “I’m jealous because they can have you, and I can’t,” he added, his voice low and pained as he pressed his forehead to mine.

“Youcanhave me,” I protested, giving into the Pull and tilting my head so that my lips just barely brushed his. A sweet ache was building in me, and I wanted nothing more than to close the distance between our bodies and satisfy it.

He groaned, pounding a fist against the stone wall next to me in frustration. It should have scared me a little, but it had quite the opposite effect, and I felt my heart racing in anticipation as he loomed over me.

“I can’t,” he whispered, his breath skating over my lips as he breathed out a sigh of resignation. “I can’t. You deserve more. You don’t want me, Brigid. I promise, you don’t.”

It was strange, feeling my heart breaking all over again as if I hadn’t spent any time at all trying to protect it from exactly this. The cold pain that usually followed was gone though, replaced by incandescent rage. I let my fire burn inside me, simmering toward the surface of my skin as hurt fueled the power within me.

Tyr yelped, jumping back as my skin grew hot and fire burst around us, making the stone hallway flicker and smoke as I lost control of the magic. I cursed, spooling it back into me before anyone could see.

Tyr looked at me in shock, his eyes wide and jaw slack. I gritted my teeth, determined not to cry until I was far away from him.

“Perhaps it’s time for you to stop telling me whatIwant, Lord Tyr,” I spat, “and to start accepting what we both do.”

I walked away, leaving him surrounded by the ashes of my anger as the tears began to fall.

Chapter 5

Freezingwindwhippedaroundme as I stepped out of the mirror and into a courtyard surrounded by stone towers.

Tyr had come alone last night to prepare his court to host the tournament, and twenty demons emerged behind me, striding through the mirror in varying attitudes of suspicion or interest in the witch magic.

I had missed the official opening of the tournament the previous night after storming away from Tyr. Twenty candidates from Shadow had submitted themselves for consideration, including Draven and Shyama. The rules, which Carnon had announced for everyone, were simple: the last person standing after all other contestants had either died or forfeited would be the new Lord of Shadow.

Elara and Carnon had returned to Oneiros, but Elara caught me in the morning before they left to ask about my absence the night before.

“Males can be idiots when it comes to what they want,” she sighed, after I explained what had happened. “I know it hurts. But don’t give up.”

She had squeezed me in comfort, wrapping me in a hug that tried to reassure as well as commiserate. I had missed my friend fiercely for the month we had been apart, and it occurred to me that I had truly been blessed by the Goddess when Carnon found his mate in the Bloodwood.

“WhendoI give up?” I asked, feeling defeated despite her reassurance. “I can’t do this forever, Elara. It will make everything warm and bright in me die.”

“I don’t know,” Elara sighed heavily, taking my hands in hers. “Carnon had promised to let me go, if I really wished it. Maybe your heart will know what is right, and when.”

“Listening to my heart hasn’t exactly produced clear answers,” I sighed, trying to force a smile and lighten the mood. “Let’s ask the cards. Show me what you’ve learned.”

“Are you sure?” Elara asked, pulling out the deck of gilded tarot cards I had gifted her for Mabon from her pocket. I nodded, and she shuffled, expertly cutting the deck. I had taught Elara most of what she knew about tarot, and I watched a little proudly as she dealt the deck, laying out six cards at a time for me to choose. “Past,” she reminded me, moving the card I selected to one side and dealing six more at random. “Present,” she added as I selected the second. She dealt the final six and I chose my last. “Future.”

She lay the three chosen cards out between us on the bed where we had been talking, her hand hovering over the first card as if waiting for permission.

“Go ahead,” I said, giving her an encouraging smile.

“Past,” she said, flipping the card so that an image of two golden goblets was displayed. “Two of cups in reverse. Imbalance. Tensions.”

“Broken communication,” I agreed, giving her a wry smile. “That sounds correct.”

“Present,” she continued, flipping the second card over to show two swords this time. “Two of swords. So, indecision, or perhaps a stalemate.”

Stalemate indeed, I thought as I remembered my conversation with Tyr last night. I nodded, tapping the final card. “And the future?”

Elara flipped the card, showing five arrows crossed in the shape of a pentagram. She frowned, then looked up at me in confusion. “Five of wands?”

I pursed my lips, uncertain about the card as well. “This usually means rivalry or conflict. I suppose it could refer to the tournament.”

“So something to do with the tournament will decide your fate with Tyr?” she asked, looking torn between confusion and hopefulness.