Page 110 of Bedeviled

I stagger over to a nearby tree, my breathing becoming ragged. “I…don’t think I’m going to make it to my house.” Already, a cold sweat has broken out across my body, a chill coursing through me. “You can go,” I say dazedly. “Memnon is coming.”

“Hey,” Kane says, noticing my reaction. “I’m not leaving you.” But even as he speaks, another tremor works through his body.

“You’re going to need to shift.”

His jaw clenches in response. “I’ll be fine.”

I shake my head, a bead of sweat dripping into my eye. The ground beneath my feet doesn’t seem so steady.

“Selene?” he says again, alarmed.

Hold fast, Empress.

I can’t. I hate how weak my inner voice sounds.

You’re a Sarmatian queen. You’ve led armies into battle and faced down impossible odds more than once. You were born with a spirit of iron, and right now you will hold fast, my empress. I command it as your king.

So bossy, I say tiredly.

“…was that? Selene?”

“Huh?” I turn to Kane when I realize he’s been talking to me this whole time.

“Why was a demon after you?” he asks.

I press a hand to my temple and shake my head, leaning back heavily against the tree. “Long story.”

Before I can respond he says, “This is because of Memnon, isn’t it?”

No use denying it.

“He’s severing bonds,” I say grimly, meeting Kane’s gaze. I see his wolf at the back of his eyes.

“Tell me that doesn’t mean what I think it means.” His words come out as a growl.

I sigh. “It does.”

“That motherfucker.” Kane’s voice deepens until it’s hard to fully understand him.

I force my mind to focus so I can explain what I haven’t yet told Kane. “The Fortunas trafficked…everyone. Shifters, witches, even demons like that dude over there.” I point vaguely in the distance we came from, the action causing me to sway again.

Fuck, I feel like I’ve drank poison.

I lick my dry lips and continue. “Every demon they trafficked was first given a human to feast on. That’s why there were murdered witches coated in dark magic dumped in these woods. That’s the fate I might’ve saved Cara from.”

Kane stares at me for a long time, his features shifting as he fights his own change. “So Memnon’s killing off their bondmasters?”

I give a slight nod.

He gives a huff, like what Memnon’s doing is actually a smidge respectable, but he doesn’t want to admit that.

“It’s going to catch up to him,” Kane finally says.

Clearly it already has. These bondmasters are hurting Memnon where he’s weakest, which is apparently me.

My eyes begin to close, and my knees fold.

Distantly, I hear Kane curse, then he catches me. “Selene!”