Page 6 of Hell Burns Between Us

“My sister’s Ascending, so of course I’ll be there.”

“Not where demonkind normally gathersss.” Slang’s gaze pressed further inside of her. Their tail tightened, all consuming. “You ssshould ssssee it from a higher posssition. Sssomewhere unobsstructed. Even as the markss on your wrists are poissoning you, they’re also already granting you the privilegesss of being ssomewhere you’d otherwisse find impossible to be.”

Viewing the actual ceremony was forbidden to anyone not taking part in it—only those Ascending and the Grand Dukes were allowed to be present. A barrier kept all others out. Her heart beat faster as she tried to piece together what Slang meant.

“What does this have to do with accepting the Bite?”

Slang’s tail released her, curling around her throat until the tip of it nuzzled under Peri’s chin. It pushed her head higher until she was once again locked in the unsettling gaze of both heads. “I think you musst sssee what they are doing to your own kind for you to believe the atrocitiesss they do to otherss.”

“Alright.” Peri released a weary breath. “I’ll go.”

“I will find you again, little Hellion.” The voice slithered through her thoughts, soft and ominous. “Look for me after Asscenssion, when the full moon’ss light shiness brightessst.”

Slang dissolved slowly and then all at once as a blinding flash of light consumed them, the other snakes vanishing with it. Peri’s heart was a chaotic mess that she couldn’t calm. With trembling fingers she wrapped her still-festering wrists once more.

Chapter

Three

PERINE WILDER

Early morning sun rays filtered through Peri’s bedroom window, burning across her red-rimmed eyes. Fevered curiosity burnt through her veins to find out what Slang was so adamant to have her see tonight.

She wondered what about witnessing the actual ceremony would convince her to accept the Bite.

In lieu of sleeping, she’d spent the night rigorously making plans for how she was to actually pull this off. As far as she knew, aside from the Grand Dukes and the Ascending, there were no records of anyone else having witnessed the ceremony. The Grand Dukes were apparently bound to secrecy, and the Ascended simply never remembered.

It had taken from dusk to dawn to construct a fool-proof plan that would allow her to slip away unnoticed and make it somewhere high and near the ceremony.

All while not getting caught.

There was a ward that kept all magical beings away, demonkind or otherwise. Her plan hinged heavily on believing that Slang had been telling the truth, and the ward would not affect her.

A fist pounded excitedly on her door before Sia burst in. “You’re not even bathed? Spirits alive, Peri! What have you been doing all morning?”

Sia was all frenzied energy as she tossed an armful of long tailored jackets onto Peri’s bed. “Tell me which one I should wear. I’m losing my mind with indecision.”

Peri grinned and handed her a soft pink jacket covered in embroidery enchanted to move. Only too late did she notice that the scenes depicted on it were ones of a demoness kneeling before her mate. Sia had pulled the jacket on, and was still straightening it when Peri reached out and ran her fingers along the moving lines of thread. Her fingers followed the way the demoness’s face bent up towards her mate, stopping at the smile that spread across the stitched face.

“Hey! Stop that.” Sia swatted her hand away. “You’re going to break the enchantment.”

Peri jerked her hand back and stumbled over an apology. Her gaze, however, continued to dig into the face of joyful subservience. There were hundreds of tiny demonesses stitched across the jacket, but she seemed to only see the one. She wiped her suddenly clammy hands on her pants as the tiny demoness sank to her knees, her smile ever present, head tipping up like a flower to the sun.

Still smiling. Just so happy.

Peri turned away, wiping her hands on her pants over and over until she curled them into fists and tried to shake the image from her mind.

In some ways, the sisters were alike, with their shared violet and lavender hues. Yet, Sia drew warmth and laughter to her, while Peri invited taciturn indifference wherever she went.

Yet, when someone had the nerve to say something cruel about her younger sister, Sia defended her with the determination of a dragon. It was a powerful thing to have someone who believed in you so deeply.

Peri plastered a grin on her face and pulled out a small package. “I got you something to celebrate your Ascension into immortality.” The present was wrapped in enchanted paper flower petals that bloomed the moment they touched Sia’s hand. “As well as your upcoming mating ceremony.”

Sia straightened her jacket and then let out a long sigh. “Did you somehow know I was going to need an encouraging present, or is this lucky timing?”

“Maybe a bit of both.” Peri's grin was real this time. She’d spent most of last week trying to make sure this stone’s magic was perfect. Rocco had been amused when she’d asked him to help her with the gift, remarking he was not aware that anyone even gave presents upon Ascension.

His Ascension was around three hundred years ago, though. Maybe gifts weren’t as much of a thing back then.