“You’re strong enough,” I said, giving her arm a reassuring pat. “We’re capable of far more than we can possibly imagine, and you’ve survived this far. You’ve kept her safe until now.”

  Maya blew out a frustrated, shaky breath. “I’m not sure I would’ve kept her safe if I hadn’t met you and Ren. If we were on our own…” she shuddered, like she couldn’t bear thinking about it.

  “Well, you’re with us now. Vas and Sven will keep you safe tonight while you sleep. Nobody will be able to harm you.”

  “What about tomorrow night, and the night after that? You’re all very kind, but we can’t rely on you to watch over us forever.”

  “If I have my way, none of us will be stuck here forever. I’m going to get us all out,” I said, determined.

  I glanced at Vas again and his eyes were still on me. He tilted his head but I had no clue what he was thinking.

  “You really think you can escape? But it seems impossible,” Maya said.

  “Not impossible,” Vas cut in and both of us looked his way. His short, dark blond hair seemed black in the darkness of the cave, his horns casting eery shadows on the wall behind his head. “Sven and I are living proof that it can be done.”

  His words planted some seeds of hope in her and I shot him a thankful look. A little while later it was time for us to head to our sleeping pods. I was nervous about staying with Vas, but I was also focused on figuring out a plan for escaping, killing Red Armand and getting home within the five day window I’d allotted myself.

  I glanced at the cheap digital watch I wore. The countdown was ticking away. I had four more days. I tried to convince myself that it was more than enough time, but there was a constant thrumming anxiety within me. An anxiety that made me worry the task was too great to achieve in a paltry few days.

  I caught up with Ren, linking my arm with his as we walked. “Are you okay sharing a pod with Sven? You guys don’t really know each other. It might be weird.”

  “It will most definitely be weird, but I’m all for trying new things. Besides,” he said, lowering his voice. “He’s kind of hot, for a murderous demon.”

  I suppressed a chuckle. As far as I could tell Ren’s sexual preference included both men and women. “Okay, well, he told me he only ever kills out of necessity so don’t worry too much about the murderous part.”

  Vas and Sven walked a few yards behind us, far enough away that they wouldn’t overhear our conversation.

  When we reached the sleeping pods, I waited for Vas to climb in first before I hesitantly slid in next to him. I managed to keep an inch or two between us, but it was far from comfortable. We each lay on our sides, sharing a thin blanket. There was a small chill in the air, but compared to the heat during the day it was a tolerable chill, welcome even.

  A few minutes of quiet passed and I couldn’t seem to fall asleep. It wasn’t because of the din of voices from the hundreds of other miners in their pods below us. No, it was down to Vas’ nearness and the fact that my mind wouldn’t quit racing.

  “When I arrived in the city,” I said and Vas opened his eyes. Evidently, he was finding it difficult to sleep, too. “I bought some food from a vendor and she mentioned something about a Star Festival happening soon. What is that?”

  He shifted a little, trying to get more comfortable. It was a good thing neither of us suffered from claustrophobia.

  “The Star Festival is like our version of Christmas,” he answered. “It’s a celebration of sorts. Everybody takes part, but the High Demon families hold an event that only citizens from the upper sectors are allowed to attend. There’s a gala ball where they all wear masks and congratulate themselves for being such wonderful people all year,” he said with no small amount of derision. His description made me picture a lavish gathering with no expense spared, full of demons who didn’t care that their city ran on the labour of people they deemed inferior. Then, as I was visualising it, a thought occurred.

  “Will Red Armand be at the ball?”

  “Undoubtedly. He attends it every year.”

  “And everyone wears a mask?” I went on.

  Vas frowned, like I was being obtuse. “That’s what I said.”

  I widened my eyes at him, feeling excited as a plan formed in my mind. “Well, wouldn’t that be the perfect place to kill him? If everybody’s masked we can get in there, stab him with the sepial dagger, and get out without ever being identified. Plus, if there’s music and fanfare it’ll be a great distraction for other attendees not to notice what’s happening.”

  “It isn’t a terrible plan, but how would we get into the ball? You need an invitation.”

  “Are you forgetting you can teleport? With your tattoos gone you should have no trouble getting us in and out.”

  He seemed hesitant. “I haven’t teleported in a while. My magic is still regenerating after being muted for so many months.”

  “So, we’ll take our time, do a few practice runs. You’ll be back to your old self in no time.”

  My persistent optimism seemed to irritate him. “I’ll think about it. Now try to sleep.”

  “How can I sleep? My mind is racing. I feel too eager to get planning.”

  “There’s no point trying to plan something so big on no sleep, Darya. Rest. We can figure out everything else in the morning.”

  “Okay, I’ll try,” I said, closing my eyes. My body was too tense though. It took effort to maintain the narrow space between our bodies and to not lean against him. Opening my eyes again, I found Vas had his eyes closed, though I sensed he hadn’t yet managed to fall asleep. I took the opportunity to study his face, handsome even with the jagged scar. He had a slightly Greek shaped nose, and lips that were neither full nor thin, but somewhere in the middle. His cheekbones were sharp, the lines in contrasting angles to his protruding horns.

  He sighed. “What is it, Darya?”

  Feeling caught, I tried to keep my voice unaffected. “I told you, I can’t sleep.”

  “That’s because you’re holding yourself too stiff. You needn’t worry. You won’t catch anything if you lean against me and it will be more comfortable for both of us.

  “I’m fine as I am,” I replied, too proud to accept that he was right. I wasn’t relaxing my body and that was half the reason I couldn’t sleep.

  “Darya,” Vas chided. “Just…” he trailed off, his hand going to my shoulder as he shifted me against him. “Turn around.”

  I turned, finding myself facing the dark, stone wall, my back flush with Vas’ front. This position was less awkward than facing him, even though our bodies were now in what could be considered a more intimate position.

  “See?” he said. “Much better.”

  My hands rested in front of me, and Vas’ must’ve been at his sides because he didn’t rest his arm along my hip or torso. I could feel his breath on my neck though. It tickled my skin, sending a shocking trickle down my spine. Shocking, because it was pleasurable.

  I closed my eyes once more and oddly found myself listening to Vas’ breathing, his heat at my back staving off the night-time chill. His breaths eventually grew deeper, and I sensed he’d fallen asleep. I continued focusing on his breaths, and soon I drifted off, too.

  My dreams were riddled with anxiety and mixed up images of what I’d endured since journeying to Oreylia. I tasted the aromatic spice water I drank before being captured by those demons and locked in a cage. The fear in the eyes of the other captives, and the same fear reflected within my own. I saw Ren being knocked over the head and the hazy, drugged up eyes of the many miners who sought a chemically induced reprieve from the hell they could no longer endure.

  Finally, I saw the face of Red Armand, his cruel, uncaring gaze surveying me like I was nothing. Like I was lesser than him simply because I was a dhampir. His stare didn’t waver, but then his eyes turned black and I startled.

  I woke with a fright. My fraught dreams causing my pulse to race. I pressed a hand to my chest, vaguely aware that the heat had returned, along with the noisy clinking of hammers. I was sweaty and aching, having slept in a hard cocoon without enough space for comfort.

  Vas still slept at my back, his deep breathing a reassurance. I slowly became aware of one heavy, muscled arm resting along my side, his hand flat against my stomach. A thrilling sensation skittered through me at the intimate placement of his hand. Some deep, hidden part of me wished for it to move lower, to slip between my thighs… I thought of Peter and instantly felt guilty for the reaction. I knew the mark heightened the attraction I might feel for Vas, but I was still conflicted about having any feelings for him at all when the mark was the whole reason Peter had broken up with me.

  Vas’ hand moved, flexing against my stomach and I froze. He was awake. He seemed to pause for a moment, and I’d give anything to know what he was thinking. Then he withdrew his arm, the warmth and comforting weight of it leaving me.

  I pretended to still be asleep, and he lay next to me for another minute before he spoke softly, “Darya, wake up.”

  I stirred a little, feigning like I was waking up naturally. “Hmmm?”

  “It’s almost time for our shift. Sven and I arranged to switch to shift two so that we can stick together.”

  “Oh,” I said, my voice genuinely sleepy since my rest had been fitful. “That’s good.”

  “If you’re hungry we can go get some food first,” he went on and I turned to face him, my body brushing against his as I did so. I tried my best to ignore how it made the mark fizzle with pleasure.

  “Yes, I’m starving,” I replied, not meeting his eyes when I asked, “Did you sleep okay?”

  He emitted a vibe, a certain heat I couldn’t tell if I was imagining.

  “I slept fine,” he said, keeping his voice suspiciously blank. Had he felt the same fizzle of what? Attraction? Lust? That I had felt when I woke and realised his hand was on me.

  “I don’t suppose there’s anywhere for us to wash or freshen up?” I said hopefully.

  “Yes, we can go to one of the water fountains. I need to fill up my flask for us.”

  “For us?” I raised an eyebrow.

  He bristled. “Don’t mistake it for affection. I just don’t need the hassle of you keeling over from dehydration.”

  “Oh, I wouldn’t dream of inconveniencing you so,” I replied, heavy on the sarcasm.

  Vas narrowed his gaze but didn’t respond. We climbed down to the ground floor and I noticed Ren, Maya, Demi and Sven had already left their sleeping pods.

  “Don’t worry. Sven will have brought them to get breakfast,” Vas explained.

  I nodded and followed him to the water fountain he mentioned. There appeared to be several of them located about the mine.

  There was a small queue and we got in line. I watched as the people ahead of us both washed themselves under the spout and drank from it. I didn’t blame them. The heat of the Blaze made you constantly thirsty, hot and sweaty.

  “It seems that no matter where I end up lately the options to shower are non-existent,” I said, referring to our time in the Prison of Thorns, when the elves had prevented me from using the bathing facilities.

  “What did you expect? An electric shower? A jacuzzi?”

  “Okay, no need to make fun. Speaking of electric showers though, do you have electricity here?”

  “Not as such. We have a less powerful version of it. Most people burn reylite to power their homes.”

  “Really? Isn’t that dangerous?”

  “Demons care nothing for the danger of fire, Darya,” he mocked. “If our world were to burn they would only thrive on it.”

  “Right. They’re immune to heat,” I said, ignoring his condescending tone. “I almost forgot.”

  The queue finally cleared and I hurried eagerly to the water fountain, cupping water with my hands and splashing it over my face, neck and arms. It was wonderfully cold and I savoured the ability to cleanse myself, even in this small way. I was so busy savouring, in fact, that I didn’t immediately notice how silent Vas was. I glanced in his direction, finding his eyes glued to the water that clung to my T-shirt, causing the fabric to turn almost translucent against my skin. He cleared his throat and turned away. “Hurry up. I need to fill the flask, and there are others waiting.” His order was brisk.

  My pores tightened in awareness at the way he’d been looking at me. There’d been a hunger in his eyes, and I wondered how the mark felt on his end. For me it was a pleasurable buzz that yearned for Vas’ closeness. Was it the same for him? Did he feel the need to be close to me, to touch me, and was it a struggle to resist?

  When I was done washing my face I lowered my mouth and took several long gulps of water before stepping back. Vas quickly splashed water over his face and neck, and I noted that there was something oddly mesmerising about the soot that stained his skin.

  He filled the flask and then we let the people waiting behind us have their turn. We walked to the ramshackle food vendors that we’d visited the night before. Vas got us each a bowl of the same soup and I drank it without protest. I suspected there would be very little in the way of variety, deep as we were below the ground. It was almost stifling when I thought about just how far down we were, but I quickly pushed the thought from my mind. Bringing on a panic attack was the last thing I needed.

  After we finished our soup we found the others idling near the entrance to the mining section of the Blaze. I went directly to Ren, and again noted Vas’ dismay at our closeness.

  “How did you sleep?” I asked my friend.

  “Not well, but not as poorly as I expected. How about you?”

  “The same. Did you eat? Did Sven bring you to one of the water fountains to drink and wash?”

  “Yes, mother. I’ve been sufficiently fed and watered,” he replied, his lips curving in a grin at my fussing.

  Several demons appeared and ushered us into the noisy, overwhelmingly hot mine. We grabbed hammers just like yesterday and were ordered to get straight to work.

  I stood next to Ren and Vas took the position on the other side of me. We didn’t speak but that was mostly because the work was so gruelling. I couldn’t help being impressed by his strength, the sheer power of his body as he mined. My eyes traced the hard lines of his shoulders, the way his muscles flexed and moved as he lunged forward with the hammer.

  “What?” he asked, stopping for a moment to catch his breath.

  I flushed but it was so hot that my face was probably red already. “Nothing.”

  He rested the hammer over his shoulder and wiped some sweat from his brow. “You okay?”

  My eyes flicked to his bare chest then back up. “Yes, I’m fine.”

  To my left I caught Sven smirking. He knew exactly what I’d been staring at but thankfully he was kind enough not to say anything. Forcing my attention away from Vas, I resumed mining. At least two hours had passed when a scream broke out from somewhere up ahead of us.

  I looked just in time to see a man had fainted, seemingly from exhaustion. One of the demon watchers marched towards him and prodded him with a stick to get up. I suspected it was the woman who’d been working next to him who screamed. She was distraught and I wondered if he was her partner or family member. The demon prodded at the man again but he still wasn’t responding.

  “He’s dehydrated,” the woman said. “We’ve run out of water. Please let me fetch him some. He just needs to drink and he’ll be able to work again.”

  The demon cast her a look void of sympathy. “He’s old. I doubt he has much labour left in him.”

  “Please, just let me—”

  Before she could finish her plea the demon shoved the unconscious man off the edge of the mine, his body falling into the dark abyss. The woman screamed once more and I moved on autopilot, disbelief and rage pounding in my blood. My instinct was to attack the demon watcher but strong arms wrapped around my middle, pulling me back. Vas’ mouth was at my ear. “Don’t. It’s not your fight,” he said roughly.

  12.

  “But he just…he just murdered that poor man,” I cried, my fury building. “He was tired. He needed water and he killed him.” My throat thickened with emotion. I couldn’t believe the barbarity I’d just witnessed. The woman was weeping and the demon crowded her. “If you don’t wish to join him I suggest you get back to work,” he ordered.

  The woman, still weeping, picked up her hammer and resumed her work. The demon cast his eyes down the line. “That goes for the rest of you. Show’s over. Get back to work.”

  It took every ounce of willpower not to take my hammer and bash him over the head with it. “Calm down,” Vas whispered, still holding me. “His time will come, but not yet.”

  “I want to hurt him,” I fumed, trying hard to stifle the instinct.

  “I know, but now’s not the time.”

  Finally, I got a hold on my rage and Vas let me go. We got back to work and I pounded at the reylite, imagining it was that demon’s skull. I’d witnessed some barbarity in my time, but nothing as callous as what I’d just seen. Ren was pale as a ghost and Maya had done her best to shield Demi from seeing what happened.

  “This is going to take more than just killing Red Armand,” I whispered to Vas. “The people here need to be freed.”

  “I don’t disagree with you,” he responded just as quietly, “but that would require a revolution, and these people are too downtrodden and hopeless to fight against their captors.”

  “What about Jalio? He seemed primed for a revolution when he spoke to you yesterday. Besides, these people might surprise you. All they need is someone to inspire them.”

  “I do hope you don’t mean me,” he scoffed.

  “Why not you? If anyone knows the suffering of this place, it’s you. And you are the one who managed to escape and lived to tell the tale. You can be their beacon of hope. You can give them something to strive for.”