Page 31 of Reap & Sow

Kit unfurled like some dark, venomous serpent. Black-tipped claws. Ears as sharp as knives, poking through dark hair. Even his skin had taken on an otherworldly gray cast—the color of hearthfire ash. And on his head, sprouting from his hairline…

Horns. The right one arched back over his head like a crashing wave, ending on a sharp point turned toward the ceiling. It was sooty in color and rough, like the horn of a ram. Only when he rolled his neck did Eda spot the left one; half of it was missing.

“Lordfather preserve us.” The captain pressed his pointer finger to his forehead in prayer.

Kit sneered, flashing sharp canines. “Your god isn’t here.”

The Blade retreated a step at the guttural taunt. Glanced about the room. Eda saw the scene as he did—the blood of his men on the floor, the walls, the furniture. Speckles of it on the demon’s face and throat.

The reality of her situation crashed over her like an icy rockfall. If there truly was such a thing as a soul, Eda had sold hers. Sold it to a monster.

Kit advanced. To the captain’s credit, he did not cower or try to run. He two-handed his sword and spread his feet into a fighting stance. “There are more of my soldiers surrounding this building even now, demon. You cannot evade us all. The Lordfather is with us.”

“Did you not hear me, you miserable half-wit? Your god doesn’t give a damn if you live or die.” He prowled slowly, as if taunting him. “You know his true name, I assume. Your ancestors did. They called him Dominor.”

Dominor. The Lordfather’s pagan name, considered sacrilegious by the Faithhood.

“Do not speak your evil to me.”

Kit laughed. The sound sent shivers down her spine. “You mean the truth? You say Dominor was the liberator of humankind. That he cast the rest of the pantheon into my world, to bring you enlightenment under his solitary rule.”

The Blade’s lip curled. “And thus you and your scum kin were born, ever-hungry to crawl back into the realm He banished you from.”

“Dominor did not create demons. He was one, you fool. The first to ever find a way into the mortal world. He brought others, and your ancestors worshipped them as deities. Your Lordfather is the very thing you fear.”

Eda’s breath stuttered. Her mind turned sluggish with shock.

“Silence!” The captain’s face bloomed red. “Enough of your blasphemous bile. You will never sway the righteous. Every Blade will gladly die to keep this city safe from your ilk. As will I.”

“Then die.”

Kit lunged. The Blade’s sword came down in a deadly flash.

It wasn’t enough.

The demon buried his claws in the man’s neck. With a tug, he ripped out his windpipe. The captain dropped his sword, gurgled as his front ran hot with blood. He swiped at the gaping wound. The coppery scent of it was overwhelming; Eda gripped her own neck as though it might hold his together.

The captain fell face-first onto the rug.

She must have made some sort of sound, because Kit turned toward her. Eda gasped and scrambled back, but he walked right past her toward the window. Something moved behind his knees—it was a tail, ashen and spade-tipped, lashing with agitation.

I’m going to pass out.

“He was right about us being surrounded, at least.” Flaming eyes slid sideways. “Time to go.”

“W-wait…” Eda didn’t know why she protested. The demon was right. She could not stay here. But as he stooped down, bloodied claws reaching for her, she kicked at him on instinct. “Don’t touch me!”

He paused. “I won’t harm you. We have an agreement.”

An agreement. She actually laughed. “Yes. Yes, we do.” Eda pressed her hands to her face, if only to stop them trembling. This was not like the deal with Mr. Night. For a dealie bartering their own years, there were only two ways of retrieving what was lost. Either Kit’rath failed to uphold his end of the bargain or…

Or I kill him myself.

As if she stood a chance. As if such a loophole even mattered. She needed his help; he was no good to her dead. It occurred to Eda suddenly that if Kit died by another’s hand too soon, her years would be lost before she ever got her brothers back. Hysterical laughter threatened to bubble over again—until she was abruptly lifted into the air.

She shrieked. Every part of her recoiled at the sensation of his body beneath hers. He smelled like blood and wine and brewing rain. “What are you—!”

With Eda hauled over one arm, he knocked out a window with the other. He leaped deftly onto the sill.