Chapter 6

“Have something to eat, Lilitha,” Mateus suggested.

“I’m not hungry. Shouldn’t he be back by now?” she replied, her voice laced with worry.

“He’ll return when he returns,” Mateus said, trying to sound nonchalant.

Lilitha continued her pacing, her anxiety palpable to the others who sat watching her.

Damon had been gone for nearly two days, hunting along the highway that stretched from Mainstry to Esteria.

The highway was supposed to be bustling with activity.

So why was he taking so long?

Lilitha could sense the others’ anxiety.

It was like a subtle change in the air, a light prickling sensation on her skin.

Yet, they all appeared relaxed.

Silus was lying down, his gaze fixed on the canopy above.

Carmella was nestled in Mateus’s lap, who was leaning against a tree, his eyes half-closed.

“Sit down and eat something!” Carmella snapped.

“I will when he gets back!” Lilitha retorted, her voice matching Carmella’s intensity.

Suddenly, Lilitha turned her head.

Carmella did the same.

Silus sat up.

“Finally,” Mateus grumbled, his voice filled with relief.

Closing her eyes, Lilitha inhaled deeply, taking in his scent as if she was starving.

A wave of warmth washed over her, causing the hairs on her skin to stand on end.

She didn’t realize she was running.

She had no idea how far away he was.

But she ran and ran until her lungs felt like they were on fire and her legs ached, her heart aching even more.

Then she heard him.

Then she saw him.

He was waiting for her, his arms outstretched, a grin on his face, as Lilitha leapt into them.

Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, her legs around his hips.

She pressed her mouth against his.

He returned her kiss, holding her so tightly she could barely breathe.

He threw his head back, laughing, as Lilitha nuzzled his neck.

He gently lowered her to the ground and Lilitha pulled him closer, burying her face into his chest.

“You smell so damn good,” he growled, his voice husky.

“You’re one to talk.” Lilitha’s teeth grazed his nipple.

She felt like she could devour him. “Everything went well?”

“It went well. Told you there was nothing to worry about,” he reassured her.

The rest of the clan quickly gathered around them.

“What took you so long?” Mateus asked, his tone slightly accusatory.

Damon flashed his teeth at him. “Like you could do better. Why don’t you make yourself useful and help?”

He gestured at the two bodies lying on the ground behind him.

Both were large men.

Carmella was hugging Damon as Lilitha asked, “You carried them all this way?”

“Yep.”

That’s when Lilitha noticed how exhausted he looked.

He was sweating, panting, and hunched over.

His veins were bulging and there was blood on his torso—it wasn’t his.

“You should rest,” Silus suggested. “We’ll handle this.”

Mateus hoisted one of the bodies over his shoulder.

Silus grabbed the other, dragging it behind him like a dead weight.

Lilitha watched.

She no longer felt nauseous, which was an improvement, but she still felt a cold sweat forming behind her ears.

She still felt a chill running down her spine.

One of the men had a beard.

The other’s face was unrecognizable; Damon had completely torn away his jaw.

Lilitha looked away, a lump forming in her throat.

Despite her discomfort, she swallowed down her reluctance and went over to help Silus, grabbing the man under the arms.

Silus looked back at her, surprised, then nodded in approval.

Together, they hauled the body to the ridge.

The ridge was empty, except for Mateus, who was already in the process of dismembering the other body.

They laid the man down and Lilitha forced herself to watch as Mateus grabbed the second man’s leg.

His neck and shoulder muscles strained as he gritted his teeth, bracing his knee into the man’s back.

Lilitha winced but refused to look away as he tore off the man’s leg with a loud snap that echoed in her ears.

Mateus looked up, meeting Lilitha’s gaze.

His forehead creased in confusion.

“I’ve seen it before,” Lilitha said, her voice shaky. “You don’t want to do this later?”

“We can’t wait. They’ll start to rot,” Mateus replied.

“We need to cover them in tamarron as soon as possible,” Silus agreed. “Maybe you can help.”

He held out a long knife to her. “Here.”

Lilitha took it, her fingers numb.

Silus patted the ground beside him.

Lilitha kneeled.

“Just here.” And Silus showed her what to do.

The knife was incredibly sharp, but it took a lot of effort to cut through the muscle and tendon.

She only managed to remove one limb—the man’s arm from the shoulder—before she sat back, panting, her wrists and shoulders aching.

“It’s a lot of work,” she said, her breath coming out in short gasps.

“Only because you’re not used to it.” Silus took the knife and began removing the man’s other arm.

The flesh seemed to fall away from the knife like butter.

Lilitha was mesmerized by his skill.

Within moments, the arm was completely off.

The dead man’s face was intact, his dark, empty eyes staring out from beneath half-closed eyelids.

She could see blood on his hands but no wound.

Then she helped Silus turn him over and saw a chunk missing from the back of his neck.

“Are you okay?” Mateus asked, wiping his blood-stained hands together.

Lilitha thought she was until her knees gave out and she sat down, suddenly breathless.

Suddenly cold. “I’m okay,” she panted. “I’m okay.”

She looked over at Mateus’s corpse.

He’d already removed all four limbs, leaving only a torso.

Lilitha stared at the ugly stumps, at the strips of flesh.

He had also removed the head.

Mateus didn’t bother with a knife as he ripped open the torso and dipped his hands inside.

“For you,” Mateus said, and this time he did use a knife to delicately cut away each organ.

Lilitha forced herself to watch.

His massive hands could be so gentle when he wanted to be.

He handed her the liver.

Lilitha’s hands were trembling as she took it.

Mateus was watching.

She felt Silus watching.

Closing her eyes, shutting out the dead men’s faces, she ate it.

When she opened her eyes again, the two Diablons were back to carving up the rest of the remains.

Lilitha couldn’t stay put, her heart yearning for Damon in a way that sent her sprinting through the forest, his scent guiding her. As she called out his name, she was already shedding her clothes.

She was aware that her actions might be seen as selfish—he needed his rest—but she couldn’t help herself.

“Damon!” She kept running, her voice echoing through the trees. “Damon!”

She narrowly avoided a branch, her hair getting caught in its leaves.

As she tried to untangle herself, her foot snagged and she was tumbling down.

But she never hit the ground.

“Really, Lila, you’re such a klutz.”

Twisting in his hold, she flung her arms around his neck and planted a kiss on him.

He responded by wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her close. Then they were descending to the forest floor.

Lilitha found herself on top of him, her heart pounding and blood rushing through her veins.

She felt invincible in that moment. Sometimes this happened—this rage.

The last time it had happened, she had been with Mandalay.

Lilitha quickly pushed the memory away as she bent down to ravage Damon’s mouth.

She gripped his head, moving to his horns, licking and sucking them until Damon let out a moan and shivered, his fingers digging into her hips.

She vaguely noticed that he was completely naked, which was unusual for him.

She also noticed that his dick was already sticky, and she knew it could only be from Carmella.

But it didn’t matter. She was happy.

Happy for both of them.

And he was already hard again. Ready and waiting for her.

“Aren’t you tired?”

“Not for this,” he growled back.

“What was it like? Killing those men?” Lilitha asked, her breath coming out in pants.

She needed to know. She needed to know so badly that she dug her nails into his shoulders, her gaze locked onto his.

“Tell me. Describe it.”

Damon’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. Then they furrowed and he grinned.

“Nice juicy liver? Filled you with the good stuff? I’m glad I can make you strong, Lila.”

He moved his hands from her shoulders down her arms. “You’re so sexy like this. I want to see more of it.”

“Then tell me,” she demanded in a voice that didn’t sound like her own.