When the screams subsided, Anastasia opened her eyes. Her feet touched the ground and the magic in her gradually came to a halt. She sagged on the floor on her knees with a ragged breath. Her chest heaved as she tried to control her breath and her magic. She had never felt this kind of a strong magic before and it left her feeling weak. When she raised her face up to scan the surroundings, she raised her eyebrows in surprise to see tiny orbs of yellow and white light floating in the air around her. They lit the cave dimly. Was that her magic? 

Her gaze went to the floor in the front and there they were… winged demons in a heap of gore. Lying on the ground with sliced limbs and heads and battered and broken wings. The two whom she had killed before were lying beneath all of them. She could see the blood flowing out in rivulets from there. It had pooled in the small pits of the cave's floor. 

She felt like retching as the foul smell emanated from the pile of bodies. Even though she was feeling weak, her senses went on alert, when she remembered what the demon told her earlier—more will be coming. Feeling shaky, she got up. She couldn't stay in this cave and this was her chance to run. 

Anastasia began to walk out of that place, stepping over the pile of flesh and bodies and limbs and blood. 

She realized that even the orbs moved with her. Stunned, she gasped and stopped and they too stopped. She reached out for the one that was closest to her and touched it. It felt ticklish. The orb collided with her finger and crashed like a wave before merging with her body. Her lips parted with amazement as her skin tingled and she gave a small yelp. When the orb merged with her body, she felt as if a miniscule of her strength returned. Amused, she touched another orb and it too crashed like a wave against a rock before entering her body. Soon almost half of the orbs merged with her and she felt better. She decided to keep the remaining half outside her body because they lit the area softly—enough for her to see what was ahead. She increased her pace to get out of the cave through the slippery floor. 

When she came out a little more, a gust of wind cooled her skin and she inhaled a lungful. Anastasia stopped for a moment and leaned on the damp wall for rest. 

"She ran on the inside!" A voice came and her eyes widened. "Hem'ran?" she rasped. "Fuck!" How did he come in so fast? Did he come with more of them? How many? 

Frantic, she looked towards the path she had left behind. There was only one option left. To retract and then fight them till death. She would never go back to Aed Ruad. "I am sorry Ileus," said whimpered. 

"Remember, we need her alive!" Another voice came. 

"Where is the dark one?" 

"We don't know. It seems he has used and then abandoned the fae bitch." Chuckles that sounded like nails dragging along the walls sounded. 

"Let's go and get her," said Hem'ran. "Though I am sure that the others must have already caught her." 

More laughter. 

Anastasia ran as fast as she could. While running she took the roasted fish out of the bag and ate it. She needed all the energy to fight the bastards. When she reached slippery ground, she stopped briefly to check for the source of water. It was dripping from a crevice in the ceiling. It was enough for her. While eating, she sauntered till there and tilted her head up to lap as much as possible. Strong gusts of wind that carried the rotten smell with them ruffled her hair. She wiped her mouth with her arm and then sprinted towards the end of the cave. 

It was not long after that she reached the end, the demons—lots of them—entered. She lifted her thick eyelashes from the pile of the bodies to look at them. "Are you looking for them or for me?" 

Their leader bared his fangs with a hiss seeing that not a single one lived. He was shocked as hell but he did a good job at hiding it. His flinty eyes stared at her as he lashed a forked tongue out. 

"You don't believe that I did that?" She tsked softly under her breath. 

"Do you know how many of us there are?" he said with smugness that made her want to scratch his face. 

"And you need that many to catch me, Hem'ran?" She couldn't peel her eyes off him. "You need so many to strike me?" 

"Surrender, Anastasia. We won't harm you at all, but if you choose to fight, remember—" 

"You have bane blood?" She chuckled. 

He nodded. "Aed Ruad will be very unhappy." 

"Unhappy with what?" she asked. "That I escaped him?" She laughed again

"Unhappy that—" 

"Oh! Tell him that I am no longer a virgin." 

The demon hissed as his red eyes burned with anger. "That part is going to make him truly annoyed, and both Maple and he will punish you severely." 

The way he spoke, fury rose in her chest. "You speak as if you are his ally in the deed. But Hem'ran," she said in a low menacing voice. "If I were you, I would be concerned about myself." She returned her favor of meeting his stare. "From what I can perceive, you are afraid of this pile of bodies in front of you. Would you like to meet your men in hell?" 

"Don't think so highly of yourself, Anastasia! We all know that your magic is too weak. You can't do much. These were just a dozen. Do you know how many there are out there?" he said, pointing his long, clawed, leathery thumbs at the back. "There are hundreds! So don't think you will win. We will catch you soon or later." 

"I like your confidence," she said acerbically. 

"You should like it, because it is going to be your doom!" He took a step forward and his foot landed in the pool of blood. "Do you know why I am the best?" 

"Because of your skills of talking or stalking?" 

His fork tongue darted out of his mouth with irritation. "You are feisty for an eighteen-year-old fae." 

She scoffed. 

"Because I have a large number of men with me." 

Anastasia took her hands back. 

"Because I have remained undefeated in almost every task I was chosen for." The demons behind him drew closer as they glared at her with restlessness. The pile of maimed bodies in front of them was making them lose their patience. 

Hem'ran's lips curled revealing his yellow fangs and Anastasia recoiled. She had never felt this disgusted by seeing other people's fangs. "Just come with us. You don't know what your marriage with Aed Ruad will do." 

"What will it do besides him taking the role of the king of Vilinski?" 

He took another step forward and it splashed flesh and blood. "Your marriage with the crown prince of Vilinski is going to steer various kingdoms into a whole new era." 

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