Read Online Marked: A Two Halves Novella by Marta Szemik - Free Book Online
Authors: Marta Szemik
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forest, replaced by flickering
orange and red light. The pervading stench settled inside my mouth before the
room came into focus. I had stepped into an oven of hell.
Part of me prepared to fight because I wouldn’t go down
without putting on a show. The other part was eager to see Xela. I sensed her
presence. She had to have been near, to summon me the way she did.
I scanned the grand hall. The hundreds of glowing orange
seeker eyes surrounding me made it seem smaller. Demons I did not recognize
smirked, their eyes sparking with a hint of purple, heads held high. They were
smarter than the seekers. Predatory gazes fixed on my unmarked wrists, then run
along my body. My muscles tensed voluntarily when I saw the mark of the sphere
glow on their wrists, as if they wanted to make their stature known. I
recognized some as shifters and movers when a few at the side showed off their
powers. Most had arms crossed over their chests. they weren’t going to fight,
considering themselves too important to face only one shape-shifter. These
demons were here to observe.
Before them, Aseret stood with Xela at his side.
I kept my defensive stance, ready to take on anyone who
moved. The seekers knew me well enough not to start a fight, but with their
master watching, most were ready to show off, even if it meant taking a chance
at death.
“Well donnne, Xela. How assstute of me to have you on my
sssside. Where isss the other one?” Aseret asked her with a hiss.
“She’s not connected to me.” Xela’s answer was flat.
Aseret wasn’t impressed. “I told you to bringgg them both.”
His claw rose to smack her, but I flew at him with all my strength, shifting
into a vampire halfway, and struck the side of his jaw. An orange gash opened
on his neck that stretched up to his ear.
Within seconds, seekers were after me, and I released my
long-held frustration on them, driving three to their knees in one swift move,
careful not to kill them. That would make Aseret’s plan to mark me too easy.
“Ssstand downn, or she diesss,” Aseret threatened,
emphasizing the last word so I understood that death would not be quick. He
crooked his neck to the other side; I assumed he was trying to ease the pain
from the gash. His nose twitched. “I mean it, Xannderrr.”
Fury raged through my body. I was sure I turned green and
the shade would remain on my skin a while. My focus regained as I whirled to
glare at him. He held the sharp nail of his forefinger on her neck just above
an artery. Xela’s blood oozed around the nail. I stopped.
The closest demons grabbed my arms, their fiery palms
burning my skin though they left no scorch mark.
“Ahh, he caresss for you. How sssweet!” Aseret mocked.
“Xander, you want herrr? You can have herrr.” He pushed Xela toward me. She
stumbled, falling into my arms. The seekers holding me stepped aside.
“Are you all right?” I asked her.
“It’s a trick, Xander. I didn’t summon you,” she whispered.
“Don’t listen to what he has to say.”
“All you have to do isss joinnn me and she can be yoursss,”
Aseret offered.
“Otherwise you’ll hold her against her will?” I retorted.
“Oh, she’sss not herrre againssst her will, Xanderrr.
Neither are you. You wanted to be herrre, in the underrrworld. The heat drawsss
you in.”
“Not for the reasons you think.” My eyes instinctively flew
to Xela’s thighs.
“I doubt that. You’re not the firssst she’d usssed her body
on to bring to the underworld.”
“What’s the catch, Aseret? Why do you want me? Why would you
want me to stand down and not kill one of them?” I nodded toward the seekers.
“What are you scheming?”
“If you join of your own will without killing, his powers
will be stronger,” Xela whispered.
Aseret’s brows drew down in displeasure, though he pretended
not to hear her. “Me, scheming? Neverrr. Another two hoursss and it will be all
overrr.” His tongue slithered between his lips like a
orange and red light. The pervading stench settled inside my mouth before the
room came into focus. I had stepped into an oven of hell.
Part of me prepared to fight because I wouldn’t go down
without putting on a show. The other part was eager to see Xela. I sensed her
presence. She had to have been near, to summon me the way she did.
I scanned the grand hall. The hundreds of glowing orange
seeker eyes surrounding me made it seem smaller. Demons I did not recognize
smirked, their eyes sparking with a hint of purple, heads held high. They were
smarter than the seekers. Predatory gazes fixed on my unmarked wrists, then run
along my body. My muscles tensed voluntarily when I saw the mark of the sphere
glow on their wrists, as if they wanted to make their stature known. I
recognized some as shifters and movers when a few at the side showed off their
powers. Most had arms crossed over their chests. they weren’t going to fight,
considering themselves too important to face only one shape-shifter. These
demons were here to observe.
Before them, Aseret stood with Xela at his side.
I kept my defensive stance, ready to take on anyone who
moved. The seekers knew me well enough not to start a fight, but with their
master watching, most were ready to show off, even if it meant taking a chance
at death.
“Well donnne, Xela. How assstute of me to have you on my
sssside. Where isss the other one?” Aseret asked her with a hiss.
“She’s not connected to me.” Xela’s answer was flat.
Aseret wasn’t impressed. “I told you to bringgg them both.”
His claw rose to smack her, but I flew at him with all my strength, shifting
into a vampire halfway, and struck the side of his jaw. An orange gash opened
on his neck that stretched up to his ear.
Within seconds, seekers were after me, and I released my
long-held frustration on them, driving three to their knees in one swift move,
careful not to kill them. That would make Aseret’s plan to mark me too easy.
“Ssstand downn, or she diesss,” Aseret threatened,
emphasizing the last word so I understood that death would not be quick. He
crooked his neck to the other side; I assumed he was trying to ease the pain
from the gash. His nose twitched. “I mean it, Xannderrr.”
Fury raged through my body. I was sure I turned green and
the shade would remain on my skin a while. My focus regained as I whirled to
glare at him. He held the sharp nail of his forefinger on her neck just above
an artery. Xela’s blood oozed around the nail. I stopped.
The closest demons grabbed my arms, their fiery palms
burning my skin though they left no scorch mark.
“Ahh, he caresss for you. How sssweet!” Aseret mocked.
“Xander, you want herrr? You can have herrr.” He pushed Xela toward me. She
stumbled, falling into my arms. The seekers holding me stepped aside.
“Are you all right?” I asked her.
“It’s a trick, Xander. I didn’t summon you,” she whispered.
“Don’t listen to what he has to say.”
“All you have to do isss joinnn me and she can be yoursss,”
Aseret offered.
“Otherwise you’ll hold her against her will?” I retorted.
“Oh, she’sss not herrre againssst her will, Xanderrr.
Neither are you. You wanted to be herrre, in the underrrworld. The heat drawsss
you in.”
“Not for the reasons you think.” My eyes instinctively flew
to Xela’s thighs.
“I doubt that. You’re not the firssst she’d usssed her body
on to bring to the underworld.”
“What’s the catch, Aseret? Why do you want me? Why would you
want me to stand down and not kill one of them?” I nodded toward the seekers.
“What are you scheming?”
“If you join of your own will without killing, his powers
will be stronger,” Xela whispered.
Aseret’s brows drew down in displeasure, though he pretended
not to hear her. “Me, scheming? Neverrr. Another two hoursss and it will be all
overrr.” His tongue slithered between his lips like a
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