Page 45 of The Demon God's Desire
Oh, no…
Not again.
I turn slowly on my feet, seeing the Hearthkeeper standing a few feet away from me. Her face is pinched in a scowl, both of her hands fisted at her sides while her body quakes with anger. She lets out a huffing breath that sounds mixed with a growl.
“What is it this time?” I ask her.
I want to get whatever punishment she wants to deal me over with so I can get back to Bridget. I’m already tired as it is, trying to recover from that barrage of fireballs.
“How dare you be so disrespectful to your goddess. Do you have any idea what I will do to you? To that human you lie with?”
I frown. “You’re not touching a hair on her head.”
She laughs at me, throwing her head back. “So bold! Trying to tell me what to do when I have the power to smite you.”
She waves a hand in the air, an image manifested at her feet.
“To make you suffer,” she continues.
The image at her feet slowly becomes clearer, the figure of a person bending over at the waist with their forehead pressed to the ground could be seen. I stare at it, feeling a sense of familiarity.
Suddenly, the figure lifts their head and turns to look over their shoulder at me.
My heart drops. Bridget.
The Hearthkeeper reaches down to grab at Bridget’s hair, yanking her head back hard enough to draw a gasp from her perfect lips. Her eyes screw shut in pain while a single tear beads down her cheek.
“Let her go!”
“No.” The Hearthkeeper laughs again. “You’re going to sit there and watch as I torture her. I’ll rip her limb from limb and make you pick up the pieces.”
I lunge forward, suddenly thrown back by an unseen force. My entire body hits something hard, crumpling me to the ground. Bridget screams loud enough to ring in my ears.
“Stop!” I beg.
“No.” The Hearthkeeper grins. “This, my dear Giulri, is a promise for your future.”
Bridget’s mouth drops open, another scream building within her throat.
I jolt awake, panting harshly while morning light spills in to illuminate the cave. Bridget—the real Bridget—leans over me, her eyes wide with fear.
“Oh, thank the gods. I didn’t think you’d wake up.”
I swallow thickly, grabbing her and pulling her down to my chest so I can bury my face in her hair and breathe her scent in. My entire body is shaking from the dream, the sounds of Bridget’s blood curdling scream still ringing in my ears.
What a horrible sound.
“Are you okay?”
I nod, running my hands up and down her spine, comforting myself with being able to touch her. I don’t want to scare her by telling her what the Hearthkeeper has promised me if she gets her hands on Bridget.
I won’t let that happen, anyway.
Not as long as I’m still breathing.
I let her go after a few minutes and force myself to sit up. My body is still but my back feels much better than it did yesterday. I turn to let her check my burns, relaxing when she tells me that they’re almost completely healed.
“That salve is magic.”