Curse Of The Dark Wind (Book 6) Read Free Page A

portal. At the same time, I must prevent other demons from crossing over. One wrong move can lead to my aura being devoured or the unleashing of a Named One that neither of us can control. This is your plan, so I hope you wish to see it succeed. Unless you’ve marked me for destruction like the Lich.”
    “People keep talking about his demise like it’s a bad thing,” Stephen mutters as he walks over to the real Trinity and circles her. He reaches out to caress her cheek, but stops a hair away from her flawless skin. “I would never bring harm to such a lovely creature. Your power is intoxicating and drives me wild. Such a glorious taste is upon your skin and lips. I would never cast you aside, my dear Queen. Even if I dominated and claimed your rival, you would still hold a special place in my heart. After all, I broke you first.”
    The illusion vanishes and a whirling vortex appears on the back wall of the open, blue stone cavern. Black mist drifts out of the portal to snake along the ceiling and floor, the ends inspecting every inch of rock. A gust of wind rushes toward the solitary doorway, taking most of the demonic toxins through the rest of the caves and out into the world. Several wisps touch the quartz archway as they pass, leaving the prismatic structure cloudy and cracked. A faint shriek bursts from the vortex as thicker tendrils of black smoke emerge. Some of the mist thickens and coalesces on the ceiling, becoming faint forms that scurry into the shadows.
    “The hazes have been summoned. They need some time to acclimate before I close the portal,” Trinity says in a hoarse voice. She shivers as a blast of cold air rockets through the cavern, the ancient magic attempting to remove the corruption. “I need to rest before we move on to the next stage. This was difficult, but what you want me to do next has never been attempted before. Besides, he won’t work with me willingly.”
    “I have the utmost confidence in you,” Stephen declares, picking up her leathery shirt and handing it to her. The arrogant man refuses to turn away as the chaos elf gets dressed, his sapphire eyes running along every curve of her body. “It appears your precious gems have lost their luster. If you wish, I could relieve you of your exhaustion. It’s the least I can do for such a cherished ally.”
    “You only want me to have enough energy to fight back when you indulge yourself. I know your games, Stephen,” the caster replies, keeping a cautious eye on her companion. To avoid losing sight of him, she opens the back of her shirt and slips it on like a vest. The glistening material seals perfectly as soon as she grows sleeves out of the shoulders and flairs the bottom around her hips. “As for your boast, you never broke me. You repeatedly threaten my people if I refuse you, so I satisfy your desires while dreaming of the day you’re no more. When that time comes, I’ll happily drive so many spells into your corpse that only a thimble full of cinders will remain.”
    Stephen grabs the chaos elf by the shoulders and violently kisses her, throwing her to the ground when he is done. “You threaten to kill me when you know it’s impossible. Such a cowardly declaration that reeks of fear. Maybe I’ll demote you to my second favorite when I have Nyx in my hands. You’ll become a broken toy that I retrieve from the shelf when I’m feeling nostalgic. If my father grows bored of you then I can keep you in a cell with only the rats to keep you company. I’m sure you’ve already thought of this possibility, which is where your false bluster comes from. Poor little Trinity is trying to make herself appear bigger than she really is.”
    “Go ahead and claim her. I’d love to see you try and control both of us. As I stated, you keep me on a leash because of my people. You won’t have that luxury with Nyx.”
    “Haven’t you figured it out yet, milady? That’s what this entire plan is about!” the man declares, his pants