Demon Bound: The Camelot Archive - Book One R Nicole (open ebook .txt) 📖

out,” the man snarled as the lifeless body slid to the ground.

Then he turned towards me. His eyes were two pits of blackness, and I began to regret my decision.

“Your demon is showing,” I told him as my hands slipped away from my ears.

He shook his head, the motion seeming to clear the unyielding darkness, and his gaze returned to normal. Holding out his hand, he gestured for me. “I told you not to let go.”

Reluctantly, I slipped my hand into his and he tugged me close.

It turned out that the cave was actually part of a larger complex of tunnels and caverns. We emerged from my alcove into a massive cavern, then into a side tunnel before finding another larger room.

I knew little about rocks and formations, but I knew about stalagmites and stalactites. Massive points dangled from the ceiling, their partners reaching up out of the gloom towards them. The faint dripping sound of their ancient growth echoed as we waited.

“Why have we stopped?” I whispered.

“Shh,” the man hissed. His grip tightened and a moment later, a ripple ebbed through me, its source unknown.

I looked at him but he didn’t acknowledge me. Once the cave had settled, he urged me down another twisting tunnel.

The ground was smooth, worn by the constant tramping of footsteps. I gathered we must be near the exit, which meant the chance of discovery was at an all-time high.

I looked over my shoulder and for a split-second, the dank cave shimmered and another existence radiated through a veil of Darkness. My eyes widened at the exposed world hidden underground.

The walls were polished to a smooth obsidian, and from within the glossy surface, eyes peered back at me. Carvings. Skulls, death, twisted gods—who knew what demons liked to decorate their hidden lairs with. Torches hung at regular intervals along the tunnel—points of red flame suspended in midair with nothing to hold them aloft.

“Don’t look back,” the man said as he pulled me along the tunnel.

Cold air blasted my skin and I gasped as the wind took my breath away, along with the imposing despair the cave had pressed down on me.

Overhead, the stars shone between patches of clouds. The moon was almost full, its light illuminating the icy vista before us.

The man let go of my hand and turned towards the side of the cliff where a path had been carved into the solid rock.

“Can you manage it?” he asked.

I felt warmth pulse through my veins as Light began to ease into my body. Whatever had dampened my power was gone. I was free.

I flexed my fingers and the throb in my head began to ease. “Yes.”

The man nodded in understanding and began to move. He intended to lead me down the mountain, and I was glad.

“Hey, I don’t even know your name,” I said, the wind tearing at my hair.

He turned, his mouth pulling up to one side. The grin made him look roguish in the murky light and my insides fluttered.

“Elijah,” he said. “My name is Elijah.”

6

I waited in a bush while Elijah secured us a cottage in a budget campground.

The cave they had locked me up in was a few miles from Ben Nevis, a mountain in the Scottish Highlands. If anyone had been searching for me at Camelot, they’d be looking in the wrong place. We were four-hundred miles away, in a twist I hadn’t seen coming.

Honestly, this wasn’t one of my smarter moves. I was putting my trust into a demon. A demon. This was unprecedented. I’d never heard of anyone crossing enemy lines and making friends. Bloody hell. If I wasn’t going to get thrown out of the Sanctum before, I was now.

I could see Elijah through the window of the small stone reception cottage, talking to an employee. He looked human enough, but he could turn on the scary demonic stuff without even thinking about it.

I had so many questions.

Turning my gaze onto the path, I scanned the campground. A few cabins seemed to be occupied, but other than that, there wasn’t any movement. This time of year, it was far too cold to pitch a tent. At least nothing had followed us down from the mountain…yet.

I never knew how evolved the Dark had become. The truth of those caves had been hidden from me, but when I’d looked back… How many underground networks did they have? The walls had been smooth and constructed with care, and there were carvings which denoted intelligence beyond the need to consume.

Cut off from the One, demon-kind had created its own civilisation. They were gathering as one, rebuilding. And once they had, who knew what they’d do?

I had to get back to Camelot and warn the others.

“Madeleine.”

Elijah materialised out of thin air, peering at me behind the bush. I must look real put together right about now.

I hesitated—the sound of his voice soothing yet chilling at the same time. “H-How do you know my name?”

“I know a lot about you.”

“How?”

He glanced over his shoulder. “We better go inside. It’s cold out.”

“Why did you help me?”

“They gave us a cottage at the far end,” he said, ignoring me. “C’mon.”

Short of hot-wiring a car, I didn’t have a way out of here, so I followed—rather reluctantly, I might add.

The cabin was tiny. A kitchen with a dining table big enough for two joined into a small living area with a hideous floral couch, two matching armchairs, and a television. Two doors led to more rooms—a bedroom and a bathroom—but that was it.

“You need to start talking,” I demanded as soon as the door closed.

Elijah rolled his eyes and folded his long limbs into the armchair. “You’re really bossy, you know that?”

“If you won’t tell me, I’m leaving.” I strode towards the door but barely made it halfway across the room before he yanked me backwards.

I fell onto the couch with a cry and rolled onto the floor. Landing on my knees, I scowled at Elijah, who was still sitting in the armchair. He