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

hard against my back, the awkward position tensed up my muscles. Combing my fingers through my hair, I peered outside, my nerves on edge.

My predicament hadn’t sunk all the way in yet, and the harsh light of a new day laid everything bare.

Betrayal. Darkness. Hate. Loneliness.

I hadn’t thought twice about leaving or giving in to the Darkness hiding within. I’d lived up to all the years of rumours and gossip, and it was a bitter pill to swallow.

Who was I without my arondight blade? I still had it, but I’d never weld it against the Dark in the same way ever again.

Madeleine Greenbriar had died last night, and a stranger was born in her place.

I rubbed my eyes and rose, shoving away the unwelcome thoughts. Me spiralling into depression was the last thing we needed right now.

I sat beside Elijah on the bed, careful not to disturb his sleep. His wounds had scabbed over, but they were still red and angry, and heat radiated off him like a furnace. Frowning, I replaced the washcloth with a new one, hoping to ease even a small amount of his fever.

The coolness stirred him and his eyes opened.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you,” I murmured, dabbing his brow. The old Madeleine would’ve shied away from the intimate touch, but the new one didn’t break stride.

“Why did you come for me?” he whispered, half asleep.

“I guess you’re the last person alive that’s like me. You understand.”

“Liar.”

I laid the cloth across his forehead and scoffed, “Isn’t that your speciality?”

“You’re like me, remember?”

“Smart arse.”

He chuckled softly.

“I understand now. Well, at least a little.” I lowered my gaze. “When I tapped into my mutation, it was like…”

“You were another person?”

I lifted my head. “Yeah. I was all…cold, ruthless. The chaos…t excited me.”

“You’re lucky,” he said. “Your Light contains it.”

“Maybe, but the mere existence of it makes me a threat,” I murmured. “They’ll never take me back and if they do, I’ll never belong.”

“You never did anyway.”

I grunted and looked through the window at the overgrown garden outside. “It doesn’t matter anymore. That part of my life is over.”

“Because of me.”

“You saved my life twice. I could hardly leave you out there.”

“I had nothing to lose.”

I glanced at his chest. “Except your life.”

His fingers brushed against my leg. “I saw a pretty Natural in a nightclub. Can you blame me?”

I raised my eyebrows. “Pretty?”

“Beautiful.”

No one had ever called me pretty before, let alone beautiful. A flush crept onto my cheeks and I tried to hide behind a curtain of inky black hair.

“Don’t,” Elijah whispered. “You don’t have to hide from me.”

My throat tightened and I forced my gaze to meet his.

“No one’s ever wanted to help me,” something unspoken passed between us, “until you.”

My heart leapt and I drew in a shaky breath. My emotions took hold and I leaned down, pressing my lips against his.

For a fraction of a second, I thought I’d read him wrong, but as he returned my kiss, a trillion tiny fireworks exploded across my skin. I recklessly deepened our embrace and lost myself in his taste.

It was true no one had ever called me beautiful, but no one had ever kissed me, either. A demon had the pleasure and for once in my damned life, I didn’t care.

I drew back, allowing myself to study his features. Tracing the curve of his jaw with shaking fingers, I relished the feel of his stubble and the rise and fall of his lips.

“We can go anywhere,” he whispered. “We can leave them all behind and live.”

I trembled at the thought. “What about your cure?”

“We can look for it elsewhere. The Naturals will never help us.”

I wanted to say yes, but too many doubts held me back. He couldn’t take away a lifetime of training and dismiss the mystery of his past with one kiss. Now I understood how people made rash decisions under the influence of lust—it was more addictive than anything I’d ever felt.

“I know it’s hard,” he went on. “Being a Natural is all you’ve ever known, but there’s an entire world out there, Madeleine, and we can be in it.”

“Shh…” I murmured, “you’re delirious.”

“I’ve never been clearer. My demon side…” he coughed, grimacing at the movement, “is busy right now.”

I shook my head. “I barely know you.”

His fingers stroked through the curtain of my inky black hair. “You know more than you realise.”

“You keep saying that, but I’ve yet to see it.”

“You will…”

Sighing, I looked around the cottage. I needed to breathe.

I fell back to my training and realised we’d need supplies if we were going to stay here for another day or two. I’d checked all the cupboards last night, and apart from some odd pieces of linen and dishes over the sink, there was no food. Elijah needed to keep up his strength if he had any chance of fighting off his infection. As soon as he was able—and when the search had died down—we’d leave.

“I’m going out to find us some food,” I told him.

“You can’t,” he said, his eyes flashing. “The hills will be crawling with Naturals.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’ll be fine. If you hadn’t noticed, your Darkness is barely keeping your fever down. You need to eat. Besides, we need bandages and antiseptic.”

He snorted, unimpressed.

“I’ll be back soon, okay?”

“You’re always so much fun,” he said, his eyes drooping as his fever drew him back to sleep.

“Yeah…” I murmured, brushing my hand over his brow, “I hear I’m a real riot.”

* * *

I eyed the small Off-Licence in the centre of the village. I knelt behind a garbage bin and a shrub, my nose itching from the stench of rotten rubbish. A life of excitement and adventure, huh?

The village was a sleepy little hamlet and nothing much stirred it from its slumber besides the odd passing car. At least there was nothing supernatural lurking—a small win.

I checked my cloak, knowing it’d conceal me from human eyes. It was firmly in place, but it wouldn’t