Jordyn (A Daemon Hunter 1)

"Yes, but that's before I knew…"

"Holy shit, did you really fall for this chick?" Kale interrupted, openly mockingly Emrys. "That is so perfect," he continued laughing.

"You bastard," I said, trying to control the rage that was pumping through me.

"I'm sorry," Emrys said quietly.

"As touching as this is, I've got business to handle. Come on, sugar, the Dark One is waiting," Kale said, surprising us all by reaching for my bare forearm. I attempted to jerk away, but his hold tightened. A burning sensation spread through me where he gripped my arm. Intense pain came out of nowhere. His touch felt like acid on my skin, burning its way down to the bone. I tried again to jerk away, but he held steadfast, slowly dragging me from the dining room with strength that rivaled my own. Digging my feet into the ground, I used my weight to halt our forward motion. Agonizing pain reared through me as he continued to tug on my arm. Shrieking in pain, I took a half-step toward him, hoping to relieve some of the pressure.

"Let go of her!" Lynn screamed behind me, although it sounded like she was far off. Everyone's actions appeared to be in slow motion as Emrys charged Kale only to be knocked on his ass with a single blow. Robert came in next, fast and quick like I'd shown him in training. He whipped around with a kick, but was thrown back when Kale jerked his foot out of thin air with his free hand. There was nothing I could do, but stare at the scene unfolding in front of me. What the hell was going on?

"RELEASE HER NOW," a voice I'd recognize anywhere thundered through the room.

"Figures you'd show up, Haniel, heavenly scum," Kale sneered, tightening his hold on my arm. My vision dimmed as darkness surrounded me. The pain of his grip ripped the air from my lungs, making it hard to breathe.

I felt a strong gust of wind and booming sound, almost like a bomb, before Kale miraculously released my arm.

Unfortunately, he didn't take any of the pain with him. Part of the skin on my arm where Kale had gripped me was missing, and what remained was a sickening blistered mess. My entire arm pulsated like poison was pumping through the bloody mess. I swayed slightly on my feet, feeling nauseous from the mangled state of my arm. Emrys reached out to steady me, but I jerked free from his touch. His words rang through my head as I resisted the urge to pass out. I would not be the victim.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

"Jordyn, are you okay?" Krista asked from what seemed like the end of a very long tunnel.

"When did you get here?" I asked in a garbled voice, keeping my eyes averted from the mess my arm had become.

"You're home. How do you feel?" she asked, gently rubbing my forehead. Finally able to focus, I took in her worried expression.

"How was this possible?" I asked, looking down at my mess of an arm. Her eyes darted from me toward the kitchen. "Don't give me that 'I can't say' bullshit," I added, forcing the issue.

"Let's wait for Haniel. He went to take care of the owners and the staff. It's going to be okay," she said, patting my good arm reassuringly.

"Right, because it's perfectly normal for some pissant to be able to melt the flesh right off my arm," I retorted sharply.

She grimaced at my words.

"Where is everyone else?" I asked. I didn't want to think about Emrys at the moment, or what a fool I had been. How I'd fallen for a guy I barely knew, and allowed my hormones to dictate my feelings. I gritted my teeth, trying to ignore the pain of his betrayal that eclipsed even the pain that radiated through my arm.

"The guys are taking care of the human hosts the Daemons hijacked and Sam is with Haniel," Lynn answered sliding up next to me.

"My arm," I said, looking at the charred mangled flesh.

"Haniel will fix it," Krista reassured me sympathetically.

I nodded my head, willing myself not to focus on it. My eyes skirted away, finally settling on Emrys who was now standing three feet away from where we sat. His impassive expression certainly didn't match the events that had transpired or the fire that burned in my eyes. Tension coiled around us like a snake with neither of us breaking eye contact until Haniel and the others walked into the room.

Haniel strode to where we sat without pause and peered down at my arm. "Leave us," he demanded in a pained voice. His usual confidence seemed to be shaken to the core. The room emptied at his request except for Emrys who stoically crossed his arms, refusing to leave. I expected Haniel to demand that he join the others, but he merely ignored him, gently lifting my arm into his hands. Blinding pain tore through my appendage, making me scream in agony. I watched in morbid curiosity as the charred skin began to glow and radiate extreme heat. The irony that my arm resembled the skin of the zombies in the movies I liked to watch didn't escape my notice. Stomach bile sat heavy in my throat, making it hard to breathe. "Frick, that hurts!" I yelled. Emrys stepped closer as if he planned on interfering, but stopped when Haniel shot him a look of warning.

I focused on a spot on the far side of the room, trying to take my mind off the fact that Haniel's touch had only intensified the agony in my arm, but as quickly as the thought entered my head, the pain slowly began to dissipate. My skin began to tingle, no longer feeling like it had been bitten by a million flesh-eating bugs. Looking down, I watched in amazement as the skin and tissue began to fuse back together, repairing itself until the skin on my arm was flawless.

"Why haven't you ever used this trick on all my other injuries?" I asked, testing my arm for mobility.

"Those were training injuries. Training injuries teach you. Injuries such as this teach you nothing," he replied.

"That's not entirely true. It taught me to not let that Rumpelstiltskin creep ever touch me again," I said indignantly. "Why didn't you tell me that my skin could be melted off by a simple touch? I'm not a Daemon," I added as the others joined us.

"We were unaware of the alliance the Soul Trader had with the Dark One until tonight's events transpired," Haniel answered.

"What is he?" I asked. "And how do you know him?" I demanded, directing the question at Emrys.