Chapter 25

The final portal took her to the domain of the Desire Demon who greeted her in a low sensual tone while stroking its breasts. Emma rolled her eyes; she was in no mood for the demon's games. "Well, you're not that good at reading desires, because that ain't doing shit for me, so you might as well throw on a bra and stop playing with yourself."

The demon moved faster than she would have thought possible and before she could react, a bolt of lightning struck Emma directly in the chest. She fell to the ground, gasping for air and feeling as if she'd been hit by a truck. In hindsight, mouthing off to a Desire Demon probably hadn't been the best tactic, but she was tired and in pain when she'd rather be asleep and in Aedan's arms.

She struggled to her feet and had barely straightened up when sharp claws cut across her chest, knocking her back to the ground with a crash that was hard enough to make her teeth ache. Instinctively she raised her hand to press against the wounds and felt a warm stickiness ooze over her fingers. She made the mistake of looking down and was horrified to see blood pouring from four deep cuts across the lower half of her breasts and upper stomach and she was pretty sure she could see her insides.

Emma's breathing sped up as terror seized her heart and squeezed. Okay, don't panic, this is all a manifestation of your mind. Her brain scrambled around in a mire of fear and pain as she tried to recall what she knew of the Fade. Suddenly a memory surfaced from her time playing as a Circle mage and she heard Irving's instructions: "Keep your wits about you and remember the Fade is a realm of dreams. The spirits may rule it, but your own will is real."

She crawled backwards, trying to put some space between herself and the demon while she focused on her willpower. Her hand scraped against a rough rock which felt warm to the touch. Her eyes rounded as a shot of lyrium roared through her veins until she practically vibrated with power. She regained her feet, the pain forgotten, her eyes glinting with an iron will and a great deal of power. "Is that the best you've got, bitch?"

She released mana clash and watched the demon stagger in surprise as it was hit with spirit damage, losing a portion of its mana in the process. Emma didn't hesitate, she threw a fireball and watched with an unforgiving expression as the flames spread rapidly. The demon withdrew and suddenly there were a dozen mirror images surrounding Emma. She shot her staff at a few of them, then reached for the lyrium vein again, taking in its magical essence. She let loose Tempest and watched as the storm raged, striking out lightning bolts at everything within its reach.

As the demon reappeared, Emma cast a vulnerability hex and swiftly followed up with life drain. Breathing heavily, Emma knew she had to end the fight quickly. Although she could have done with ending it before her chest got ripped open. She used cone of cold with crushing prison and finally, finally the damn demon died. As the adrenaline seeped away, all her attention returned to the pain that sliced through her body making each breath feel as if her chest was being torn open while her burnt arm screamed for relief. She started falling forward and there was nothing she could do to catch herself.

As her vision cleared, she saw that she'd been returned to Redcliffe Castle, and the falling sensation had been her transition back to the real world. Emma's disoriented brain panicked at the irrational fear that she'd be pulled back into the Fade if she stayed where they'd laid her. With more clumsiness than grace, she staggered to her feet and stumbled away. A wave of exhaustion slammed into her and she fell to her knees, her head dropping to her chest, her staff falling from numb fingers as any remaining adrenaline left her with a rough exhalation of breath.

"Shit."
Strong arms caught her in a warm embrace. Recognising Aedan's scent, Emma almost sobbed at the familiar and comforting feelings it evoked. "Wynne, I need your help."
A cool, slim hand touched her forehead. "I'm okay, just tired," Emma managed to mumble.
"Let me show you to a room where you can get your friend more comfortable." Emma recognised Bann Teagan's voice which was tinged with worry. Aedan lifted her and she tensed as his fingers brushed against where the demon had cut her, but relaxed when there was no reappearance of the pain.

Emma was lowered onto a soft bed and she smiled as Aedan stroked her hair. "I'm okay," she said again, wanting to wipe the look of concern from his eyes.
Wynne replied, "I'm sure you are, child, but entering the Fade can be a draining experience and judging by your exhaustion, I would assume you had quite a fight on your hands."
Emma managed a smile. "Yeah, apparently it's not a good idea to piss off the demon you're about to fight."
Aedan sat at the head of the bed and pulled her closer so that her back rested against his chest, then wrapped his arms more securely around her upon seeing Wynne's concerned expression. "Please tell me you didn't converse with the demon?"
Emma looked a bit sheepish as she said, "Not really, I just told her to stop playing with her tits and put on a bra."
There was a bark of laughter from Aedan and a surprised chuckle from Wynne. As she moved towards the door, she looked back at Emma. "You are indeed a strange one, but that in no way detracts from your courage. You did well, child."

She walked out of the room, leaving Emma stunned at the compliment she'd just received. Aedan lifted her and turned her so that she could straddle his hips. "Truthfully now, how bad was it?"
Emma glanced away. "Things got a bit hairy for a time, but it's fine. I'm fine."
He gripped her chin and brought her gaze back to his. "I'm guessing that's your way of saying the fight was difficult. Did the demon injure you?"
She couldn't suppress the shiver that trickled down her spine as she thought of the gaping wounds on her stomach.
"It cut my stomach with large talons, I could..." She swallowed hard. "I could see inside the wounds." There was a painful lump in her throat and her eyes itched with unshed tears.
"You're safe now, Emma." His tone was firm as if trying to convince himself as much as her. She heard a slight tremor in his voice and pushed through her own distress to realise that he was shaking. She lifted her head, saw the anguish in his eyes and reached for his face, stroking her fingers over high cheekbones. A look of desperation crossed his features a second before he roughly cupped the back of her skull and aggressively captured her lips. His tongue plundered her mouth, and his fingers clenched in the silken strands of her hair as he deepened the kiss.

He pulled back and his breath whispered across her skin. "Don't scare me like that again, Angel." His teeth scraped across the sensitive pulse at her throat as she stroked the nape of his neck, curling her fingers into his thick hair. She could still feel him shaking with barely restrained need. "I'm okay, Aedan." However, even as she spoke, he was rolling them both, moving her underneath his hard body, tugging at the ties of her trousers and roughly pulling them down. She helped out, pushing them with her feet until she realised she still had her boots on.

Aedan muttered a few choice words as he dealt with the boots and finally pulled them off, along with her pants. Their joining was quick and rough, assuaging the fear that they'd both felt. As they lay in a tangle of clothes and crumpled bedsheets, their bodies slick with sweat, Emma gasped, "Bloody hell, I needed that."
He lifted his head. "Really? Because I was about to apologise for being so rough."
She pushed back a lock of his hair that had fallen over one eye. "Why would you apologise? That was awesome, you went all caveman..." He lifted a brow. "What I mean is the sex was primal and wild, and I loved it."

She felt his tension dissipate as he breathed out a relieved sigh. After they'd got their breath back, Emma slapped his ass. "I think we need to get dressed and talk to Teagan."
"Okay, but we have this bed, an actual bed. I do think we should make the most of it." A wicked smile crossed his face and Emma squirmed as he nibbled at her throat. She deliberated with her conscience for all of five seconds before giving in and letting him have his way with her.