Rosethorne Nightshade's Arc

Chapter 1 of 2

Rosethorne Nightshade wanted a mortal hero's soul, and she was tired of waiting for one to wander into the demon realm. So she packed a thorn whip, folded her bat wings flat against her back, and left home for the human city. Somewhere in that noisy crowd walked a hero worth one thorn-wrapped kiss. That kiss would bind his soul to her forever. She only had to find him first. The gate to the human world dumped her onto a crowded street. People pushed past in every direction. Nobody looked twice at the tall woman in the shimmering cloak, and that was the point. The cloak's woven patterns hid the shape of her wings. Its long hood shadowed her face. Rosethorne had stolen it precisely because humans feared what they could see. But the disguise had one flaw. Her wings wanted out. They twitched under the fabric, itching to stretch. A boy nearby stared at the strange bulge on her back. She smiled at him, wide, and he ran. Then the cloak snagged. A small creature had latched onto the hem. It was round and fluffy, striped green and dark, with big eyes and tiny fangs. Its little paws gripped the shimmering cloth. It chewed on the woven edge like the cloak was a treat. Rosethorne yanked. The creature held on and growled, playful and stubborn. "Let go," she hissed. She pulled harder. The hem tore. The hood slipped back. For one breath, her horns showed in daylight, and her wings sprang loose above the torn cloak. The crowd froze. A woman screamed. Then everyone was screaming, and running, and pointing at the demon in their street. Guards shoved through the panic. They carried spears and shouted for the crowd to clear. Rosethorne had wanted attention, but not this kind. She grabbed the fluffy creature before it could bolt and tucked it under her arm. It squirmed and licked her wrist. "You cost me my disguise," she told it. The creature purred. She ran. Wings spread, she leapt over a market stall and cut down a narrow gap between two buildings. Boots pounded behind her. The whole city knew her face now. There would be no quiet hunting, no slow seduction in a crowd. Every hero in this place would come looking for the demon they'd all just seen. Rosethorne pressed her back to a cold wall and caught her breath. The little creature blinked up at her. She had come to hunt one hero in secret. Instead she had made herself the most wanted thing in the city. Any hero who found her now would come with a blade, not a bowed head. She grinned despite it all. "Fine," she whispered. "Let them come." A hunted demon still needed only one kiss. Now she just had to survive long enough to give it.