Rogue

Rogue BOOK 4 IN THE HELLFIRE SERIES ELLA MOORE Copyright Copyright © 2023 by Ella Moore All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without the prior permission in writing of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. All characters and events in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. D/2023/Ella Moore, uitgever Edited by Writing Evolution at www.writingevolution.co.uk Cover design by JJ’s Design & Creations Want more? Get news and delicious free stories by signing up for my newsletter Rave about my books in our private Facebook group Get regular, exclusive content on Patreon including early access to the next books in the series! Content Notes In case you want to know what you’re getting into, here are some content notes. I kept them high-level, but some readers may consider these spoilers. If you do, SKIP THEM. Yes, I wrote that in all caps. Yes, I hate spoilers too. But protecting my readers is more important... What you can expect: Cursing: occasional cursing for emphasis Sex: several fully described consensual sex scenes between two women Violence and trauma: one graphic torture scene and its bloody aftermath, several references to torture, enslavement, captivity, and the resulting trauma Chapter 1 LyxDera Rawal, 1619 BCEIf anyone asked Lyx if she was alright one more time, she’d scream. It wasn’t the question really, but the way they asked it. It was the look in their eyes, the little pause while they waited for her to break.Lyx barely managed a nod at the demon who’d saved her life, the first being she’d ever been in love with, the one whose pity she wanted least of all. Before Erisi could ask her anything else and watch her fall to pieces for real, Lyx mumbled an excuse and rushed out of the keep. Outside, her fingers trailed along the rough sandstone walls of the largest building in Dera Rawal, the fort she’d been living in for the past few months. It was home to Erisi and the Arav demons her friend now led. It was supposed to be Lyx’s shelter while she recovered.It felt like another cage.Her eyes burned. She was so done with this.Done with the way her heart rammed against her ribs whenever she took a short walk within the fort despite being protected by the thickest walls imaginable and the entire horde of demonic warriors Erisi had at her disposal.Done with the way she kept glancing up to search the skies, sure there’d be an enemy swooping down to capture her. Knowing that she didn’t have the strength to survive another day locked away.Done with the way her jaw kept clenching until she could barely open her mouth by the end of the day.Three young demons raced past her, leaving dust in their wake. Lyx pressed herself against the keep’s wall and tried to breathe.After centuries of wishing to be free, she couldn’t bear the unexpected fear that tainted every moment of her new life. She struggled with the choices she woke up to—even though she’d fought so hard for that freedom. Every noise and movement startled her, every touch made her flinch.Even the gentle touch of Erisi’s fingertips reminded Lyx of the dagger slicing her arm when her captors had taken her blood. The Arav joyfully singing around the bonfire at night brought back the memory of eerie chants in the Semna camp when the quiet trepidation of what would happen next had choked her.She’d never had a choice. She had never held control.Now that she had it, it scared the hell out of her.And she was done being so damn afraid all the time.She wanted some of the joy these young displayed, the abundant trust that nothing bad would happen.But nothing, nothing made the terror go away. Erisi told her it was alright, that it would take time to heal the injuries left by centuries of captivity and abuse. Lyx feared there wasn’t enough of her left to heal.Heart still racing, she slipped into the youngs’ quarters. Torag looked up from his teaching session with three of the fledglings.She kept her eyes fixed on the floor, not wanting to see the concern in his eyes. At least he was able to keep the pity out of his voice. “You want some time alone with them?”She nodded. When the young sitting cross-legged on the floor cheered loudly, she nearly jumped out of her skin. Deep breaths got her thumping heart sufficiently under control to gift them a small smile. Still not looking at Torag, she settled down next to them.“I’ll see you later,” the male said. His consideration in closing the door softly behind him nearly made her cry again. Damn it.“What are you telling us today?” Shruti, the young closest to her, asked, her light brown eyes guileless and without a trace of pity.Surrounded by the wooden bunk beds that made the space feel smaller, with a roof over her head, and these young waiting for her story, her mind settled. In a way, it reminded her of the cage she’d spent the last four centuries in. It hadn’t been all bad. She’d loved telling stories to the other captives, loved the way their eyes had lit up.The young especially stole her heart. It was the wonder in their eyes, the strength of their hope. All Lyx wanted was to protect the fearless happiness in them.She smiled at the young female and her two brothers. “I thought I’d tell you about souls today.”Learning everything she could had kept her sane. She’d started it even then, in the cages, by observing the Semna and their blood rituals and by talking to the other captives about what they knew. She’d learned about the petty rivalries and fights amongst her captors, extinct demonic families the others in her cage had