Beyond His Evil

THIRTY-FOUR.

KIRA🖤

“Devon,” she said, her voice like ice.

“For God’s sake, Kira—Devon is working for the vampires.”

The words hit like a slap. My breath caught.

“You’re smarter than this,” she went on, pacing. “Demons are born of evil. They don’t play nice. They don’t bow to hunters, take insults without a fight, or agree to train powerless girls with nothing to offer. Which, in this case, is you. That’s not how they operate.”

I met her gaze, chest tight. “You don’t know him.”
My voice cracked, weak, laced with a denial I couldn’t hide.

“You think you do?” she snapped, eyes burning.

I wanted to scream yes. But the words lodged in my throat.
Because deep down... I didn’t. Not really.

So why did it still feel like she was cutting something open inside me?

She paused, scanned my face, then smirked.
“Oh no. Don’t tell me. You think you’ve fallen for him.”

I stayed silent.

She burst out laughing—loud, cruel, unhinged.
“You’re in love. With Devon? A demon?”
She wiped a tear from her eye, still chuckling.
“God, you really are the dumbest hunter I’ve ever met.”

A sharp wind blew as she waved her hand. I staggered backward and collapsed into a chair that hadn’t been there a second ago.

“Sweetheart,” she said, her tone dripping mockery. “Listen carefully.”

Her eyes glinted violet. The laughter vanished. Something ancient stared at me from behind them. Another chair appeared; she sat down, crossing her legs like we were two girls catching up.

“You’re focusing on the wrong things.”

“I don’t trust you,” I choked out just before my mouth refused to move.

Panic surged through me. I couldn’t speak. Couldn’t move. I could only stare.

“You talk too much,” she said.

I struggled. My heart pounded. But it was useless.

“Kira,” she said mockingly, “the mighty hunter. Look at you.”

What the hell was she talking about?

“A healer sent by God himself,” she snorted. “Pathetic. Useless.”

My blood ran cold.

“You didn’t know?” she asked, tilting her head. “Didn’t your mother tell you there’s no such thing as a powerless hunter? Didn’t she tell you what you are? Who you are?”

She leaned forward, voice quieter now.

“She didn’t tell you that God sent you to cleanse the world? Fulfill prophecy, blah, blah…” Her laugh turned bitter. “Yikes. And I thought my mother was terrible.”

Suddenly, the force holding me disappeared. I shot to my feet.

“You’re insane. I don’t care what you think you know. Get out!”

She gave me a slow, satisfied smile.
“Of course, you don’t believe me. But go ahead, run to your demon. Let’s see what he says.”

And she vanished along with her chairs.

My knees buckled and I collapsed to the floor.

***

I wandered through the forest, the only stretch of safe land that hunters and humans weren’t crowding at this hour. Each step felt heavier than the last.

I wasn’t searching for Devon. Not yet.

I was trying to breathe.
Trying to make sense of everything.

Trying to understand how my whole life has been a lie.

I punched a tree. Hard. Pain exploded in my knuckles, and I welcomed it. I needed to feel something real.

Again. Another punch. Skin cracked. Blood oozed from fresh wounds and before my eyes, it closed. My breath became unsteady.

That wasn't normal. For any hunter, for me.

Kate once told me about higher hunters. That their powers stayed hidden until a certain age. That I might be one.

Was she right?
Was I something else?
A healer? Crafted by God?

But healers weren’t born. They were sent down from heaven to earth.

God's way of intervening in the chaos Zalas unleashed on the world.

Did that mean my mother wasn’t my mother?

Tears stung my eyes. My head ached.
But somehow... it made sense.
And that terrified me.

The necklace. The one Devon gave me. The one I never took off.

Was it really enchanted?
Was someone—something—watching me through it?

The memory of his face flashed in my mind. Cold. Calm. Unreadable.
When the woman at the hut had been murdered...

He’d been hiding something.

I screamed. Rage tore through me.

How could I have trusted him?
Was I that desperate to be seen? To be wanted?

Soo many questions...
It felt like a tornado in my head.

I let out a sound I didn’t recognize—half scream, half sob.
“DEVON!”

My voice cracked the silence, echoing through the trees.

A/N

I've had moments while writing this book when Kira has pissed me off 😩, but I think she is just in denial. Which is understandable.

As always, thanks for reading 😘