Her eyes search my face. “Stop fucking around, Emmet.” Walker says, clasping my shoulders, but I keep staring at Salem, waiting for her to figure it out.
Realization hits her, and her mouth drops open. “No.” She gasps, standing up like she can get it out of her with the momentum.
“What?” Walker asks.
“No fucking way!” She says, running to the mirror that sits over the mantel. She searches her face.
“You can’t see it, Salem. It’s in you.” The entire room stills.
“How the fuck do we get it out!” She screams, clawing at her chest.
“If we knew that, we’d all have gotten rid of ours.” Garrison says, with a look of pity.
Walker grabs me, hauling me up by my shirt until we’re face to face. “How the fuck did you know that you little shit?”
I grab at his hand trying to get him to release me. “I saw her eyes flicker to black when we were in your dad’s office. I put two and two together.”
“Shit.” Salem says. “Walker, put him down.” Walker obliges and she looks over at Sloan. I adjust my shirt and stand off to the side, away from Walker and Salem.
“Why are you here, and are you going to give us back our friend?” Salem asks with a glare directed at him.
Sloan’s body sits rigidly next to Garrison avoiding her stare.
“I’m worried about these things inside of us taking over completely.” Lukas says. “I lost a chunk of time the other weekend after the funeral, and I had a call from you Emmet, and one from my dad. I wouldn’t have called either of you willingly, so are you going to explain what the fuck is happening here?”
“We have a chance to open the veil.” Sloth says, and I cut him a look of annoyance.
“But in order to do that you need me.” Salem says. “And unlucky for you, I don’t feel like unleashing a ton of evil souls on the world.”
“What if I told you that was the only way to get Pierce back?” I ask.
Salem whirls on me, getting up in my face. “Shut the fuck up right now. How dare you use his death to get what you want?”
Lukas pushes out of his seat and joins her, crowding me against the wall. “Salem, zap him in the dick again.” He says, and I instinctively cover myself.
“I’m not bullshitting you. Don’t you two want him back? Don’t you want to be free from the demons inside of you?”
“So, we’re supposed to just believe you after everything? Oh, and just unleash pure evil on the world.”
“Technically, if it was pure evil, the souls would be in Hell, and not purgatory.” Sloth chimes in.
“I’ll deal with you in a minute.” Salem says, pointing her finger at him and then turning back to me.
“I don’t know why you’d think for a second that we would believe you.”
I shrug, “Believe me, don’t believe me, but that veil will be opened one way or another.”
“Fuck you, Emmet.”
“Been there, done that.” I retort.
Her entire face flushes red as she shoves me in my chest, making me slam against the wall.
If they only knew the truth of what was going on, they’d lose their damn minds.
ChapterForty-Nine
SALEM
