My eyes swing between him, the weapon, and the invisible boundary that he could always try dragging me through again—then to his lips and the way they curl with his scowl.
Walk away, Sable.I hear Ella’s voice at the back of my mind, talking me down from getting into another fight at school that would make our parents lose their minds, and I listen.
I’m not going to win this. Not yet anyway. This demon has a truth, and I’m going to find out what it is.
Then he can threaten me with that stake all he wants.
If he brings me down, I’ll take him with me. I summoned him after all. It’d only be fair.
10
Lynx
Four fucking times I’ve materialized in front of her while patrolling the premises for any signs of demon activity or of a portal opening.
Each time I appear in front of her, she’s glared at me, scowled, and sometimes holds up her middle finger—I don’t understand what the gesture means, but if the hatred rolling off her is any indication, she’s telling me to go fuck myself.
Then the whole tedious cycle repeats.
She even tried to hide a laugh on my third attempt. I imagined strangling the shit out of her before returning to the backyard.
Trees span the right-hand side of the manor, and there’s a cliff on the other side that leads to a deep, dark tunnel of water—I had no idea there was a waterfall nearby until I got close. I lean over the edge, feeling the vibrations of our link trying to yank me back before I retreat a few steps just as the thought of jumping crosses my mind.
What would happen?
Logic dictates I’d either die and return to Hell, or I’d lie helpless at the bottom with every bone broken, only the dead girl aware I’m even in this plane of existence.
My eyes crinkle at the corners as I weigh my options.
I’m not afraid of death. I’m not afraid of much since I’ve seen every possible sin and felt every possible form of torture. This is just pure curiosity—a fun little experiment. I have nothing better to do.
The second I lunge forward, everything warps around me, my lungs squeeze, and I go through the most uncomfortable materialization ever, dropping at the human’s feet as she stares at her corpse.
She scowls and drops her hand to her side. “This is getting old.”
I’m certain my lungs forgot to come with my body because I’m struggling to fill my body with oxygen. I cough, heave, choke, gag on nothing, then drop my forehead to the floor, waiting for the dizziness to vanish.
Fuck. Why was that one so intense? Why can’t I fucking breathe?
Pathetic.
I’m a torturer demon—even if that’s still classed as being at the bottom of the pyramid.
I’m on my knees and looking up at a goddamn ghost who resembles an angel.
The frown creasing her brows softens slightly when she sees my face. “What’s wrong with you?”
If I could use my words, I’d tell her to get fucked. She has no right to have any concern for me—I killed her. Took away her future and left her trapped in this goddamn house with me.
I glare at her hard enough that she retreats and shakes her head.
Good.
Sable shouldn’t be looking at me with an ounce of pity.
The way my own voice whispers her name in my head irks me. There will never be a moment in our lifetime when I tell her that her name is pretty, or that she is, or that I look at her a little longer than I should when she isn’t aware.
The more Iexplore this building, the more I feel like I may have been dead for a long time. So many things make no sense. Even the pictures hanging on the walls are colorful, vibrant—one is of two young children. A baby and a toddler. They have big bows on their heads and look ridiculous.
