Isaac
Isaac was in a predicament.He was tied up in an undisclosed location by what he presumed was some kind of demon. He didn’t know any other creature that could shift through space the way this one had. One minute they’d been standing in the prison of HQ, and the next he was… somewhere else. The chair he sat in was the only thing occupying the narrow room. The green and beige tile floor was dingy and faded, though the walls seemed to have a fresh coat of paint. There were no windows and only one door, which his chair was facing.
A strand of his long red hair had come loose from the haphazard bun he’d tied it into this morning, and he blew it out of his face absently. He twisted his wrists, trying to dig a finger into the knot, but before he could do more than curse, the door opened.
Adrenaline flooded his veins—and his eyes met Nathan Accardi’s. Relief hit him so fast his head spun.
“Oh, thank God,” he said. “Can you get me out of here?”
Nathan winced, shutting the door and leaning against it. He folded his arms, and dread settled heavily in Isaac’s gut.
“Nate,” he said slowly. “Aren’t you gonna help me out?”
“How long have you been a spy for Commander Sloan?” Nathan’s voice was soft, his face blank. Isaac learned long ago from Sloan and Father Hawley that quiet anger was far worse than any other.
He thought about lying, but what was the point? “Always,” he replied. “He’s my commander. When he says jump, I’m programmed to do it. If he tells me it’s not high enough, I do it again, better.”
Nathan shook his head in disbelief. “I can’t believe this. I can’tbelieveyou. I thought you were different.”
“Different how?” Hewasdifferent. He was always told that was a problem. It was why Sloan and Hawley were so harsh with him, why they punished him for every infraction. Being different meant being punished.
“I thought you were like us!” He gestured behind him to the door, and Isaac realized exactly who’d kidnapped him.
“Us,” he repeated. “You guys are the ones who brought me here? One of yourdemonswas at HQ this morning?”
“Talon,” Nathan said coolly. “He was taking care of Weston. I asked him to.”
“Youasked him to? Oh, wow.” He would never have guessed that the golden boy himself would one day ask a demon to kill for him. Isaac was whipped like a disobedient dog for daring to enjoy the hunt, and somehow Nathan could be directly responsible for killing a man with zero repercussions. “Well, tell him job well done. It was a beautiful piece of work.”
Nathan shook his head in aggravation. “I don’tunderstand, Isaac. I thought you could think for yourself. I didn’t think you were one of Sloan’s bootlickers!”
Rage was hot in his veins, and he tightened his hands into fists. “Shut the hell up, Nate. You have no idea what you’re talking about, okay?”
“What have you told him, huh?” Nathan’s face was twisted with anger, and he took a step toward Isaac.
Isaac let his gaze fall to the dingy floor. Nathan’s sneakers were the same ones he used to wear during training drills. Funny how things could be so different and yet the same.
“It’s a sin to lie,” he said softly, the crack of the leather whip echoing in his ears. “If he asks me a question, I have to answer.”
Through his teeth, Nathan said, “Not if it means innocent people could get hurt! You betrayed us!”
Innocent? Isaac looked up sharply. “Who’s the traitor here, Nate? You? The demon fucker who abandoned his friends, his oath, his duty? Or me, the one who followed orders?” He smiled, a bitter thing. There were plenty of other things he could’ve said there—the one who was born wrong, the monster who masqueraded as a person, the sinner who dreamed of blood—but those secrets were for him and him alone.
Nathan’s eyes were glassy, but his mouth was set in a hard line. “Wow,” he croaked. “All this time…”
Isaac sighed impatiently. “All this timewhat?” He wanted this conversation to be over. Anything was better than this gnawing sensation in his gut, like a thorn he couldn’t reach. It couldn’t be guilt, because he did what Sloan asked, and Sloan’s word was law.
“All this time,” Nathan said coldly, “I thought you were our friend. I thought we could trust you.”
Isaac told himself it only hurt because the ropes were too tight. No other reason. “Well, you thought wrong.”
Nathan’s mouth curled, and he lunged, slamming his fist into the side of Isaac’s face. Pain exploded in his cheekbone, loud and dizzying. He tasted copper, and the door banged shut behind Nathan, leaving Isaac with a throbbing face and a knot in his stomach.
Hawley had always told him he would hurt the people around him if he wasn’t careful. He didn’t think it would be by following Sloan’s orders, but perhaps his malignity was truly as inevitable as they said. It didn’t matter whether he followed orders or not. Someone would always get hurt, and he would always be alone. He’d learned that a long time ago.
His mother broughthim to the guild when he was five years old. She led him to an empty nursery room, all but dragging him after her. He didn’t want to be there. The building was too cold, and everyone kept looking at him strangely. His only reprieve was that this room was empty. His mother’s heels clicked smartly on the cream-colored tile, and some of her red hair had escaped her bun. She sat him down on the colorful children’s rug and gestured to the box of baby toys in the corner. The gold crucifix she wore around her neck dangled in front of his face, glinting in the light, before she backed away.
“Why don’t you play with some toys while you wait for Doctor Maxwell, okay, sweetie?” Her smile was brittle around the edges. It always was when she looked at him these days. Ever since the dog. In fact, she made him stay in his room most of the timenow. He’d already learned to stop asking to leave it. She always said no.
