“Promise?”
“Yes,” he said, but we both knew that might be a promise he wouldn’t be able to keep.
19
KATE
“Trevor is dead.”
I didn’t soften it. These kids had signed up to hunt demons, and they deserved to be treated like the warriors they were training to become.
The words hit the room like a slap, all the students and staff gaping at me like they couldn’t understand a word I was saying. Like it couldn’t be true.
I wished it weren’t. But it was real. It was so very, very real.
I heard a quick sob as Sophie’s breath caught, and I saw Ana reaching for her hand, tears running down her cheeks. Beside them, Ren went pale as a ghost. I wanted to cry, too. To sink down and hug my knees to my chest. But I couldn’t. Not now. Not yet.
“He was murdered,” I continued, forcing my voice to sound strong. “His body was found in the basement, laid out on a portal hidden beneath this house.”
“A portal?” Mindy’s voice came out reedy and thin. “Like...a door? To where?”
“To Hell,” Eric said. “Or close enough.” He moved to stand beside me, his presence steadying. “The demon responsible iscalled Samarek. He’s ancient. Powerful. And he’s been planning this for a very long time.”
I watched their faces as the information landed. Their eyes showed fear even as their hands fisted and their bodies tightened. They wanted payback.
Good. So did I.
Sophie had drawn her knees up, making herself small, but her hands were fisted. Ren’s jaw was tight, his hands clenched on his thighs. Ana sat very still, the way people do when they’re trying not to shake apart.
Mindy had tears streaming silently down her cheeks. She didn’t bother wiping them away.
In the corner of the couch, Zane hugged himself, but was otherwise absolutely still. He looked like a soft wind could break him. As if he didn’t want to believe me and didn’t have a clue how to carry the weight of it all.
“How?” The question came from Ana. She sat rigid beside Ren, her hand locked so tightly in his that her knuckles had gone white. “How did he die?”
I hesitated. They needed to know, but the details were brutal.
“His throat was cut,” Eric said, sparing me. “His blood fed the portal. Made it stronger.”
Ana made a small, wounded sound as Sophie bit her lower lip and the others fidgeted.
“That’s why he was down there?” Ren asked. “Someone...someone took him down there to kill him?”
“We don’t know,” I said honestly. “Not yet. There were ritual marks on his hands—demonic marks that are tied to a demon called Samarek.”
I watched their faces as I said the demon’s name, but none showed any sign of recognition. “We don’t know if he made the marks himself to call the demon, or if the demon marked him before sacrificing him.”
“Trevor wouldn’t—” Sophie started, then stopped. Her face crumpled. “He was so angry all the time. But he wasn’t...he wouldn’t...”
Zane lifted his head. His eyes were red-rimmed, and when he spoke, his voice cracked. “He saved Timmy. At the party. When the demons attacked, Trevor grabbed Timmy and got him inside. He wasn’t the way he came off. Not really.”
“No,” I agreed softly. “He wasn’t.”
Another silence. Longer this time and broken only by Ana and Sophie’s soft sobs.
“So what do we do?” The question came from Ren. His voice wobbled, but he lifted his chin. “How do we stop it?”
“All of the staff is working on that. Forza knows what’s happening. We’re expecting backup, but I won’t lie to you—things may move faster than help can arrive.”
