“Caden, what’s going on?”
“I don’t know.” He increased the pressure on my shoulder, keeping me grounded in the pitch-black hallway.
A bloodcurdling scream cut through the silence.
The sound was followed by a sickening crash that made my stomach rise into my throat. A ball of light burst to life in Caden’s palm. I caught the look on his face: his features were hard, eyes glinting as he scanned the immediate space in front of us.
Fear stole my breath, and a moment later the reception room burst into chaos. The emergency lights flickered on and the doors flung open as guests poured from the room. Shouts of panic rang out.
Caden pressed me against the wall, acting as a barrier between me and the terrified guests. It was an oddly protective thing to do considering we’d been antagonizing each other the entire night. He doused the light in his hand, leaving us in the shadows between the emergency lamps.
There was more screaming and shouts for someone to call for help. I tried to peer over Caden’s shoulder, but he tucked my head down and muttered, “Stop making yourself a target.”
A target for what?
When the commotion subsided, I pressed my palms against his chest, leveraging a little space between us. He stepped back and searched my features.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes, I’m fine,” I said, my voice a little shakier than intended. The hall was empty. Everyone had gone out the exits, though I could still hear some noise coming from the reception room. The sound put me in motion, and I pushed past Caden.
“I have to check on Zoe.”
“Elle, wait!”
He rushed after me, but I beat him into the room. I blinked, stunned by the destruction caused by the stampede of guests. Chairs were turned over, dishes smashed against the floor. Glass was everywhere.
“Zoe, are you in here?” I shouted, squinting from the harsh beam of the emergency lights.
“Over here!”
I spotted Zoe kneeling on the floor along with Julia, the woman Professor Roberts had been arguing with. Both of them leaned over something on the floor, and it took me a moment to understand what I was looking at. Two heeled black pumps stuck out from beneath a block of ice,The Wizard of Oz-style. The giant sculpture had toppled from its perched position, landing on top of Professor Roberts. Her hands lay limp against the floor, and blood pooled in a slick puddle.
Crouching beside Zoe, I placed my hand on her back. Her shoulders trembled, and she looked at me, lifting hands that were covered in blood.
“I thought I could help her. I tried to stop the bleeding. She’s dead, Elle.”
Caden towered over us, gazing down at the professor. “Did you see how this happened?” he asked Zoe.
“No. The lights went out. There might have been some sort of scuffle, but it was too dark to see. Then she screamed, and the sculpture fell. When the security lights came on, everyone panicked.”
Angela tripped over a fallen chair as she approached us. Her hand shook while holding a cell phone to her ear. She spoke in a rush to the emergency operator and waved us away from the body.
Zoe leaned forward, brushing away chunks of ice. She pushed aside Professor Roberts’ hair to check her pulse one last time. Then, shaking her head, she rose to her feet.
I sucked in a breath and stared intently at the spot on Professor Roberts’ neck where Zoe’s hand had just been. Reaching down, I gently angled the woman’s head then snapped my hand back almost as if it had been burned. My gaze shot to Caden’s. He saw the mark too.
The mark was invisible to anyone outside of the supernatural community. It was faint but unmistakable. This wasn’t an accident.
Professor Roberts had summoned a demon.
Chapter 4
Saturday mornings were meant to be spent lying in bed till noon, not hunched over a pile of books at the university’s library. Yet there I was. I took a deep sip of my coffee, marveling over the smooth taste, and flipped to the next page in my book.
I’d been there since the library opened, one of the few students determined enough to start their day in the stacks. Also, one of the few students—make that theonlystudent—in the library who’d witnessed a murder the night before.
At least, that’s what I was calling it.
