Page 27 of King’s Kismet

No one cared like she did.

It enraged me that Blue had taken Hyland, but Lo was‌ fucking livid, furious. Vicious in her pursuit and unwilling to stop for even a second to eat or drink or breathe.

“They’re all dead,” I murmured to Arwen.

We stood still as statues inside the front entrance. And I could just barely make out the sound of Hyde sniffling as a soft, rasping voice soothed her.

Arwen pushed the interior door open, and as it swung, it tipped over, crashing onto the ground. The scene that greeted us was a macabre masterpiece, and definitely some of Sloane’s best work.

I was relieved that she had found my sister. But it pissed me off that she’d come by herself, risking them both because she was too impatient to give me ten minutes to catch up.

We had been behind her every step of the way, only finding her crime scenes and bits of horde members’ bodies when she had snuck up on them unannounced in their homes.

This place was no different in that aspect.

What was different was this wasn’t a home with one or two people. It was their clubhouse, their hangout where everyone was congregated.

The volume of blood coating the floor told the tale of how many members she had caught in one place.

And the pile of limbs tossed haphazardly in the corner.

And the heads lined up on the massive table in the center of the room.

And the torsos scattered across the space.

Blood dripped onto my arm, causing me to look at the ceiling. On the support beams, organs dangled. Some were strung over the sides, while others were pinned to the wood with fragments of bone.

As we ventured farther into the room, I covered my mouth and nose with my fisted hand. Arwen gagged, not ready for the level of gore we were finding. But how could I explain that I was expecting this?

It was difficult to comprehend exactly what we were seeing. There were no words other than bits.

Pieces of skin here, chunks of muscle there.

Sloane had thrown them around the room like confetti being dropped from the ceiling at a concert. Where it landed, it was left.

Only one thing in the room was out of place... Out of place for the scene.

But she had written it on the wall at every place we’d followed her to tonight.

“Pain has a face. Allow me to show it to you.” Arwen read the Hellraiser quote aloud, his brow furrowed. “Why repeat that line? I’ve seen the Hellraiser movies, but I don’t understand the—”

“Context?” I asked, then huffed. “She’s taunting Blue.”

“Why Hellraiser, though?”

“She likes the movies. And that line resonates with her most. Pain is what she brings to the table, only second to chaos. Mix the two together…” I trailed off, spreading my arms wide. “You get this. The true Devil’s work.”

He shivered, shaking off the chills that ran up his arms. “It’s terrifying.”

“Stow your fear, Osman,” I quietly warned him. “You don’t want her to smell it right now. She’s not in her right mind.”

“Then why are we still standing here while she’s with your sister?”

“Hyde has nothing to fear,” I replied, a dark chuckle building in my chest as he glared at me. “Sloane’s demon is possessive of the people she cares for, and Hyland has been in the number one spot since she was a baby.”

Arwen pulled his shirt over his nose and took a deep breath. “I don’t smell like fear.”

“Yes, you do,” I confirmed, shaking my head. “She’ll feed off that. Bottle it up before we get to her.”