Page 14 of Soul Redeemed

“Tell you what.” Calix kept his cool composure, tucking his nose inside his button-down shirt, muffling his voice. “You promise to brush your teeth before you go to bed tonight, and I might let you walk out of here alive.”

The beast lurched forward, it’s enormous hand throttling Calix’s windpipe as it knocked him backward off the chair. Cold marble crashed into Calix’s spine, while the beast straddled his body, its mouth contorted into what he guessed was a look of fury, though it was hard to tell with its messed up face.

Zeke knocked at the window, performing some kind of hand gesture that Calix interpreted as do you need help, which he ended on a thumbs up.

Lodging his fingers into the beast’s throat, Calix shook his head, prompting Zeke to give a double thumbs up before disappearing out of sight again.

Calix plowed his fist into the beast’s temple, knocking him off his body, and seized the upper hand—literally—squeezing both hands against the bastard’s thick gullet. Damn near impossible when it didn’t have much of a neck to begin. “Who do you work for?” He spoke past gritted teeth and slammed the beast’s head into the floor. “Tell me before I send your ass packing to Stygius.”

“The female … we’ll find her.”

“You go near her, and I’ll take a blow torch of hellsfire to your body, burning every inch of your fucking skin. Then I’ll feed your charred remains to my hellhounds.” Calix hammered another punch to its teeth, knocking one down into the black depths of its mouth.

Eyes wide, the demon gagged and choked, coughing up a disgusting green phlegm that hit Calix’s face, oozing down his cheek.

“Motherfucker!” Releasing one hand, Calix wiped the shit on his sleeve.

The beast disappeared beneath him, and he fell forward, just catching himself before face-planting the floor.

“Where’d he go?” Zeke asked from the doorway. “I didn’t know Impetusi demons could do that shit!”

With a huff of frustration, Calix sat back on his heels. “Neither did I.”

“That’s a Sang thang, ain’t it?”

He glanced over at Zeke and back. “It’s fucked up, is what it is. So close. So goddamn close!” Slamming his fist into the tiled floor left a fissure in the marble, and Calix pushed himself to a stand. “I need you to cover me here,” he said, passing Zeke at the doorway.

“Where you going?”

“To look for Ava. If she’s out there, I’m going to find her.” Without breaking stride, Calix headed for the elevators.

“Calix! Wait!” Zeke called from behind. “Just … wait a second.”

Sagging his shoulders, Calix swung around. “Don’t fucking talk me out of this. She’s out there. I’m going to look for her.”

“Bro,” Zeke said, walking up on him. “You got some green shit on your collar. Just thought you might want to clean that off before heading out. I know how particular you are about your clothes.”

Calix glanced down at the phlegm still clinging to his shirt and back to Zeke. “If that bastard comes back, you let me know.”

“Will do.”

“And, Zeke, don’t let Gavin know I left you in charge.”

“What the fuck?” he called after Calix’s retreating back. “Seriously?”

7

It made sense. Whatever they’d injected Ava with had given her the ability to flash. She’d seen some of Ryke’s little pets, like that Draven kid, do the same thing. With the first smile she’d managed in, possibly, months, she slid off Calix’s bed, feeling bad for how dirty she was, and looking down at herself only seemed to bring the stench closer to her nose.

One thing she’d come to appreciate about the demon mansion was its tight security, so no chance Oliver would find her there. Still, her instincts remained on guard as she moved toward the bathroom. The adjacent room had always been her favorite part of staying with Calix on nights she’d managed to sneak away from her brother. The elaborate and ornate fixtures, the marble floor and gold trim, were just a small part of the opulence she’d missed, while tied to a dirty mattress in a dingy cellar for weeks.

Ava caught her reflection in the mirror as she passed and dared to let her eyes roam the damage. Dirt and grime clung to her skin. The sharp protruding bones confessed she hadn’t eaten well in weeks. At the crook of her neck, tiny black fissures branched beneath her skin, marking the tortures she’d suffered with Demortis, the unearthly metal that her brother had used to end a number of lives. The gaunt shadows of her face nearly brought her to tears.

How could she ever face Calix looking like that?

Flipping on the shower, she allowed the water to get warm before stepping inside the glass enclosure, letting the warm steam swallow her. It’d felt like forever since she’d last taken a shower. Oliver had given her the occasional sponge bath, and washed her down with a hose of icy water, but nothing like the heat of the spray hitting her then.

As she oozed the soap onto her palm, the familiar scent of Calix filled her nose. Gods, she missed him.