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“I couldn’t peer into his soul, but the vibes can’t be denied. It felt wrong when I saw him. Then I realized why when the blood-starved showed up and Amy went missing. No one saw him during the blood-starved battle. It was the distraction he needed to find Amy and make a call. Sierra tracked his tracks. They disappear long before you reach the first blood that has destroyed the rest of the trail and half the forest too. Someone dematerialized him, and he went willingly. No signs of a struggle.”
He curses before running a hand through his hair that is slowly getting blonder. Why I find his hair fascinating is beyond me. It’s like it’s alive.
“Speaking of the first blood,” I go on, bringing my eyes back down to study his profile as he stares blankly in front of him, “you saw how toxic that stuff is once it’s inside them, Chaz. It destroys the body, manipulates the genes to recreate the firsts. Everything else gets killed in the process. For miles and miles, the trees and earth are dying, and no one can get close enough to clean it up and repair the damage. It’s like acid to our skin. All we can do is contain the damage with numerous warding spells.”
He nods slowly, letting that sink in. His hand stills on my leg, but he keeps it there like he needs something tangible to hold onto.
“When the blood is introduced, the pain they face is excruciating. It’s not a death I’d wish on anyone except for those who beat and tortured our kind in the rings. You’re dealing with a darkness like you’ve never faced before. There’s no humanity in them, Chaz. There’s nothing but—”
My own words stop as my eyes widen, and I curse myself for not thinking of it sooner.
“Nothing but what?” Chaz asks, his grip on my leg tightening.
“A dark and tainted soul,” I say on a hushed breath.
At first, his brow furrows, but then realization hits him as he groans. “Of course. A demon,” he says, blowing out a long breath. “Hence the reason we faced a horde of demons.”
“It makes sense,” I go on, sitting up straighter. “If a demon escaped hell and took over the rings, they could study our weaknesses and even use some of the enslaved without the markings as host bodies. They’d also be able to find a way to move through the planes and build their own demon army—promising a chance on the breathing plane again at the cost of their service.”
“When demons manage to breach the breathing plane, they always take a mortal’s body. They were mortal souls when they died and went to hell. The only immortals down there were mortal when they died—meaning they hadn’t attained immortality yet. The stronger they are, the harder it is to escape,” Chaz adds.
“What if someone planned for this?” I ask, biting down on my lip as my thoughts try to process. “It’d explain the witch powers they shouldn’t have. It’s the only thing that does explain it.”
“Someone planned to die, become a demon, and come back to start an army?” he asks.
“Demons are stronger than most immortals. It could have been a weaker dark user or light user... Someone who committed enough heinous acts with the intentions of dying before they turned immortal. Escape from the spirit planes is impossible unless you have a window of opportunity and a skilled, reliable accomplice. It’d be a lot easier to escape hell.”
“It’d be too risky for little reward,” he counters. “Unless...”
“Unless what?” I prompt.
He meets my eyes and holds my gaze. “Unless that person wasn’t destined for immortality.”
“That leaves the witch powers in question.”
He stands abruptly, and my leg falls to the ground as he grabs his jeans and starts stabbing his legs into them.
“Not if the witch was mortal when he or she died.”
I frown. “I’m confused. You just said they weren’t destined for immortality.”
“I’m talking about mortal witches—true mortals that tried to harness magic.”
“Those are mostly parlor trick users. No one has that kind of power as a mortal,” I argue.
“Anymore,” he inserts as he buttons his jeans. His shirt is shredded so he bypasses it as he comes and squats before me.
I’m naked and he’s not, which now makes me want to cover up. I was fine when we were both naked.
“A long time ago, though, mortal witches were just as strong as immortal ones. Some were even stronger. They tapped into dark magic too strong for their souls. Some even managed to delay death by centuries, but could never obtain true immortality—their goal.”
“Okay... I guess I’m not educated on this.”
“Because it’s barely a footnote in history.” His head falls back. “We need to speak to someone.”
“Who?” I ask, confused.
“Come on. We have to go back to the others.”
