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Clenching my jaw, I nodded. “Do you think they’re still alive?”
Adam choked on a bitter laugh. “Doubtful. If they aren’t dead by now, they’re wishing they are.”
I gave him a cold stare which he returned with a haughty lift of his chin.
“No, I’m afraid they’re dead,” Luke said with a somber tone, turning my attention back to them. “And now, it seems like Margaret has added a new strategy. She’s started attacking Nephilim patrols near the Hell Gate. This is the third attack this week.”
“Why is she so obsessed with finding me?” It wasn’t like I was the only person in the entire Black Hills.
“Deceivers have one-track minds,” Gabe said. He raked a hand through his already messy hair. “She’ll hunt you down until the day she dies. You’re the sacrifice that got away. Deceivers aren’t used to losing.”
“Then no one will be safe while she’s out there,” I said bitterly.
All because of me. People were dying because of me. In a sick and twisted way, this was all my fault. Not that I regretted saving Gabe, but my actions had led to this demon stalking my town, and now the Nephilim that had granted me shelter.
“What can we do to stop her?”
r /> Luke rubbed his eyes. I hadn’t noticed before now how tired he looked.
“I’ve doubled the patrols. We’re trying to lure her out, but this demon is wilier than your average deceiver. She’s got about a thousand years of experience surviving in the Black Hills. I’ve found some references to her in old journals, and I’m doing as much research as I can. All I know is, it won’t be easy.”
“That, and she has the frustrating habit of running away before we can confront her,” Gabe added.
“Except for today.” Adam pursed his lips and crossed his arm. If he wasn’t so infuriating, I would’ve thought he looked like a little boy that didn’t get his way. “Today, she was only too happy to show her face and get in a few swipes.”
“That’s because we were distracted,” Gabe replied. “When we took down those two ferals, she saw an opportunity. I’m just glad it was us and not one of the new warriors out there. She nearly dragged Adam off before we could fight her off.”
A flush crept up Adam’s neck. It was a nice change, seeing him embarrassed like that.
“I would’ve killed her if you hadn’t gotten in the way, trying to be all heroic. Now, we have no idea when she’ll strike again.”
A thought suddenly struck me. “Will she attack the manor?”
There were kids and humans here who didn’t stand a chance against her. With no fence guarding the joint, I didn’t imagine we’d stand much of a chance.
“No.” Luke fixed his pale blue eyes on mine with a reassuring tilt of his head. “You’ll be safe here. We have protection methods that work better than walls or fences. Surrounding the manor is a system of blessings and demon boundaries that have remained effective since we built the place. Rest assured, she’s not coming in here to get you.”
I imagined a priest walking around the grounds and sprinkling holy water everywhere, but couldn’t imagine what the other demon boundaries could be. That was a question for another day.
Adam snapped his fingers and nearly jumped out of his chair. “If she won’t come here to get her, maybe we should take the girl to it.”
Gabe stood, his shoulders tensed. “I hope you’re not suggesting we just give Lizzy up to the demon.”
Adam lazily rested his eyes on me. “Tempting. At least no more Nephilim would get hurt.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. As much as I hated Adam, he had a point. Once the demon got me, she’d stop attacking innocent people. But the thought of being in her clutches again made me want to crawl beneath my chair and hide.
“Over my dead body,” Gabe growled.
Adam put up his hands in defense. “As nice as a solution that would be, that’s not what I was actually suggesting.” He stood and began to play with a marble horsehead bookend on Luke’s desk. “The way I see it, we’re never going to kill her if she keeps up with these random little waves of attack. The best way to get her is to have some assurance that she’ll show up. Your little girlfriend can provide that insurance.”
“Use her as bait?” Gabe had closed his hands into tight fists at his side. “No way in hell.”
They began arguing with each other while Luke stood up and tried to talk them into calming down. No one heard me clear my throat. It wasn’t until I threw my hands in the air and shouted, did they pause their yelling and look at me.
“Maybe Adam’s got a good idea,” I told them.
It was hard to keep the trembling out of my voice, but I think I managed it. Acting as the wriggling worm on the end of a hook wasn’t exactly my idea of a perfect plan, but it was the only thing that could work. Until Margaret Thatcher was killed, the senseless killings and attacks were going to be on my conscience.
