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“You know,” she interrupts him. “We have great conference rooms here. I’m sure you could hash out whatever you need to in one of them. You came in with a friend, didn’t you? Where is she?”
I meet her gaze. Her eyes are dark brown with specks of gold, and when she looks at me, her smile widens into a grin.
It sends a chill down my spine.
She knows what I am a split second before I know what she is, but the exorcists have clearly sensed some tension between the two of us. I don’t know who the demon inside this young woman is, but whoever they are, they’re powerful. I might have the exorcists on my side, but they also have no idea what they’re dealing with.
After a very quick calculation, I decide that playing dumb is my best bet here. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say.
“Oh, come on,” the girl-demon replies, taking a step toward me. The exorcists make way for her because they’re all real fucking gentleman, so that’s great. “She’s really pretty. Like about this tall,” she says, holding her hand out in front of her face. “Long blonde hair, septum piercing. Has cool tattoos. Hard to miss.”
“No idea,” I reply.
“Weird,” the girl says, furrowing her brow. “You two seemed close.”
I glare at her. This isn’t good. I know she isn’t going to let this go. I don’t want things to get worse, but I don’t know how I’m going to avoid it.
She takes a step toward me, the smile painted on her face. “I would really like to speak to her.”
“That won’t be possible,” I say softly. I’m trying to pacify her. If it’s possible at all, I don’t want to get into a fight with her. I don’t know if I’m going to win.
I particularly don’t want to do that when Trine is here. I don’t want to put her in danger.
The exorcists watch us. They seem to have picked up on something being wrong. Their gazes flit between the two of us, as if they’re still deciding whose side they’re on.
“C’mon,” she says, laughter in her voice. “All you have to do is knock.”
I shake my head, waving my hands in front of my face. I really want to tell her “Let’s just…”
My breath catches in my throat when I hear the hinge of the door closest to her. She has managed to position herself between Trine and the rest of us, and I don’t think she did so by accident.
This woman–this demon–she knows exactly what she’s doing.
That terrifies me.
It should scare the exorcists, too, but I don’t think they’ve realized what she is quite yet.
“Hey, can you guys stop arguing?” Trine says as she steps out of the conference room. “I know we need to talk about things but…who is this?”
She quiets as she looks at the woman with the headband.
“Hi,” she says. “Clara.”
“Hi,” Trine says, her brow furrowed. “Did I interrupt something? Because I’m confused about…”
“No,” Clara says, interrupting her. “I was looking for you.”
“Sorry, do I know you?”
Clara laughs.
Everything after that happens quickly.
The room feels like it gets colder, and the hair on the back of my neck stands as Clara reaches out. Electricity around us flickers on and off, the sound of it crackling as rain falls on the roof, so loud it’s practically deafening.
Clara’s hand lands on Trine’s shoulder. Trine turns her head to look at her hand, but her head snaps to the side, her neck popping. Trine’s eyes roll to the back of her head, her mouth falling open in an unnatural, twisted-O. It sounds like she can’t breathe–like her tongue is blocking her airway and choking her.
I want to move and help her, but there’s something keeping me glued to where I’m standing. I extend my fingers–or I try to–but all my limbs feel like they’re locked. I’m not able to do anything but stand there, my hands fisted at my sides despite how much I’m fighting to unfurl them.
