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I dragged the point of the stake along the demon’s arm, watching his eyes widen and jaw set as dark red blood welled up in the slice. The blood sizzled as it reacted to the holy water. I was almost impressed with the demon’s control and silence. That had to hurt like a bitch.
“It’s my turn right now,” I snarled, bringing the tip of the stake to the demon’s cheek. “Now what do you know about the demon gatherings on the Massachusetts–New Hampshire border?”
* * *
“I don’t thinkshe knows anything else,” Joriel said mildly from where he was leaning against the basement wall.
His tone grated on my frayed nerves. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been in such a bad mood. Two entire weeks of interrogations and not one demon could tell me who the mysterioushersetting up camp near Nathaniel’s new home was. It didn’t help that I also hadn’t seen Siren the entire duration of our trip. The space between us was driving me crazy. How the fuck did I live eight years like this?
I slammed my stake into the female demon’s chest, listening to the clank of iron chains hitting the floor as she dissolved into red smoke.
Have a nice time in Hell,I thought, turning away from the now empty chair.
Joriel pushed off the wall and ran a blackened hand through his equally black hair. He wasn’t kidding about it spreading fast. He hadn’t bothered hiding the inkiness of his skin in front of the demons. None of them said a word about it. No taunts, no questions. There were a lot of looks though, and I swear at least a couple of them had flinched when they saw him.
I couldn’t see what his legs looked like through the dark jeans he wore, but his tank top showed how the ink had climbed halfway up his biceps. But it was his face that was really hard to ignore. The blackness now covered his entire forehead, the tips of his ears, and the skin around his eyes. It almost looked like he was wearing a ski mask with really precise eyeholes that had been cut away just above the nose, leaving the lower half of his face uncovered.
He was right about not being able to go out in public without turning heads. There was no way to hide this.
“This isn’t working,” Joriel said, letting his hand drop from his hair.
“You think?” I gritted out.
“Hey. We tried. And we learned that this woman isn’t well-known among the demon population. That’s something we didn’t know before we left Boston.”
“It’s not enough.”
“Samuel.”
“It’s not.” I could feel my control slipping away, like trying to hold on to water as it slid through your fingers. “Nothing I do is enough.”
“Sam.”
“I can’t get rid of the demons who may or may not be planning to go after Nathaniel and his family. I can’t give Siren the life she deserves or manage to stay away from her. And I can’t stop what’s happening to you.”
“It’s not your job to do any of those things.” Joriel moved until he was standing right in front of me. His hand clasped the back of my neck and he dragged my forehead to his. “I know you want to fix us and solve all our problems, but it doesn’t work like that. You can’t put all our issues on your shoulders. I love you for wanting to, but they’reourproblems. I can take what’s coming. I signed up for this, remember?”
“Jor—”
He didn’t let me finish. “Nathaniel is a warrior. He can take on any demons that threaten him and his family. And if he needs help, he knows where to find you and Micah and even Danielle. As for Piper, who said you can’t give her the life she deserves?”
“She’s human.”
“So is Sierra.”
“And we all thought Nathaniel was screwed when he started sleeping with her. Did you honestly think they were going to get to keep Nova and start a happy little family?” I demanded.
“No,” Joriel answered softly. “But he did get that. Why do you think he’s the only one entitled to happiness?”
“Because the law is the law. I can’t break it and expect to be pardoned. I’m not a human.”
“Talk to Nate.”
“I’ve tried,” I admitted. “He won’t tell me shit.”
Joriel’s lips curved up. “I’m guessing you didn’t mention Piper when you talked to him.”
I couldn’t stop the growl that rose from deep in my chest.
