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“It just makes me a little sad to think about…what happened…when you say my mom. It makes me think—”
Cain scoffed. “You know when I call them Dad and Mom, it doesn’t really mean anything to me? I know it means something to you, but I don’t feel that way.”
We had hoped the police would track the Demon—and therefore my mom, Pax, and Remy—but as Stellan flipped through Remy’s data, he groaned. “There’s barely any movement. It’s like they don’t care about tracking down the Demon.”
Probably because the only body that had come up so far looked likeme.People were probably happy with the idea my father was busy hunting me…or maybe they believed he had actually killed me when that body turned up. Either way, the Demon being on the loose was barely in the media anymore and it didn’t seem like the police were focused on finding him.
“They should care,” I said. “Sooner or later, he’s going to start leaving a trail of bodies. They haven’t found them yet, but there probably already are…”
I trailed off, because I couldn’t help picturing Remy and Pax as those bodies. Deep, silent graves dug out in the forest. My father’s cult had dug the holes for him, just as they dug the supply caches for his kidnapping tools.
Maybe it had been a mistake to kill all of them. Because they weren’t around to serve my father—and for me to torture.
That night, I curled up between Cain and Stellan. Stellan sighed in his sleep, his arm circling my waist, and I wondered if he felt like the bed was too empty now too. I missed Remy and Pax so much it was a physical ache.
I couldn’t sleep. I got out of bed, easing carefully over Cain’s legs under the sheets. I kept expecting him to grab me and drag me back into the bed, but he rolled over…and snuggled Stellan instead.
I stifled a laugh and debated finding a cell phone to take a photo of two of my favorite people in the world spooning each other. But as much as I wanted to be able to remind Cain and Stellan of this moment forever, a flash might alert them to what I was doing, and I couldn’t have them stop me.
The phone pinged with a text. I stood there in the dark and swiped it open, expecting a message from the Demon. My stomach tightened with fear.
Jenna:
You don’t love me any more, do you?
It’s okay, I need someone to talk to anyway.
You know my boyfriend Jayden? Well, we’ve been dating for three weeks and he doesn’t look at me like your men look at you, like they want to devour you and they can’t breathe without you all at the same time. So I know it’s not love. It’s not forever. But still…
My bitch of a roommate kissed him!
And he claims he was confused because she looks like me!
My thumb hovered over the keys, needing desperately to message her back. But Jenna needed more from me than I could give her right now. I had to focus on getting my men back.
I let out a groan as I left my best friend on read. Just for now. Ignoring her made me feel guilt that straight-up murder did not.
I threw on Stellan’s hoodie—which was from our high school’s varsity team—and my jeans, then quietly went to the dresser and lifted Cain’s car keys off the dresser. He always set everything out so precisely, ready for anything. I needed to get away from our own territory and find someplace I wouldn’t lead Alexander to us..or make it easy for the Demon to claim Stellan or Cain. I couldn’t imagine what I would do without both of them. They were my darkness and my light, and I needed both.
I also borrowed Cain’s boot knife. I didn’t wear boots, but I slid it into my hoodie pocket instead.
It wasn’t quite up to my standards, but it would do.
I left the neighborhood we were staying in and walked into the bad part of the town, hoping someone would accost me or I’d see someone being monstrous. It wasn’t as if I hadn’t been cat-called or followed plenty of times, and I’d always thought that maybe a little widespread fear of female serial killers would make the world safer for women. Right now, though, I needed credit to go to the Demon.
I needed the world to be so afraid that he was doing his cruel work again that even the corrupt police chiefs were spurred into action.
But I had a bizarrely quiet night, walking the streets. For all the horrible things that happened in the news, none of it was unfolding in front of me. There were no children being abused, no sex workers being abused, no trafficking victims running from criminals I could carve up.
I stopped on a dark, rainy city street and heaved a sigh of frustration. There was always so much evil around! Where was evil when I wanted it?
Cain and Stellan would have been furious if they knew I was out and putting myself in danger, but I needed someone to attack me.
A damp mist hung over the city as I stalked the streets, looking for trouble. Finally, I turned my steps toward home, only to find myself walking past two men who peeled themselves off the wall as I walked past them. My heart sped with excitement as they fell In behind me. Finally!
“Hey sweetheart,” one of them said, and I pulled a face. I loved endearments on the lips of my men, but everyone else could miss me with the sweethearts and the honeys. Although I’d have peeled up Cain’s eyelids and checked his pupils for a concussion if he ever called me honey. It definitely wasn’t his style.
My back was still to them so they didn’t see my reaction. They didn’t see the way one hand eased into my hoodie pocket, unsnapping the scabbard on the knife. They just saw my feet speed up, as if I were afraid.
