AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Something special for your last man standing," the Demon crooned.
"Get out of here," Cain gritted at me, swaying on his feet, even though his pupils had turned to slits as if he were barely hanging onto consciousness. "You're our only hope, Aurora."
The Demon's men swarmed toward Cain, chanting wildly. One of them lobbed a smoke grenade, and the world turned white and fuzzy.
I coughed and fought my way out of the smoke, trying to make sense of what was left on the street.
The worshippers were gone.
The Demon was gone.
Cain was gone.
I turned around on the street. Blood streaked the gray pavement, and the scent of gunpowder and death hung in the air. Even the sky overhead felt heavy and overbearing.
I was alone.
The Demon’s smug, self-satisfied smile rose in my mind. He’d taken everyone from me—or at least, he thought he had, since Jenna had disappeared.
Now it was just me and the Demon.
And I’d make sure he regretted that.
It was no surprise when my phone rang.
I pulled it out as I walked and raised it to my ear. I was surprised to realize that this time, my hands didn’t shake. My voice came out clear and strong. “What else do you want, Demon?”
“You can call me Dad, Delilah.” He sounded so pleased with himself. “You’re coming back to me, after all.”
“Not a chance in hell.” The only one of us who was going anywhere was the Demon. And he was going to Hell.
Knowing the Demon, he’d probably end up ruling hell, but at least he’d be away from me and my men.
“Be reasonable, Delilah. I’ve collected them all for you…I’ve turned you back to who you were…now we can move on.”
“You didn’t turn me into anyone.”
“Oh? Then why are your clothes soaked in blood?”
“What do you want?”
“I want you to pick which one of your men you’re going to kill to keep the others alive.”
24
AURORA
Iwanted to sneak up on the Demon. But I had the feeling he could guess I was coming, even though he didn’t know how I’d found him. Or maybe he could guess that. Maybe one of my men had cracked under his torture.
The cabin had been bought by a William Goodman. Was that my grandfather? I wondered what kind of man he’d been. I wondered what kind of crimes ran in the family. Had the Demon once been apprenticed to a killer too?
As I moved through the woods, a strange sense of familiarity, almost comforting, rose up around me.
I didn’t remember it, but I had the feeling I’d been here before.
The air was cold and damp, and the trees were thick with foliage. Every step I took was cautious, my senses alert for any sign of danger. It was quiet, too quiet, as if the forest was holding its breath in anticipation of something ominous.
As I reached the cabin, I could feel the hairs on my neck stand up. The Demon was nearby; I could sense him.
