Not that he would. He had decided not to. But if someonewasgoing to eat her, it would be him. She was his prey and no one else’s.
He had enjoyed her presence on his hunt. She’d followed him throughout the castle while he consumed every demon he could find, showing her how quickly he could drain them to shriveled husks. He dropped the best corpses at her feet. Once, when he glanced back at her after ripping the legs off a demon that tried to flee, she had managed an encouraging smile, though her face had an unusual greenish tinge.
She had even followed him up to the heart of the master’s lair, where she’d waited outside while he...
His recollections ground to a halt, and his head tilted.
“What are you waiting for?” his master demanded, but he ignored him. “I told you to go now, so you will go!”
What had he been supposed to do again while the prey waited? There had been a plan, hadn’t there? Some purpose behind returning to the master’s lair beyond feeding?
A purpose beyond feeding. He couldn’t imagine what could be more important than that.
Killing Valefor!the weakling all but screamed across the void separating their psyches.We are supposed to be killing Valefor so he can’t try to control us or hurt Iris ever again, remember?
His mind, usually consumed by the primal drive to hunt and unaccustomed to critical thinking, spun. Iris was the prey. The master wanted to hurt Iris. The master hadalreadyhurt Iris. And he would have hurt her again had she not escaped on her own. He would have killed her, in fact.
No, the demon did not like that at all.
No shit, dumbass. God, you are so stupid it makes my head hurt. I’m honestly embarrassed that we share the same brain.
“I told you to go!” the master screamed, an unmistakable tremor in his voice.Fear.There was suddenly so much of it, he could taste it in the air.
Come on, eat this piece of shit and then go get our witch.
The master wanted to control him. The master only let him eat the people that he wanted him to eat and only when it suited him. The master flogged him when he didn’t obey or when he ate the wrong people. The master had threatened his witch and forced her to leave him.
The demonhatedthe master.
He hated him so much, in fact, it was stronger than his hunger.
24
A LEAP OF FAITH
THE WORLD SPUN LIKE A TOP, AND THE MOMENTUM OFIris’s arrival sent her careening out of the sigil into the wall. She smacked the drywall and then crumpled to the floor beside the edge of the gate.
It was still open. Valefor could step through.
She reached out to smudge the chalk line and break the magic but hesitated.
Just do it.Her hand hovered above the line, fingers trembling.He’s not coming back. He chose to stay.
Her hand shook harder.JUST DO IT.
I can’t!she shouted at herself.I just... need to leave it open. I can’t explain why I feel so strongly about it, but I do, and I’m choosing to trust my instincts.
The door to Meph’s bedroom banged open, and Belial stooped under the frame, followed by Raum.
“What the fuck?” Belial said.
“Hey,” Iris said weakly, lifting a hand.
Raum asked, “Why do you smell like Hell?”
Climbing to her feet, she lifted her arm and sniffed the sleeve of Meph’s hoodie, noting the unmistakable sulfuric scent clinging to the fabric.
“Because I just came from there.” She was pleased to hear that her voice didn’t tremble even though she felt like crying. She wanted Meph so badly it hurt.
