In the darkness, his light brown eyes appeared almost darker, like chocolate. His mouth pulled down in a sympathetic frown and he reached out to pat my shoulder.
“So sorry, mate. Your cousin, Raquel, told me about your demon problems. I wish I could help.”
I bit my lip, holding back my slight flair of anger. Remind me to give Raquel a strict lesson on the definition of secret. I didn’t want all my acquaintances knowing about my inner parasite. Especially someone I liked as much as Noah.
“It’s okay.” I shifted from foot to foot. “Today’s been a good day, really. No attacks and Gabe came home.”
Something dark flashed in Noah’s eyes and was gone before I could name it.
“Yeah, I heard about that. Glad to hear he came back in one piece.”
“Definitely. We’re all relieved.”
My lips pressed together as an awkward silence rose between us. It was starting to feel like neither of us wanted to leave, but I couldn’t figure out why Noah was wandering around by himself on this floor. The residence halls were all above us. Dining and lounging below. No one except for administration personnel came to this hallway. Well, that and people trying to break into Luke’s office.
“Did you need help with something?” I asked weakly.
“Oh, no.” He waved his hand. “I’m good. You want me to walk you back to your room? Never can be too careful these days.”
Managing a casual smile, I shook my head. “Nah, I’m just going to wait here. I like the quiet. It’s impossible to get a moment alone when you have a roommate.”
“Right.” He raked his hand through his long hair, his eyes sweeping the darkness behind me.
For a moment, it seemed like he was unsure what to do. Leave me alone and vulnerable or grant me my privacy. I prayed that he would choose the latter. Gabe was probably already done in Luke’s office and there was no telling how much longer we’d get before someone else came along.
Finally, with a defeated shrug, he swatted me on the shoulder. “Good night to ya. Take care, Lizzy.”
“Night.”
I watched him go, taking all my nervous energy along with him. When I could no longer hear his heavy footsteps on the carpet, I wheeled toward Luke’s office and pushed forward through the dark door frame.
“Gabe?” My voice came out in a shrill whisper. “Are you still here?”
“Yes.” He appeared suddenly beside me, making my heart jump in my chest. “Who was that?”
“Noah Brown.”
His lips curled back into a confused grimace. “What was he doing down here?”
I shrugged. “Wandering the halls, maybe. I didn’t interrogate him. I was too busy worrying about getting caught.”
“Right.” With a curt nod of his head, he held out a dark mass in his hands. “Found the box. Let’s get out of here.”
Before I could stop myself, my hands reached out to grab it. The box felt lighter than I remembered. I wasn’t sure if I was expecting a powerful weapon to weigh a ton, but in my grip, it felt flimsy and weak. However, I wouldn’t be fooled. Many a demon had underestimated me and look where that lead them.
“What do you think it does?” I asked, holding it up to the single ray of moonlight filtering in through the open doorway. It fell on the circular lock, like the hand of God reaching out to tell me to open it.
Gabe shrugged. “Maybe it sucks in demon entities.”
“Like in Ghostbusters?” I raised an eyebrow at him.
“What’s that?”
The clueless look on his face made me chuckle. “Never mind. You’re probably right.”
My fingers traced the round lock. Luke hadn’t found anything odd about this box, except for the fact that it was hundreds of years old. But the priest we’d taken it from had been using it in an exorcism. Surely, it did something close to what Gabe predicted. Maybe, it could even extract my demon.
A flare of hope shot up inside me. I’d never considered the box as a remedy for my personal situation. Maybe, just maybe, I held the cure in my own hand. We would never know, unless I tried it.
Gabe stuck his head out the door. I could tell he was antsy to get out of here, expecting company with every creak of this old building. Still, my feet remained glued to the ground, my eyes attached to the simple wooden box in my hands.
Psyche's Urn. It seemed so silly to think it held magical powers. Two years ago, I would’ve committed myself to the insane asylum for even considering that something so benign could harbor awesome mystical abilities. But now, it wasn’t out of the realm of possibilities. One peek, that’s all I needed. One peek inside to know if this box really was the weapon that was going to save us all.
My fingertips pressed gently on the round lock, expecting resistance. It turned willingly. Five audible clicks and the lid sprung open the tiniest bit.
“What are you doing?” Gabe demanded, his voice sounding far away.
I stared at the minuscule crevice between lid and box. “This is it. This is what I need.”
His warning touch on my arm wasn’t enough to keep me from springing the lid fully open. I peered inside, my eyes drinking in the dark space within. Tipping it open to the sliver of moonlight, I hissed with disappointment.
There was nothing. Not a single thing inside the box. Just empty space and the dying embers of the hope that I’d allowed to burn inside me. Bitterness filled my chest as I shoved it back into Gabe’s hands.
“There’s nothing special inside this box,” I cried. “Seth was wrong.”
He looked at me, sympathy welling up in his eyes. But there was also some relief there—as if he had been afraid of its contents.
I was about to suggest we leave the useless box in Luke’s office when I felt a shiver run down my spine. It was electrifying, sending painful impulses to every nerve in my body. I cried out in pain, shrinking to the floor, my muscles failing me.
“Lizzy.” Gabe’s voice called out to me as if he were at the end of a long tunnel. I reached for him, only to find my hand defiant to my commands.
What’s happening?
My voice refused to work. In shock, I looked down at my hands. Nothing had changed. They were still my own. But it was as if I’d been hit with a paralyzing toxin.
Help me!
Internally, I flailed in a panic. It wasn’t until I felt a sudden stirring in the back of my mind, a reptilian-like stretching and groaning, that I froze. Feelings swept over me that weren’t my own. Excitement, urgency, relief.
And sweet, sweet victory.
Chapter Fourteen
Light pierced my irises. The sudden brightness caused me to flinch. A second later, I recognized the soft comfort of a bed under my body. Crisp, clean sheets lay draped across my legs and chest. An oversized pillow supported my head. The acrid scent of antiseptics and bleach filled my nostrils.
I knew this place. I’d woken up here before. This was the manor hospital.
My limbs felt oddly heavy, as if the bones had been replaced with cement. I tried to raise my arm to my face. It remained flat on the bed beside me. No ounce of effort could persuade it to move.
Panic began to course through me as I began to recall my last waking memories. Gabe and I had broken into Luke’s office. I’d opened Psyche’s Urn and not thirty seconds later, it’d left me stiff as a corpse.
I was paralyzed. That box had paralyzed me. I was never going to walk again!
“You’re not paralyzed,” a sultry voice answered.
The unfamiliar voice did nothing to calm my nerves. Urging all my strength into my fingers, I attempted to curl them the slightest bit. Nothing.
“You’re wasting your time,” the voice said in a bored drawl. “It’s never going to happen.”
But Gabe needs me, I frantically shouted inside my head. Without me, he’d have to find Seth’s inside man all by himself. I didn’t want him to have to face the traitor alone.
“Gabe doesn’t need you,” the woman’s voice answered, a hint of malice in
her tone. “He’s got me now.”
Anger coursed through me. Of course, Gabe needed me. He would always need me. Who did she think she was?
It wasn’t until the anger died down did I come to a shocking realization. I hadn’t said that aloud. Those thoughts had been inside my head. This mystery person knew every word I was thinking. She was reading my thoughts! Confusion and then anger filled my head once again.
Oh, yeah? I demanded, hoping she would hear me. What makes you think he’d choose you over me?
She laughed, low and throaty. “Because I am you.”
Unbidden, my hand moved from its resting position on the bed and flexed in front of my eyes. I swallowed back my horror as I realized I couldn’t control it. I could feel it—the way the tendons in my palm stretched and relaxed. The way the cool breeze of the air conditioning made the goosebumps rise up down my arm. But I couldn’t take control. Someone else was behind the wheel of my body.
It’s you, I hissed.
My demon. My parasite. The very reason I’d been so afraid this last year. She’d finally taken over and pushed me to the back of my own head. I was looking out of our eyes, a silent prisoner, helpless to stop her. My worst nightmare had come true.
Relax and enjoy the ride, she replied inside our head. I had to spend twenty-two years in there, my own private prison. And thanks to that magical urn, you get to tag along for the next nine hundred or so years. Didn’t you ever hear that curiosity killed the cat?
Remorse hit me like a dagger to the gut. I knew there was something funny about that wooden box. But it hadn’t proved to be a weapon to use against the demons. Somehow, it’d given my demon control of our body. And worse, I didn’t know if this could be a permanent condition. A condition that could punish me for the rest of our life.
Mentally, I gulped. There was no way I would survive a millennium locked inside here. I’d lose my mind. I’d go bonkers long before my body returned to the Earth.
Still, not all hope was lost. There was no way my demon could ever pull it off. My friends would recognize the change. They would save me...somehow.
You’ll never win, demon.
I tried my best to reach out and strike at her, but she was too strong. She shoved me aside like a week old kitten.
You know, I do have a name, she chirped back. It’s Mona.
Mona. What a simple name for such a huge headache. Part of me wanted to laugh and part of me wanted to cry. The parasite had a name. And now, it had control.
And you’re in my home, now, she added with a hiss. Behave.
She sent a shock right through me. If I’d had control of our body, my teeth would’ve chattered from the terrifying pain. Running into the recesses of my mind, I hid from her reach.
I should’ve prepared for this. Should’ve known how to defend myself. Instead, I’d been rendered weak and powerless.
It felt oddly similar to all those years I’d spent under Granny’s thumb. Cowering in my bedroom, wondering if she was going to barge into my room to punish me once again for not living up to her expectations. It was a feeling I thought I’d left behind me when Gabe had rescued me from that burning pyre. And yet, here I was again.
“Lizzy, you’re awake.”
Luke’s warm and familiar voice drew me from the shadows and I gazed out longingly from behind our eyes. His tall figure came into view. He wore a blue flannel shirt, unbuttoned with a white t-shirt underneath. A dark shadow claimed his face—proof that he’d been too busy lately setting up defenses around the manor to get a good night’s sleep. He gathered me up in a tight hug, his arms squeezing my torso. I relished the warmth of his embrace. But despite my silent protests, the hug ended too soon.
“How long was I out?” Mona asked. I hissed at the sound of my voice and her words. “Did I have another attack?”
“Yes.” Luke looked dryly at me, his mouth pressing into a firm line. “Gabe carried you here after you passed out in his room. You’ve been here for almost ten hours. I was starting to worry you wouldn’t wake up...”
My hand covered his and I felt my lips pull into a smile. “I’m here now. You don’t have to worry.”
His eyes glistened with the tiniest hint of relief. “I know. But I’m still worried about the possible repercussions of this parasite you carry within you.”
I could feel my jaw tighten. Mona drew my nails into my palm so tight, it almost drew blood.
I smiled at her anger. Keep responding like this, and she’d be sure to give the game away. It wouldn’t be long now. They’d figure out it wasn’t me. I just needed to be patient.
“You have more important stuff to worry about right now,” she managed to respond sweetly.
Her gaze shifted toward the opposite end of the hall. I gasped at what she saw. Ten of the beds were occupied. A nurse ran between them, scribbling on her chart and taking vitals. Two people walked through the door, carrying a third between them. A bloody gash ran the length of their friend’s thigh. It splattered the floor, leaving a gruesome trail as they rushed him to a free bed.
He laid back, his face as white as the bed sheet, and I recognized him for the first time—my friend Dominic, whom I’d spent many an afternoon training and joking with. His lips distorted into a grimace and the nurse rushed to his side, blocking him from view.
“We were attacked early this morning,” Luke explained, following her attention. “A small squad, but strong. They’ve been hitting us at different spots throughout the day, never in the same place twice. Testing our weaknesses. My scouting party was ambushed. They were lucky to make it out alive.”
“Go, you’re needed elsewhere.” Mona waved at him. “I’ll be fine. Go take care of our friends.”
“Are you sure?” He grabbed my hand and clasped it tightly.
“Yes. Go.”
I wanted to scream and throw things. To grab his attention any way I could. But his lips curled into a tired, but pleased smile, and he turned away. A pain so deep I couldn’t hide from it formed in my chest. My father hadn’t seen me. He didn’t know. Here I was, waving desperately from behind the sky-blue eyes he’d given me, and he’d missed it. I wanted to sob into my hands.
“Better luck next time,” Mona muttered.
I could’ve kicked her.
But there was no time to feel sorry for myself. Gabe had just entered the room and upon seeing me sitting up, ran to the side of my bed.
“You’re awake.”
His hands clutched painfully at my shoulders and pulled me into an embrace. Once again, I wanted to melt into the touch, but Mona wouldn’t allow it. The physical display of affection made her sick. She allowed it just long enough to make he wouldn’t become suspicious.
“I’m fine,” she said to him. “Really.”
“If you hadn’t woken up in another five minutes, I was going to spill everything to Luke,” he whispered. “About Seth, Psyche’s Urn, and your attack. Was it the box that did this to you?”
“No, don’t do that.” Mona’s voice was sharp. She cleared her throat and softened her tone. “It wasn’t the box. Just another attack. Stupid demon. Always getting in the way.”
Gabe stared into my eyes, his own gaze burning with deep and unsettled emotion. I could only hope he wasn’t convinced by Mona’s lie.
“Did you find a hiding place for Psyche’s Urn,” Mona asked.
I could tell she was searching...waiting for his answer. Nonchalantly, she studied my fingernails and picked at the nail bed.
“The statue in the fourth floor corridor. You know, the founder? There’s a hollow base under it. I hid it there.”
My heart rate picked up and I could tell Mona was excited. Excited about what, I couldn’t be sure. She already had what she wanted. Me in a living, breathing casket. What else could she need the box for?
“That’s good news.” She leaned forward, pressing a hand to Gabe’s cheek.
I flinched at the touch. She shouldn’t be touching him like that. Only I was allowed to trail my
fingers along his scar, over his jaw and the perfect bow of his lips. But she continued the caress and he leaned into our hand, his eyelids closing tight.
I could feel her moving forward and I fought hard against it. Despite my weak blows, she brushed my lips lightly against his. He reacted, his hands clutching at my sides and pulling me in tight. Our lips met in a desperate kiss that tingled all the way down to my toes. I watched in misery as Mona continued to embrace him, not pulling back until my head spun with rage.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, leaning his forehead against mine. His fingers intertwined with ours.
“For what?”
He was silent for a moment before his gaze met ours. There was something else in that gaze, a deep sadness. It tore at my heart.
“Never mind.” Pulling away, he smiled grimly. “I just don’t ever want to lose you, Lizzy Redding. Promise me that won’t happen.”
Mona curled my lips into a sweet smile and batted my eyes. “I promise.”
He’d never hear the scream I let loose inside my own head. He wouldn’t know the utter torture of those words. Because despite Mona’s empty promise, that it was too late.
He’d already lost me.
Chapter Fifteen
By the next morning, I’d given up on screaming and fighting my way to the surface. The mental confines of my prison held tight, keeping me locked behind my blue eyes. No one had noticed a difference in my personality. They’d been too busy.
With demons attacking the manor in waves, the Nephilim were struggling to keep their panic in check. It was the perfect distraction. Mona went about my daily life without stirring up the tiniest bit of suspicion.
The reasonable part of me didn’t blame my friends and family. They had a war to fight.
The other part of me hated them for their blindness.
“What? Given up already?” Mona asked aloud as she inspected the contents of my closet. Raquel had already gone down to eat breakfast.
Never, I hissed.
Despite my anger, I remained curled in a ball at the back of my mind.
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