Demon Forsaken

by Jenn Stark

  “But who—who are you?”

  “They’re friends,” Finn answered for Sells, and Dana looked up at him. He smiled at her, his expression bemused, as if he was still surprised to be standing in the same room with her. She understood the feeling. “I work with them in Las Vegas.”

  “Las Vegas?” Father Franks bleated. “I can’t possibly—”

  “We cleared it with your bishop already, Daddy-o,” Nikki chimed in. She winked as he stared at her. “Said you bowed out of the service last night due to heart trouble. We may have exaggerated your health concerns the tiniest bit, but you’ve got the clearance to take some R&R for as long as you need it. Apparently, someone in charge thinks you work way too hard as it is. But we had a nice long conversation regarding your exorcism activities, and trust me. Given the givens, we’re all ears about that topic these days.”

  “I…” Father Franks stared at Nikki, clearly flummoxed. “I don’t know what to say.”

  Finn chuckled. “Nikki has that effect on people.”

  Dr. Sells continued briskly. “We’ve set up a suite of rooms in my clinic to ensure your privacy and allow us to scan and extract the chip while preserving its data. We’ve taken the liberty of transporting your vice president of cybersecurity—”

  Dana blinked. “My what?”

  Nikki scanned her clipboard. “Max Garrett?” she said, and Dana hiccupped a laugh. Max had given himself a promotion. Which was fine by her. He deserved a corner office for all he’d done this week.

  Sells continued. “He’s on his way to Las Vegas now, and we’re preparing a tech room to his specifications to set up a new headquarters for the Dawn Children. They were…exacting.”

  “I bet they were.” Dana snorted. Still, relief surged through her. Max is okay.

  “So all that’s left is you,” Sells said, not unkindly. “I understand you’ve been through a very challenging twenty-four hours, but we should be going before our arrangements pick up any additional notice.”

  “Ah, Dr. Sells?” Another nurse dressed in a far more traditional attire appeared at the door. She blinked at Nikki a moment before Sells turned to her. “We need some signatures, and you’ll be cleared.”

  Sells nodded curtly and moved toward the door, and Dana pointed at the chair with one of her bandaged mitts. “I don’t need that. My legs aren’t burned.” She frowned down at herself. “Though…shouldn’t they be?”

  But they weren’t. The skin beneath her hospital gown was pink and smooth…a little too pink and smooth, come to think of it. “Well, that whole healing thing is getting faster all the time, I guess.”

  Nikki snorted. “Oh, I’m going to enjoy getting to know you too, sugar buns. But let me go park this wheelchair first. Be back in a jiff. Pops, mind coming with? So, so many questions I want to ask you.”

  Franks flinched in surprise as he realized Nikki was addressing him, then shook his head, flushing with embarrassment. He was clearly as overwhelmed as Dana was. “Of course…of course,” he said, hurrying out after Nikki.

  When they left, Dana stared at the door, then up at Finn.

  “What exactly is happening, Finn?” she asked.

  “Too much at once, I can tell you that.” Finn sighed. “But the short version of the story is…you have an entire group of people who want to help you, Dana. To support you and others like you, to help you do what you were born to do. To be your family.”

  “Family,” Dana echoed, her heart thudding. She swallowed. “And what about you?”

  Finn turned her toward him, and the emotion shining in his eyes was almost more than she could bear.

  “I had the chance to leave you, to return to a place I’d wanted so long, the desire had been etched into my bones. It was my right to return. I’d passed the test. I’d…I’d been forgiven.” He smiled lopsidedly. “I even forgave myself, I guess.”

  “But you didn’t go. Something happened…you’re here,” she whispered, and then nearly choked on a sob as a tear slid down Finn’s cheek.

  “I’m here. Because once my eyes were truly open, once I understood, I knew my real purpose in this universe wasn’t high above this earth, as glorious and as beautiful and as magical as that realm really and truly is.”

  “It’s not?”

  He shook his head. “Some people spend their whole lives not knowing what they were meant to do. As it turns out, it only took me six thousand years and twenty-four hours to learn that my place was here. With you. Teaching you and your kind, helping you learn your true potential. Watching you grow. And…” He swallowed, and now Dana could feel her own tears falling, trickling down her too-smooth face. “And being your family, Dana. Through storm and fire and pain and…and one day, if you’re willing, love.”

  “Finn—” she began, but her throat closed up, the words too much for her to say.

  “My beautiful, brightest star of hope,” Finn whispered. He opened up his arms, and she went into them, the tears falling faster as he wrapped his arms around her. “That note I left you was all I thought I could offer you, the barest pinpoint of light in a universe I longed to open for your eyes. But now…everything’s changed.”

  Dana exhaled a long, shuddering breath, nodding against him. “It’s changed,” she said. It wasn’t a question. It was a…a promise, she thought. Almost a benediction.

  Finn brushed a light kiss over her hair. “Tomorrow, the world will be waiting for us. The archangel, the Syx, the Children. Today, I simply want to hold you.” He rested his cheek gently against her head, still holding her tight. “And to convince you that for now, forever and always, a lifetime without end, I will never let you go.”

  Dana closed her eyes, and for the first time in longer than she could remember, truly believed.

  Demon Bewitched

  Coming next from Jenn Stark!

  To help stop the worst incursion of demons humankind has ever faced, Stefan of the Syx must go undercover to learn the secrets of one of the most ancient covens on the planet. Unfortunately, his only way in is as part of a harem of males specially chosen to attend the coven’s queen.

  Turns out, Stefan’s not that big on sharing.

  Find out more about all Jenn’s books, and sign up for her newsletter at http://www.jennstark.com!

  Acknowledgments

  Demon Forsaken was a very special book to me, as it allowed me to bring to life a story I first conceived as an idea called 24 Hours to Midnight. Thank you to everyone who read early versions of that story—you can see glimmers of it here, though Finn had his way with it! My ongoing thanks goes to Elizabeth Bemis for her fantastic work on my books and my site—and my gorgeous covers. My editorial team of Linda Ingmanson and Toni Lee were absolute champions on this book. As always, any mistakes in the book are most definitely my own. My thanks to Edeena Cross for her careful beta read, and to Sabra Harp, who helps remind me of everything I’ve forgotten. Special thanks too, to Geoffrey, for encouraging me to go where angels fear to tread. It’s most definitely been a leap worth taking.

  About Jenn Stark

  Jenn Stark is an award-winning author of paranormal romance and urban fantasy. She lives and writes in Ohio. . . and she definitely loves to write. In addition to her Immortal Vegas urban fantasy series and Demon Enforcers paranormal romance series, she is also author Jennifer McGowan, whose Maids of Honor series of Young Adult Elizabethan spy romances are published by Simon & Schuster, and author Jennifer Chance, whose Rule Breakers series of New Adult contemporary romances are published by Random House/LoveSwept and whose modern royals series, Gowns & Crowns, is now available.

  When she’s not creating fictional trouble for herself, you can find her online at http://www.jennstark.com, follow her on Twitter @jennstark, and visit her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/authorjennstark.

 

 

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