Page 20 of A Study of Blood and Ichor

Lena sighed and unfurled her fingers to rub her temples.

“We may need to explore other options,” Lena said, her voice dropping low.

“What other options do we have?”

She paused before locking her gaze with mine. “It can’t be allowed to live.”

“What are you saying?” I knew all too well what Lena was proposing. “The only way to kill the demon now would be—”

“To kill Rory in the process. We don’t have another choice. If the demon cannot be expelled through exorcism, then a selenite blade is the only weapon we have to drive it out of Rory if we want any chance of killing it.”

I couldn’t believe the words I was hearing. It was just as Vain had predicted.

“When your High Witch finds that she no longer has a use for us, what will she do?”

My heart lurched. “There has to be another way. We shouldn’t have to resort to killing an innocent man in the process.” My mind was racing, caught between processing Lena’s words and working through other possible solutions, only to come up empty-handed.

Lena clicked her tongue, then said, “That man is far from innocent. An innocent man would fight tooth and nail against the monster inside him. He and the demon are coexisting.” She must have caught a hint of disbelief on my face because she went on more insistently. “You know that’s the truth, Ava. You’ve seen it. If anything, we’d be doing him a favor. Freeing his soul would be a courtesy, maybe the only one we can give him now.”

“There has to be another way. Lena, please—”

“Enough.” Her admonishment was razor-sharp.

The lump that formed in my throat ached as I struggled to tug it down.

“Rory is beyond saving. We’ve done all we can and exhausted all our options. We have done our due diligence, and now, we must fulfill our duty.” The corners of her mouth tugged downward. “To want to save a mortal life is noble, Ava, but not at the cost of keeping a powerful demon alive. We live in a harsh world with only gray areas. No matter what we choose to do, there will always be casualties because of demons like Vain that force us to make terrible decisions every day. Don’t ever forget who our enemy is—who the real monsters are.”

I opened my mouth to object, to fight back, but shut it just as quickly.

Lena’s mind was made up. I could see her fierce resolution etched on every crease of her mouth and the thin lines around her eyes. A High Witch’s word was always final.

“When?” was all I could ask. Attempting anything more than a single syllable seemed impossible.

“Tomorrow morning,” she said. “It’s already late and I need time to prepare.”

My stomach pitched, and I bowed my head.

Lena reached across the desk and gently squeezed my arm with a forced smile. “I know today has been hard. Go and get some rest. You’ll need all your strength for tomorrow.”

I muttered a quick goodnight and abruptly got up to leave.

My thoughts were at war with each other once again. Part of me knew Lena was right. Demons caused so much suffering in our world, and one less of them could mean thousands of lives saved in the long run. Yet, every time I thought of Rory, a cold ache shot through my chest, a sharp reminder that his life hung in the balance too.

When my thoughts drifted to Vain and those soulless, black eyes that allowed me a glimpse of the monster within, I hesitated.

“I know what you want, even though you’re too afraid to acknowledge it.”

I tried not to think about how the demon had acquainted itself with my darkest and most selfish desires, so I suppressed them all, shuddering inwardly.

I walked through the estate in a daze until I crossed the threshold of my room, slid the lock into place, and stripped off my clothes, leaving them in a trail toward my bathroom. The idea of sinking into a scalding hot bath sounded like exactly what I needed to clear my head.

I ran the faucet and stepped into the claw-foot tub, the enamel icy on my bare skin. Leaning back, I eyed the running water for a few moments, battling with my thoughts and the ache between my legs.

Perhaps the only way to expel the tempting thoughts Vain had planted in my head was to drive them out completely. With a sigh of resignation, I repositioned myself closer to the faucet and hooked my legs over the edge of the tub, then inched forward until the water rushed between my thighs. The pressure was immediate, and my eyes rolled back as I moved my hips underneath the stream, my body already melting into the sensations.

An image of Rory flashed behind my eyes with his mouth pressed to my neck, his breath hot and heavy against my skin.

I forced the vision away, but another one took its place just as quickly.

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