Page 45 of Gift for a Demon

It did. It sounded very ominous. Dave struggled with the idea. He struggled even more with having to accept that there was nothing he could do about it. What was he supposed to do? Figure out a way to get the demon killed? And then what? He didn’t think there was a way to escape Hell, and he had a feeling he’d been lucky to be stuck with the giant.

Melchom’s shoulders stiffened. “You think too loudly.”

“I guess it’s one of my charms.”

“Or curses.”

“If you didn’t leave me alone, I wouldn’t have time to think.”

“I’ll keep it in mind.”

Dave wasn’t sure that was the reassurance he’d been fishing for. He just needed to make sense of what was going on, to have some kind of anchor to latch on to while he processed and figured out everything else.

One more blink, and they were inside the room. Dave blinked a few more times, feeling a migraine growing. Migraines were never a good sign for him. They usually happened when he was late for his meds, but that couldn’t be the reason now. He’d gotten his monthly injection last week.

“So, Dove, you’re going to feel this.”

“Feel what?”

Melchom didn’t answer, but his eyes glinted with blue sparks. It wasn’t even the sparks that had him checking for exits. There was just this power emanating from Melchom. There was always power emanating from him, a sort of authority that both drew him closer to the source and made him recoil. It was massive now, though, expanding across the room until Dave felt like he was suffocating.

He couldn’t not feel it when all that power was aimed at him.

CHAPTER 10

MELCHOM

The human.

Dove.

His Dove had considered killing him.

Melchom breathed through his nose, lips pinched tight. He should be coaxing the human to relax so he could work around his head more safely, but he couldn’t bring himself to speak.

Astaroth’s warnings kept playing on a loop while he worked his way through all the mirrors and illusions his Dove had built throughout the years. There was a reason why he hadn’t done this from the start.

“W-what are you doing?” Dove’s teeth chattered.

Melchom cursed.

The sort of fear weaving off him was the fear he instilled in humans he punished. He didn’t want to punish the human that was making him perk up again. Not the one he had a deal with so he could do what he did.

This isn’t a game, Melchom spoke into his brain. It was easier when he was this deep, and it would resonate further with the human. I need to figure out who drew you to the caves.

“The caves?” Melchom heard the human gulp. “Is that what was down the stairs? Caves?”

Yes. Melchom left it at that.

He’d finally grabbed hold of a linear sequence of events that recalled that morning. Melchom saw Dove in bed, curled up the way he’d left him, grumbling about mixed signals and not knowing what to expect or believe. He saw him trying to focus on the books next. He didn’t think Dove read more than a chapter before he got out of bed.

Melchom dug around, convinced whoever was influencing him must’ve started there.

No, Dove took those first steps out of the room willingly. Melchom cursed. He hadn’t realized keeping an adult human meant needing to baby proof all doors, but it might be worth looking into.

There were lots of thoughts swarming around the human’s head as he started walking—exploring, as he called it. He basically went in circles for the longest time.

That was when Melchom caught the influence, though: a thin thread of silver that had snuck in while Dove had been busy talking to a bunch of minions.

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