Page 56 of The Secret Life of a Witch

“Look, I know this is hard to take in”—he dares a step off the final step—“but I need you to stay in this house … It’s important that you do.”

My fingers wrap tighter around the doorknob. “Why?”

He takes another step toward me, the floorboards creaking under his weight. “Because it’s dangerous out there.”

“Why now?” I wonder. “Why did it all of a sudden become so dangerous? Just because the demons took my sister?”

He shakes his head as he reduces the space between us even more. “That’s not the full reason.”

My heart pounds in my chest as he nears me. “Then tell me the full reason.”

“I don’t know the full reason yet.” He’s within arm’s reach now. “What I do know is that someone told the demons where your sister’s body was, and how you were trying to revive her. They knew how to get to you, which means someone close to you is a traitor.”

I want to say,like you, but the contract promise already revealed that he didn’t out Ryleigh’s location.

“Please just stay with me.” He sticks out his hand for me to take, his eyes silently begging me to listen to him.

Every instinct is urging me to slip my fingers through his. That while he’s lied to me, I can feel in my veins that he’s worried about me and just wants to protect me.

I step forward and start to reach for him, when Opal comes bursting down the stairs with her wings out.

“Hunter, we have a huge problem. The demons might know a way to get Eva to …” Her eyes widen as her gaze lands on me. “Oh, crap.”

“Wait …” I put two and two together and back away. “She’s part of this, too?”

“I was going to tell you. I was just waiting for the right time.” Hunter moves toward me with his arms extended.

I jump back, reach behind me, and throw open the door.

The wind howls and sends leaves and fog billowing around me and into the foyer. My hair whips around my face and goose bumps dot my arms.

“No!” Hunter cries, lunging toward me with his gaze trained over my shoulder at the outside.

I trip backward to get away from him and stumble over the threshold, almost going down. However, my back smacks against a rock-solid surface.

I stiffen and spin around, only to come face-to-face with the dark-haired, red-eyed demon I made the deal with.

“Eva, run!” Hunter shouts, snagging ahold of the hem of my shirt.

I start to let him haul me backward, but the demon places a hand on me andpoof.

Just like that, we’re gone.

EVALEE

When I regain consciousness, I have to blink several times to process where I am. Green grass and tree trunks are above my head, and the starry night sky is below my feet … What the hell? What is this? Upside down town?

“What the heck? Why is everything upside down?”

“Do I really have to answer that?” The demon’s voice sounds alarmingly close.

I blink and blink again, putting together that the world isn’t upside down. I am. Because the demon has me slung over his shoulder and is carrying me somewhere.

“Where are we going?” I murmur, my brain fuzzy, probably from being upside down for so long.

“That will be revealed in time,” is all he says as dirt crunches underneath his shoes while he continues to hike toward the unknown.

Fear pummels through me, and I long for my magic wand. Sure, I suck at using it, but if for nothing else, I could stab him with the end of it.

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