Page 33 of Torn Between Two Worlds

“Jameson was out on a scouting mission, looking to see the validity behind the claim that it was actually Heaven that would cause the Apocalypse if they grew displeased with humanities’ behavior.”

Jameson grinned and patted her on the back.

“Yep, that sure was what I was doing. Ten points to Ciara. Well, twenty I guess because of the other.”

She smiled, having their belief in her was important, and Fasheem seemed less skeptical as he sat staring. “Stryder was, well in hell.” She lowered her gaze and looked down at her feet through her lashes. “He'd gone to talk to War, and for whatever reason, never made it.”

The disgruntled grunt from next to her seemed to be all the commitment Stryder was willing to offer. She'd wanted to question him about that, but hadn't known where to start. She had her own ideas now that she knew him, perhaps he was looking for an out? It didn't matter, he would share on his own time.

“Demarcus had the most information of course. You were with the demon female that had taken care of you as you grew. She's different from other demons. Pampered for her stationing, but seemingly kind in comparison to some of the things I'd read. She was trying to coax you into living down there, and you told her it was easier to kill and escort the dead if you were already on Earth to gather the soul.” She had loved that scene, had felt as if she was standing against a wall watching a real interaction.

“She's kinder. But not kind. Something to do with fake motherhood. Lucifer forced her to raise us like princes, so we didn't decide to walk another path. Too late for that, as I'm sure Stryder explained.”

She nodded.

“Well, you have my vote.”

They all chimed in, and she sighed and sagged in the chair in relief.

“Now, if I may, can I get some clarification from you about some things?”

Demarcus nodded, ever the leader.

“First, just what is the Initiative? I'm not quite that far, in fact, all I know is Jonathan has a genuinely traumatic past with your kind. Oh dear, was that rude?”

Demarcus laughed and grinned. “Not rude at all. We aren't human after all. Well, Jess is, but she's only half-demon, so we don't count her.”

She saw Jess scowl playfully out of the corner of her eye.

“From what we know, the group is the original Knights of the Round Table.”

Her eyes widened, did that mean they were considered valiant and just? She didn’t get to ask, Demarcus kept talking, and she forced herself to listen.

“I’d bet someone’s always been hell-bent on removing all demons from the Earth, but that’s the first time we ran into them. Before you ask if we’re all bad, look around. There are shades of gray with every creature, and there are plenty of demons living just to live. Albeit, not the ones running through hell. But this group doesn't discriminate. A demon is a dead demon if it gets in their path.”

She nodded and felt a pang of sorrow. Hate was ugly everywhere. “And what about the specifics of your world? I mean I know the book was generated in the last year, but it doesn't say everything.”

“Well, our president is Mr. Northdam.”

Same as hers.

“America has fifty states and D.C. as her capital. There are seven continents that humans know of. Then there are the two you don't, so I suppose those don't even matter. Hmm, three hundred and sixty-five days in a year and twenty-four hours in a day. What else ya need? Oh, bacon is the best food ever, next to Chipotle.” His eyes sparkled as he grinned at her.

She was shocked Demarcus could be so playful, he hadn't seemed the type in his story. It seemed, once more, she had found a world that was almost parallel to hers. Her eyes drifted to Stryder's, and he was staring at her, causing her own thoughts to drift and crash into nothing but flashes of memory of them in bed together.Was that really only last night? Had it truly only been a few weeks since this all started?

“Ciara?”

She shook her head, clearing her thoughts and turned to see Demarcus staring questioningly at her. She flushed. “I'm sorry. I was in my own head. This is all so much to take in.” She bit her lower lip out of embarrassment. “I have only ever seen one other world, and it was when I was younger. I find myself dying to see what's different here, only to learn nothing. I sometimes feel bitter that I'm not picking some fantastic outer space world to visit.” The lie slipped so easily off her tongue, she worried what other bad habit she may have picked up recently. Well, most of it was a lie at least. She really did want to see a world different from her own on a fundamental level.

She heard them all chuckle. “I was asking how you handled my knucklehead of a brother.”

Her face paled, and her eyes darted to Stryder, panic written on her face.

“And I told him you handle me like an expert.” He winked and gave her that damned smirk, and she wanted to smack him.

“Oh yes, it's not too hard to know how to deal with an obstinate child. Sooner or later, we've all dealt with one.” She leaned back in the chair, crossed her arms and returned his smirk, just as she heard Jameson's whoop of laughter over the others.

“Damn, Bro. That's a burn if I ever heard one.”

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