Page 11 of Rage of the Fallen

Justice’s eyes flashed. “Hold on,” he growled.

In a blur of motion that made my stomach lurch, Justice activated his vampire speed. Wind whipped at my clothes and hair as we moved faster than human eyes could track, leaving the escalating madness of the castle behind.

As we raced away, a chilling thought struck me. The chaos I’d witnessed felt too potent, too all-consuming, to be the work of Rage alone. My mind raced with possibilities. With this level of chaos, Envy or Gluttony or even Pride might be here, too.

Justice didn’t stop until we reached our SUV.

But we weren’t alone.

An eerie stillness spread goosebumps along my arms like a spider had crawled all over me. The streets that should have been bustling with life were a tableau of unnatural inertia.

People stood frozen in place as if time itself had stopped. Some were mid-stride, arms suspended in half-completed gestures. Others sat slumped on curbs, their eyes glazed and unfocused. A woman near us had a trail of drool sliding down her chin, pooling on her shirt. She made no move to wipe it away, seeming too lethargic even for that small action.

Damon stared at the drooling woman. “Well, ain’t this a picture of small-town charm. Looks like someone hit the pause button on the whole damn place. Great. As if we didn’t have enough on our plate with Rage, now we’ve got the entire town doing their best mannequin impressions.”

“Sloth,” I whispered hoarsely. “Sloth is here.”

Damon cursed under his breath while Brody’s jaw clenched tight enough to see the muscles work. Justice glanced around, assessing the danger with preternatural speed.

Suddenly, movement caught my eye. A man in a crisp charcoal suit approached us with surprising swiftness. Unlikethose around him, his eyes were sharp and predatory, fixed on Lisa with unsettling intensity.

A demon.

Time seemed to slow as the man reached out, his fingers mere inches from Lisa’s arm. Without conscious thought, I found the mirror in my hand, raising it with practiced speed.

“Lisa, duck!” I shouted, thrusting the mirror between her and the advancing threat.

The effect was instantaneous and horrifying. As soon as the man’s reflection hit the mirror’s surface, he released an inhuman shriek. His form crumbled, flesh and bone disintegrating into fine gray ash. In mere seconds, he was a pile of dust scattering across the concrete in a light breeze.

The ensuing silence was deafening. I stared at the spot where the man had been. Sloth had been defeated, but there could be other deadly sin demons lurking nearby. I glanced at the mirror. Its power was the only thing keeping the demons away, but I had a hunch they were waiting for a tiny slip-up, a chance for the mirror to shatter or be out of my reach, to attack. The hair stood up on my arms and on the back of my neck. I didn’t see them, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there.

I could almost taste their evil, wanting to kill everyone I loved.

Not happening.

“Everyone okay?” Brody asked as he scanned our group for signs of injury.

I suddenly realized Zara had been uncharacteristically quiet since we arrived. I turned to look at her, and the haunted expression on her face struck me. Her usual confidence had vanished, replaced by a vulnerability I’d never seen before.

“Can we get out of here?” Zara whispered, trembling with emotion. “I don’t want to become a living statue like my sister.”

The sadness in her tone was heartbreaking. I tried to imagine how I’d feel if it were Damon frozen in place, stripped of his vibrant energy and wit. The thought alone was enough to make my chest tighten with anguish.

However, Sloth wasn’t the only demon we had to worry about. Six others were waiting to take these poor people around us and my team. The question was, where were they lurking?

Zara’s gaze darted nervously from one motionless figure to another, each frozen form a painful reminder of her sister’s fate. I recalled the story she’d shared with us earlier, a tale of sisterly love and devastating loss.

“We won’t let that happen to you, Zara.” I squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. “We’re in this together, remember?”

Damon nodded. “Yeah, no one’s turning into lawn ornaments on our watch.”

Zara managed a weak smile, but the fear lingered in her eyes. “Thanks,” she murmured. “It’s just…seeing all these people. It brings it all back, you know?”

Her hands were shaking, and she clenched them into fists, trying to regain her composure. The strong, sarcastic Zara we knew was still in there, but for now, she was overshadowed by a scared sister reliving her worst nightmare.

“We should keep moving,” Brody suggested, scanning our surroundings as he opened the SUV door. “We don’t want Maci or demons following us.”

I had a feeling it was too late for that. Maci was a crafty adversary, and I bet she’d figure out we were heading for the Isle of Skye.

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