Page 12 of Bad Demon

I walked through the gateway, which opened out to a large garden area out front. Pulling my hood lower, I glanced over my shoulder again and jogged across the lawn. I rushed up the steps and banged on the heavy, wooden double doors.

The chilly wind blew around me, and I rubbed my arms as ice slid down my spine and goose bumps prickled the back of my neck. The feeling that I was being watched sent frozen tendrils through my veins, and I scanned the area around me again.

The door opened, and I turned back as the demon standing there gave me a once-over, then grinned.

“Hey, gorgeous. What’s up?”

“Hey, Berkley. How’s your sister?”

“Yeah, good, honey. Behaving herself, for now.”

I laughed. Berkley came in to my store with her from time to time.

“So, I was hoping I could use the library this afternoon.”

“Let me check with Rune. Should be okay though.”

Rune, the demon in charge of all of us here in Seventh Circle, had been selected by Lucifer to run things. He was scary as hell, but if you toed the line and followed the rules, he let you be. If he ever found out what I had done with that demon a few nights ago, he wouldn’t be happy with me, not at all.

Berkley put his phone to his ear and opened the door wider for me. My boots thudded against the old, stained, and cracked linoleum as I strode in, goose bumps lifting all over my body.

Breathe. You can leave at any time.

I curled my fingers into tight fists. I’d been here several times, but I’d never get used to that goddamn smell. The scent of hospital still lingered, along with a few other unpleasant things that caused a visceral reaction and made every cell in my body fucking contract in terror. Forcing myself to breathe slow and easy, I stood in the cold and stark hall and waited while Berkley muttered down the line.

Finally, he hung up and gave me a chin lift. “You can head on up.”

“Awesome, thanks.”

I headed along the hall, passing door after door. I didn’t know what they used the rooms down here for, but the upper floors had been converted into accommodations for Rune’s brethren. They followed orders and were a pretty tight-knit group. Rune had the very top floor to himself. The other floors were used for various things—things I wasn’t privy to but had heard rumors.

I rounded the corner and onto the ancient-looking elevator.

Gripping the strap of my bag—and still thankfully managing to keep it together—I hit the button for the fifth floor. The elevator moved slowly, and when the doors finally slid open, I rushed out and down the hall to the library. It wasn’t a huge room—not as big as, say, the witches council’s library. I’d never been, of course, but I’d heard about it. A lot of our demon texts had been taken from us, mainly by witches, and were locked up out of our reach. I wasn’t sure what this room had been used for in the past—maybe an office of some kind. At least it smelled better and the old radiators still worked and kept most of the rooms warm. It had started to rain outside, and surprisingly, it felt kind of cozy in here.

Turning slowly, I tried to decide where to start. We didn’t have a system as such, but over the years, someone had taken the time to put the modest collection in some kind of order. Dumping my bag on the table, I ran my finger along the spines.

A slow drip came from the eave outside, and I shivered. I closed my eyes and tried to breathe as an unwanted memory rushed forward.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

The sound came from a small basin in the corner of my room. I stared at it, focusing on that noise, counting in time with it—up to four, then back again, over and over—while I shivered and my skin burned like it had been set alight. It helped; somehow, the counting helped.

The door opened, and my raw nerve endings had me jolting.

“How are we doing this morning, Essie?”

I couldn’t answer; my jaw was clenched too tightly to speak.

The Chemist moved around the bed, staring down at me as he slid on black latex gloves. “The virus has taken hold, I see.” He tilted his head to the side. “This one definitely shows promise. I’d like to know how contagious it is. I have high hopes for it. You are eighteen now, Estelle, old enough for what must be done. I’ve found a suitable demon for you to copulate with so we can test how easily this virus passes via bodily fluids.”

I stared up at him in horror.

“Don’t look so alarmed. Demons are, after all, filthy, rutting, and base, which is why this form of transmission is best. It’s your nature to enjoy such endeavors. I’m sure you’ll take pleasure from it.” He leaned over me. “I’m sure a whorish creature like you will relish the chance to have a male between your thighs.”

My entire body convulsed, rejecting his words. It wasn’t the first time he’d called me a filthy whore, of course, and he’d told me this was coming, but I had hoped it was just a threat.

“But before we get to that, Ghoul needs feeding,” he said, his eyes sparkling with glee. “He’s very hungry, and having you a little weaker during the next phase of my experiment is probably for the best.”

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