Page 39 of House of Demons and Bones

Come and see,the male voice coaxed.We’ve waited an eon for you.

I’m not even twenty-two,I shot back.

We waited for you to be born and then come of age,the female said.We saw your coming before we fell.

I frowned, my mind whirling.

Don’t you want to defeat your father?asked the thundering male voice.

More than anything!

The dark flame in you has emerged,he continued.And you need allies. Only we can teach you to vanquish him.

Who are you?I demanded.

Come,the female invited.

They wouldn’t reveal more through the door, knowing too well that I was hooked—I’d do anything to kill my father. Even if it was a trap beyond the door, I’d jump in now.

Fortune favors the bold. Wish me luck.

I reached for the handle. The door creaked open before I pushed it. Taking a deep breath, I ducked inside. It clicked shut behind me, sealing me in.

I fought the urge to yank the door open and bolt. Not that it would budge until whoever lurked here was done with me. Better to get this over with. I kept my fear locked down tight—supernaturals could smell weakness like sharks scented blood, and the beings here were far worse than mere monsters.

Their presence saturated the air, their power crackling even through their restraints.

Chills slithered up my spine, reminding me of standing before my father. What had I gotten myself into? Then again, nothing could be worse than dear old dad.

The darkness here went beyond the absence of light—it was a living thing, deeper than the blackest night. My eyes adjusted, seeing through the writhing mist that twined with shadows, danger lurking within. Sy rose closer to the surface, ready tostrike if the presence made a wrong move. For now, she waited, deceptively quiet but vibrating with contained violence.

“You have me here,” I drawled with a swagger I didn’t feel. Everyone preached fake-it-till-you-make-it, so why not join the circus? “And you’ve got five minutes to make it count.”

Cassius and Rock had tried drilling into me the power of keeping my mouth shut. I got their point—silence could be a weapon. But I already packed enough power, and throwing the first punch, even blind, was way more fun.

If you had thoughts, you wanted them heard.

“The mainstream ain’t owning the microphone no more,” I said, knowing it made no sense to the beings here, but I didn’t care. When I was nervous, I just needed to vent. “Yeah, they’re desperate to snatch it back.”

My mouth snapped shut as the eerie fog slithered toward me. Whatever was in the fog wasn’t some kinetic energy Pucker had babbled about. No, this was something else. Something close to my father’s essence. And it nearly freaked me out as I watched the fog stretch into infinity, deeper than an abyss and bottomless like the Void, a cosmic drain that could devour gods.

A shudder ripped through me.

“Quit the games and show yourself,” I said more aggressively. “Everyone who’s played with me ended up being the mouse. So, save yourself the humiliation, please.”

Probably not my smartest move, goading them. They might not even give a shit about embarrassment, especially without an audience.

I’m your audience,Sy chimed in supportively.

Silence stretched in the room, which I now noticed had no walls and no dimension; even time seemed frozen in this space.

“You were chatty enough in my head outside that red door. Don’t get shy on me now,” I broadcast into the void.

Nothing. Just the weight of their scrutiny pressed against my mind, probing. I slammed my mental shield up, and it held this time.

“Who are you anyway? Are you even people?” I clicked my tongue. “If you’re trapped souls, heads up—I’m not scared of ghosts. Got one as a familiar, and he’s a poltergeist. And if you want help crossing over to the light?—”

Purple lightning pierced through the dark fog, nearly blinding me. In a blink, I was yanked—backward? Forward? I had no clue. I just knew I was thrashing, cursing, and hurling power at whatever was manhandling me.

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