Page 90 of Infernal Hearts

“But he has no idea!” I can’t believe what’s coming out of his mouth. “He thinks he’s normal!” The lies Jason’s been fed for his entire life make the blood rush to my face as I grit my teeth. It’s unfair—everything I’ve seen him struggle with internally about whether he’s enough to stand on his own. Of course he is. But he never had the full story, and this man has let him stay in the dark the entire time, struggling to make his own way.

Dr. Blackwell shrugs. “It keeps him humble. Nothing is worse than an ego when you realize the scales are always tipped in your favor. You need to stay calm and cool. It’s why he’s built for this line of work.”

“What about the basement in the crypt? Who else have you killed and hidden from him?”

His face sours. “I have killed no one. They willingly gave all of those samples in the name of science and medicine. I’ve only made one sacrifice in my life. Tonight will be my second and last.”

A cold sweat covers my skin as I my breath picks up speed. I pull against the restraints again, as hard as I can, but I’m stuck. “You don’t have to do this.”

“I’m afraid I do.” He puts his lighter in his pocket, a soft glow filling the room. “I made an agreement a long time ago if this day were to ever come.”

“Agreement?” I pull harder, but still to no avail. “With who?”

The door to the operating room opens, and another voice answers. “With me.”

A familiar figure walks inside, candlelight barely casting shadows on the face.

Valerie.

“No.” I’m frozen, struggling to find the words. All I can do is shake my head in denial. “But you…you’re Jason’s friend! You’re like family to him!”

“Except we aren’t family.”

“What are you talking about?” I grit my teeth, pulling harder against the restraints. “You’ve been at his side this entire time! Everything I’ve ever seen you do or heard you say was to keep him safe!”

“That was my job, you foolish creature. And you made it so much harder. If only you’d died in the forest the first night.”

“Your job?” The fact that she can be so matter-of-fact and callous makes my stomach curdle.

“It doesn’t matter. I’ve been keeping an eye on him and feeding information to Dr. Blackwell so we could lure you here. In exchange, I get your heart. It just took longer to figure it out. I have to admit—you’re a good liar.”

A cold chill runs through my body. It was all a betrayal. It was all fake. She’s never cared about Jason—everything she’s done was to keep her end of the bargain. It was all to get something she wanted. I think of Jason, and my hands clench so tight my knuckles almost pop, but I’m still trying to hold back my tears. I just need to keep fighting. Hold them off long enough to think of a way out of this.

“So you’ve been spying through Jason’s office this whole time?”

“You know, I wasn’t sure it was you at first.” She sighs and crosses her arms. “All you demons are so similar on the outside. I thought you may have been just another random supernatural stumbling into Jason’s arms. But after your blood healed that gorgon, it was clear as day. That’s when I called the good doctor and we set up this room.”

A growl escapes my teeth. “What do you even want with my heart? What could you possibly use it for?”

“Oh, you poor thing.” She smooths my hair, even though I flinch away. “Immortality. It’s a rare thing. I’m thousands of years old and nearing the end. And, like the good doctor here, I’m not ready.”

I have to think of something to stall them. Anything. The words come bursting out of my mouth. “I’m the last one of my kind. If you kill me, incubi will go extinct forever.”

Dr. Blackwell’s voice breaks the pregnant pause that follows. “That can’t be true.”

I turn my head toward him, babbling. “It is. Yours was the last heart I could sense. I know you know it, too.”

He looks at Valerie. “Maybe we could…”

“No, Richard.” She holds up her hand and cuts him off. “I’m not waiting any longer.”

“But there has to be a better way.” His voice is shaking, unsure. “I can’t kill off an entire species. I know how he can make another. Maybe we could give him a chance to—”

“To what?” There’s a fire in her eyes. “Escape and kill us? Are you really that naive after all these years?”

“Valerie, I don’t think this is right.” His tone is hushed as he shakes his head hesitantly. “I don’t agree with this.”

She snarls. “Except you already agreed to it. The day you found out your wife was pregnant.”

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