Page 57 of Demon Sworn
And the ones I’ve been around the past few months…they’ve been nothing but an illusion. A sick, twisted creation from demons who clearly are crazier than my Akor. Longing pulses through me. I wish he was here right now. But he’s not. I’m alone. I glance across at the faces of my classmates. One doesn’t fit in with the rest.
“And David?” My voice is a breathy whisper, barely audible over the roaring in my ears. It sounds like ocean waves cresting the shoreline, eating away the discolored sand, before being pulled away by gravity itself in a never-ending tango of push and pull.
The demon posing as David laughs, the seductive sound causing goosebumps to ripple on my skin.
“An accident.” He shrugs his broad shoulders. “We meant to kill little Stacy, but he got in the way. After it happened, we figured this would be easier anyway. After all, a best friend knows everything there is to know about you. Theboyfriendof the best friend is around all the time, but without any of the responsibility of actually pretending to give a damn. Besides, Arariel wanted to continue the game of finding people with names similar to ours. David. Dajiel. Fun, right?”
“And of course, when we weren’t impersonating these little runts, we were your parents,” Arariel coos, once again kneeling before me. She lowers her voice in an over-exaggerated imitation of my mother. “Katrina! Get your ass inside! Did you finish your homework? How dare you not receive an A on this assignment!” Her claws click together as she steeples her fingers. “I have to say, I think that was my favorite part of all of this—breaking you with their disapproval, their distaste, their scorn.”
She cackles gleefully as my lungs turn cold. Icy. Numb.
Everything is numb.
“To be honest,” Wade begins, shoving his hands into his pockets, “I think your parents actually cared about you. Well, they did. Until we killed them.” He grins. “Want to hear about it in detail?”
Oh god.
This time, I actuallydovomit, twisting my body to the side so I don’t get any on my legs.
But when a tiny splatter gets on Arariel’s shoes?
I call it a win. One point for the measly human, though the scoreboard clearly shows the other team’s ahead.
“You bitch!” she growls out, eyes flaring red, and slaps me across the face so hard that I slam into the basketball pole. My cheek burns from the impact, but I still manage a taunting smirk. Because that’s all I’ve got. Fuck, what I wouldn’t give for Kastros right now, with his dark, scary brand of vengeance. A pulse of longing rushes through my veins.
Kastros, who tried to kill me. And yet I’m sitting here next to a puddle of my own vomit, wishing for him in my final moments. Because I’m his Center.
The last piece clicks into place.
“I think I finally figured out what this is about.” I spit blood from my mouth—fuck, that slaphurt—and meet each of their eyes individually. One by one, the men drop their illusions, until I’m staring at the four demons I met only a few times before. Dajiel, Tatrys, Wallim, Drogelzesh.
David, Tim, Wade, and Darrel.
It makes me sick to my stomach that the students they killed were only chosen because of their goddamned names. And their relationships with me, though looking back, Darrel and Wadehadquit decathlon after last year’s embarrassing loss before randomly deciding to join again. That must’ve been around the time Dajiel “persuaded” them.
Arariel places her tongue to the top of her mouth and glares at me, too angry to speak.
“I think,” I continue slowly, gauging each of their reactions, “you’re seeking revenge. A few centuries ago, my guys convinced you to kill your Center, didn’t they? And when you killed her, you guys fell from Heaven and became demons.” The more I talk, the more sure I become.Thisis why they’ve been targeting my guys…and me in particular. They want revenge for the woman my demons convinced them to kill. “You want revenge for her…”
Arariel’s eyes roll in her head. “Pfft…not all of us are as hamstrung by stupid emotions as your foolish little murder.”
Okay, so not for their Center. Then maybe… “Forgive me. You’re soulless monsters, incapable of love and affection. Demons.”
Arariel’s eyes flash, and I realize that’s the crux of it.
“You’re pissed because you fell from Heaven, aren’t you? Lost whatever status you had. Well, guess what? My guys had nothing to do with your fucked-up decision to murder your Center. You had the choice to resist temptation and—”
Slap.
My cheek stings, and my eyes water. I know I’m going to have a red handprint there when I’m finally freed.
And rest assured, I’m going to be freed. Because the bell rings, and first period classes are spilling out right now. Van will be expecting me. When I don’t show up, my guys will come. I just have to hold out the tiniest bit longer.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about!” Arariel rages, red flames sparking in both of her hands.
“No?” I quirk an eyebrow, turning away from her to stare at the other men. Their faces could’ve been hewn from ice, but there’s one thing I don’t detect in any of their expressions—grief. They truly don’t care that they murdered their fated mate, the woman they were meant to spend the rest of their lives with.
If I didn’t already know they were psychopaths, it would’ve become painfully clear now.
