Page 37 of Seducing Hope (The Hope Legacy)

Running a hand over my head, I touch the egg-shaped lump and wince. Duncan combs his fingers through my hair, finding the source of my pain. Warmth suffuses my head, and the pain eases. “I’ve already done what I can with your face. You just have some bruising, but it should be gone in a few days. Does anywhere else hurt?”

I shake my head.

“Can you describe him?” Aaden asks.

My mind runs through his distinctive features. “I don’t know what type of demon he is, but he had long, bony, black-tipped fingers, sharp facial features, crimson eyes… oh, and a pointy, long foot with black toes.”

Duncan frowns. “Foot? He was one-legged?”

Snorting at the image of a hopping demon, I shake my head. “No, his shoe slipped off in my hand.”

Duncan grins. “You touched his mangy foot?”

I mock shiver. “Don’t, Duncan. I’ll have nightmares for weeks. The guy needs to put socks on his Christmas list.”

“Not sure demons get visits from Santa,” Duncan mumbles.

“How about his build?” Aaden asks.

“He’s tall, about six-foot-two or three, and well-built. He also seemed to move with the shadows, or rather the shadows move with him. In fact…” I glance at Aaden’s laptop screen, paused on the last video, showing the mysterious man. They follow my gaze.

Zee exhales. “So, you’ve met our potential kidnapper.”

“I can protect myself, Zee. We need to stop whatever is going on. You know we won’t have another opportunity to get this close.”

“There lies the problem, Natia—you’re too close. How can you be effective when you can’t think straight when he’s around you? He’s trying to bring down your shields, and when he discovers your true aura, what then? If I remember correctly, the last guy tried to drag you to hell. What if he figures out what you are?”

“Then he can let me know,” I quip.

“So you think he’ll shrug his shoulders and let you go? You’re walking into the lion’s den with a stick to protect yourself. You’re out of your league.” Inhaling deeply, he meets my eyes. “I can’t be part of this.” Snatching his coat from the back of the chair, he storms out of the apartment, slamming the door behind him.

I lurch to my feet, and Duncan grabs my arm. “Let him be, Locks. He’s scared for you. Let him work through his frustration. He’ll be back.”

I sit next to Aaden, pulling my knees up to my chest and circling them with my arms. “Is there anything else?”

He nods. “Some text files.”

He opens the first one; it’s about the possible whereabouts of an artifact they must be hunting for. Notes show locations they’ve already checked. There are three left to search.

I frown. “Do you think the victims were handing our mystery demon what they thought may be this artifact?”

Aaden swings back on his chair. “Good theory. The real question is when Reinheart finds this artifact, what’s he going to use it for?”

“Good point…” I put my hand on the back of his chair and push forward. “Stop swinging on your chair, you’ll fall and hurt your head.”

His lips quirk up. “You sound like my seventh-grade teacher.”

Ignoring him, I point to a file named “Pan.” “What’s that?”

Aaden opens it and finds that it’s actually an extensive document about a person.

“Unusual name,” I muse as we scan the text. I point to a map with dates. “This Pan has led them on a worldwide hunt. If I didn’t know better, I would say they don’t have a clue where he is.”

Aaden nods. “So, they’re searching for an artifact and a man called Pan.”

I drum my fingers on the table. “We don’t know if they’re responsible for the disappearances. But everything is linked. So we research the shit out of it and join the search for this artifact and Pan.”

Duncan taps his fingers on the screen, and Aaden scowls, quickly wiping the fingerprints off with the sleeve of his sweatshirt. Duncan lifts his hands in apology. “Sorry. There’s a picture file—can we look at that?”

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