Page 67 of Make Me Lie (Rich Demons of Darkwood 1)

“It loses its charm and excitement quickly,” I warned her. I eyed the cameras nearby; someone would know we were here soon. The unblinking eye watching me might not see her, given the way it was angled and how she still stood right by the door.

I handed her back her student ID. “Don’t lose it down here. You don’t want anything tying you to me or to this building.”

Then I waved at the camera, climbed onto the hood of the McLaren, then the roof. Balanced on the shiny metal, I yanked off my t-shirt, then rose onto my tiptoes to cover the camera.

I turned back. “Okay, there’s another one by the ramp to the exit. You stay here while I take care of that one.”

There were muffled angry voices on the other side of the door, and the sound of guys slamming into it before one of them said, “I don’t think you want to go in there without permission.”

I had to get Jenna out of here fast. I kicked off my sneaker and yanked off one slightly blood-stained sock—well, shit—before running to cover up the other camera. Then I reached the garage door’s controls, which was a screen prompting me for a code. The guys obviously had some kind of special sensor in their cars that opened the doors automatically for them. I didn’t have time to fuck around with code-breaking. I paced to the nearest car, tried the door, and when it didn’t open, I backed up and kicked in the window. Pain arched through my foot but the window shattered inward.

“Wow,” she said, her eyes wide.

Was she impressed? There was an unfamiliar warm glow of pride in my chest. I reached in, unlocked the door, and searched frantically for the sensor. I found it mounted on the dashboard, a small black circle, and I wrenched it loose and carried it toward the door.

The doors rumbled open.

“You’ve got to run,” I said. “I’ll stay here and lead off any welcome party. By now, someone in the house knows something is off.”

She shook her head. “Come with me. You aren’t safe here.”

“I’m not safe anywhere,” I promised her. “But this is sort of my home now. And thanks. I… I needed help back there.”

It was hard to admit.

“Any time,” she said, then frowned as she must have realized what she’d just said, and I burst out laughing. She stared at me for a second, then started to laugh too. It sounded shaky, but it was still a good sign.

“Why’d you come?” I asked, and my heart froze when I asked, even more than when I was in some life-or-death situation.

“I was a bitch the other day,” she said freely, surprising me. “I’m sorry, Aurora. You were nothing but nice to me, and I thought about it and… you should be treated like your own person. Youareyour own person. Not just The Demon’s daughter.”

“Maybe I need to learn to be both.”

A noise from above drew both our attention. The door stood open, the night dark and stark outside. I gave her an encouraging look. “Be careful. I’ll check in with you later to make sure you made it safely.”

“You be careful!” she shot back, a bossy edge overcoming some of her fear.

Then she raced off into the night.

I turned back, knowing that someone would be coming for me.

But I wanted to go have a conversation with Cain and the others. Had they set me up to be locked in the crypt, sending frat boys to do their dirty work? Because I could bring the stabbing party to them.

I slipped back through the garage and made my way up the stairs. This time, they were illuminated. I stopped at the first landing to let myself into the floor to my right, and found myself in a room where artificial lights glowed overhead, illuminating the blue-green waters of an enormous, Olympic-sized pool. I shuddered at the sight, pressing my back against the wall so no one would see me as footsteps rang down the stairs.

Two men raced past me. Once they were gone, I made my way calmly up the stairs and through the door back into the main hallway.

I went up the stairs and listened outside Cain’s room first. It was quiet. No obvious evidence of an orgy. Was he asleep? Out?

Funny that I felt more nervous outside his door than I had all night. Being here reminded me so strongly of walking into that hot, dark scene by accident, of the way girls writhed at Cain’s feet.

I tried the knob, and it turned. I walked into Cain’s room as if I belonged here.

The room was only faintly lit by a lamp on his desk. The dungeon equipment was cast in shadows. It took me a second to even see him, lost in the shadows himself. He was sitting up in bed with one elbow draped on his knee, his gaze amused as he watched me.

Cain drawled, “Hey, little devil. Why are you covered in blood?”

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