Page 174 of The Demon's Pet

Sam was chained there, shirtless, tattoos and skin bared to the moon. He wore only black boxer briefs, like he’d been taken from his bed. His wrists were chained by cuffs to each of the top tips of the X, and his legs were chained to the bottom.

He was breathing, I noticed, his abs gently moving with his inhalations. He was drenched in sweat, possibly in pain.

Blood flowed from the cuffs cutting into his skin as they bore his weight.

And then, in a puff of wind, Mor appeared behind the cross, walking out from behind it to glare at me.

“Half void walker, remember?” she asked. “It was enough to gain Sam’s trust, to make him think I was on his side in finding the Morningstar. Like I would betray the celestials for some half demon.” She smiled cruelly. She was clad completely in loose black clothing perfect for fighting, including black tennis shoes.

As she glared down at me imperiously, she looked competent as hell.

I walked forward, hoping to free Sam immediately, but she blurred and then appeared in front of me, getting right in my face so I could feel her breath on my cheek.

“I’ll finish you off. Then I’ll find Os, and we’ll take Sam to the ninth realm for execution,” she said, folding her arms and walking forward, forcing me to back up.

My heart was still racing a million miles a second, and sweat was breaking out on every inch of my skin. My hands were twitching, and my neck burned where the collar was every time I looked at Sam.

Whatever was inside me didn’t like this situation at all.

“How did you capture him?” I yelled at her. “He trusted you!”

“I’m a void walker. I have my own abilities. Why would we be on the same squad if I wasn’t at his level? Are you going to fight me, then?” Mor asked, lunging forward as I lunged backward. “Show me what you are, Morningstar.”

We’ll show you something, fucker, my inner demon replied.

Then lightning-white heat burst through me, and bright light shone through the clearing as something shot out from my chest in a wide beam, barely missing Mor.

It hit a wall behind her where it left a sizzling, melting hole. In stone.

Mor just stared at me, frozen, then looked from the stone wall to me and back again.

Then she put up both hands, backing away from me. “All right, I never said I’d fight a laser. Your collar needs an upgrade.”

Rage still pounded through me. What she’d dared to do to someone who trusted her. Someone who had done so much for me. “Cut him down!” I yelled at her. In my chest, I could feel heat building again. Intense, roiling heat that I couldn’t control.

She put her hands up. “Wait, Cleo, it’s not what it looks like. Hold up—”

You’re gonna die,my inner demon roared.

One more look at Sam hanging there, bleeding, and I knew destroying her was inevitable.

A part of me was shaking, holding back. We didn’t want to kill. We weren’t ready. It felt like I was being torn in half inside.

Mor hurt Sam. Mor wanted to hurt us.

And yet… and yet…

She took what’s ours. She harmed what’s ours. We kill her, the demon said. And that was that.

I felt the cabochon break on my neck, and another bright light shot out of me, feeling like it was tearing out my entire chest with it, though when I looked down, I was fine.

Another place in the stone wall sizzled, but Mor had narrowly dodged, using her void powers, and was standing there looking shaken, both of her hands up.

“Hey, wait,” she said desperately. “I need to explain something.”

But I didn’t know how to calm the demon inside me.

“Cleo, stop!” A voice rang out from the steps leading up to the cathedral, and I turned to see a figure there, standing in a black bathrobe.

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