Page 15 of All the Devils are Here

But I wouldn’t give up until the last second. Even if my world felt like it was fading to black. Like a stage light slowly shifting to a final spotlight that would sink into the dark.

There were lights in the dark, pale blue and whirling like stars. They rippled and flowed like a dance in front of my eyes. Maybe this was a final gift, so I could sink into the dark without fear.

I clung to it like I wished I could cling to life, grateful for one more taste of beauty.

And I released my last breath, all that was left of me.

CHAPTER SEVEN

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TRIN

Icaught her body as it went limp, pressing a hand over her mouth. She needed to surrender to the water in order for me to help her. Her small form thrashed as her lungs filled with water, but that was fine. I could keep her alive like this.

Moving my hand to her neck, I brushed her hair back in the water so it was a glowing halo around her head, lit up by my luminescence.

For a moment I was stunned by her image, a goddess floating asleep in the void, waiting to be woken. She was a dormant star or supernova, calling to me to keep her close and safe while also letting her shine. If I’d had any breath in my lungs, it would be gone.

One quick sting from my wrist and her body calmed, accepting the alien sensation of water in her lungs. Only the venom that would allow her to breathe, and nothing else. It would last long enough to get her home. That was all I needed. Back to the island before he called for me and wondered why we both weren’t there.

A dark shape floated past, and Ariel appeared in a rough form, looking down at her.

Neither of us wanted to take her there, knowing what might happen, and neither of us had a choice.

But, like Ariel, I knew the woman I held in my arms was special. She feltbright. Like she was glowing beneath the surface of her skin, though there was no light visible.

She wasn’t like any of the other humans dragged to our island home. They were rarely women, and rarely alive for more than a day or two.

That wouldn’t happen to her. We might not have much power, but I wasn’t going to let her die. There was something about her, and we were going to figure out what it was.

I began to swim for home, for the first time in a century feeling something like hope.

CHAPTER EIGHT

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LAURENT

Meg’s quiet sobs were going to haunt me. She was trying to keep quiet while she cried, but I could still hear her. I could hear her heartbeat through the walls, her tears even more so.

I didn’t sleep at all, listening to the ragged nature of her crying, like she had cracked open and every bit of sadness she’d ever felt was pouring out.

It killed me to know I was a part of that. I’d hurt her, and it was like a knot in my gut. Watching her walk away didn’t help. Especially since it was the last thing I wanted. Iwantedto lean into that kiss. Iwantedto tell her she lit me up inside and I was drawn to her like nothing I’d ever felt. I wanted to tell her that I didn’t care that she wasn’t my mate like in the way Christine had hers, because mates were so fucking rare, I didn’t think I had one.

I wanted to see where the chemistry between us went and give her everything she wanted.

But none of what I wanted mattered, because I was still immortal, and Meg deserved someone she could grow old with. And I couldn’t take watching her wither away. And that was the least of it.

I was a selfish coward, but Meg could live a full, safe life.

She wasn’t home when I woke, but I hadn’t expected her to be. Whatever party she’d gone to seemed like the kind to last overnight, and I had no right to tell her where she needed to be, or when. Still, I hoped she would be here when I got home from work. Just so I could see how she was and if she was okay.

The pain in her eyes when she finally told me the truth, and then her cries…

Shaking my head, I pulled on my coat and walked the few blocks to my office. I wasn’t busy, generally, and today was no exception. My small practice was private, and mostly non-humans, though there were a few. But it was a relief to help people, because of my past.

‘Do no harm’ spoke to me on a level deeper than your average doctor, though I worked to make sure no one ever knew. I pushed open the door and my receptionist, a dryad named Cleo whose tree was in one of the parks not far from here, smiled before tilting her head and speaking in French. “You’re here.”

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