Page 70 of Touched By Darkness

She’s the cure for his boredom and the festering disease inside him that’s slowly sucking the joy out of Daemon’s existence.

I can’t remember the last time I saw him so engaged.

That’s the sole reason I follow him upstairs instead of letting the girls in their tiny dresses entice me to cause a little mayhem.

Now I’m indulging in a different kind of mayhem.

The kind that starts with a ‘T,’ ends with an ‘E,’ and spells out ‘Trouble.’

Because that’s what the new girl is. Big fucking trouble that will see us strung up by our balls if we’re not careful.

We take a right at the top of the stairs, and I frown as we pass the large sculptures that line the hallway.

“There’s a reason I rarely visit the art wing,” I tell them while eyeing up a grotesque statue of an angel with a deer’s head. Soulless empty eyes follow me as an icy shiver runs down my back.

“Scared the statues will come alive and feed on your soul?” Alaric teases.

I do a double take at the next statue of a fallen angel with stumps for wings. “Not at all. I just don’t see how any of this”—I gesture around the empty hallway—“is considered art?”

“The artsy girls are unhinged,” Alaric agrees, “but they’re also damn good in bed.”

Daemon throws us a stern look over his shoulder, a silent command to shut up.

I hold my hands up placatingly.

We stop outside a shut door, and a slow smirk lifts Daemon’s lips as he pushes down on the handle, careful not to make it creak as it opens to a large open space. This used to be one of the dance studios before they moved that part of the section to the left wing. Now it’s used for carving sculptures. And like a scene out of my worst nightmare, the room is littered with them.

Countless stone sculptures with empty eye sockets and pulled-down smiles, sharp saber teeth and crooked claws, twisted limbs and silenced screams.

Daemon walks softly, avoiding the pieces of gritty rock on the floor. His footsteps can barely be heard over the breeze whipping through the sheer, black curtains.

The room is dark except for the beams of silvery moonlight on the floor. It’s barely enough light to see by, but that doesn’t stop Daemon as he stops and sniffs the air again.

His eyes zero in on one of the dark corners, where a bunch of crates are stacked hazardously. The smile that unfurls on his lips is villainous and sadistic and carries the promise of pain. “Found you, little witch,” he whispers darkly as he sets off toward her hiding place.

Alaric walks back to block off the only escape route—the door.

She’s trapped now, locked in this dark room with three tormentors hellbent on destroying her.

I sidestep another sculpture, baring my teeth at its face that resembles one of the gargoyles on the roof of this building. Who the fuck creates this shit?

“If you come out, I promise I won’t hurt you, little witch.” Daemon’s voice drips with insincerity and claps against the walls like a thunder strike. “I’ll take it easy on you.”

Amused, I press my lips together to stop myself from laughing. He’s taunting her for sport.

“I can hear your heartbeat, little witch. It races like that of a frightened rabbit in the presence of a fox.”

One more silent step closer. “But you weren’t lucky enough to attract the fox, sweetheart. No, you caught the attention of a pack of wolves instead.Hungry wolves.”

To frighten her and lure her out of her hiding spot, he kicks a nearby crate out of the way, and it collides with a sculpture. Broken pieces of wood lie scattered on the floor in its wake, but there’s no sign of the little witch.

Daemon stiffens as his eyes narrow.

And for one brief second, he stares at the darkness. It stares back with bated breath, waiting for the fragile silence to splinter.

Shooting his hand out, the crates erupt in an inferno of flames. Still, there’s no sign of the little witch. I look away from the burning destruction, and my gaze lands on the open windows. The dancing curtains.

Daemon’s eyes follow my line of vision, and his body turns measuredly, like an apex predator zeroing in on his prey.

---