Mate to the Demon Kings by Lacey Carter Andersen
11
Sharen staredat Alec in complete disbelief. “I don’t believe it.”
Alec ran a frustrated hand through his dark hair. “Why would I lie to you?”
She leaned back in her seat in the car, staring out the window at the trees that were flying by as Alec sped along the road. There was no way some of the demons they rescued were bad. No way that they were a danger to humanity.
No way Beth would torture small animals.
“This isn’t possible,” she whispered.
“You think I like it any more than you do?”
She clutched her arms around her chest. “So they’re all evil?”
“No.” He reached over and squeezed her knee. “Some of them are. Some of them are good. We just need to find a way to determine who is who before we bring more demons over.”
“And how the hell are we supposed to do that?” Her words were angry, bitter, but she felt on the verge of something awful.
“I don’t have a clue, but we’ll figure it out.”
She shook her head, hating that tears stung her eyes. I’m not this woman! I don’t cry at every little challenge in life! But as a hot tear rolled down her cheek, she had to accept the truth. She felt completely crushed. Completely hopeless. She wanted so badly to make things right, to save the innocent demons.
And now? Now she might have unleashed monsters onto the world.
Are the fucking angels right? Are they the good guys and we’re the bad guys?
“No!” She turned to Alec. “No, this can’t be true. There has to be more to it than this.”
As they entered the town, her thoughts spun. She had to know for sure. But how was she supposed to do that?
For too long she sat, feeling numb, feeling lost. And then, as she gazed out her window, she saw something familiar. “Stop!”
Alec turned to her, frowning. “What is it?”
“Just stop. Pull the car over.”
He did and she unbuckled, rushing out of the car.
She sensed Alec behind her, but she ignored him. As she moved to the front of the alley, she stared, feeling her heart clench. Moving slowly, she came to the spot. Most of the blood had been cleaned up. The area had clearly been swept over by the police.
But there has to be something I missed.
Stretching her senses out, she still caught the coppery scent of blood. And other scents, of filth, sweat, and garbage. But then she caught something else.
Moving without thinking, she walked through the alley. When she reached the other side, she looked at the tall brick apartment building. There! Rushing forward, she pushed opened the doors of the apartment, found the stairs, and rushed up them, taking each step two at a time.
“Sharen—“ Alec began behind her.
She tuned him out, continuing to walk until she rushed out the stairwell.
When she came to a random door on the third floor, she froze. There was nothing unusual about it, and yet, she knew this was where she needed to go.
She knocked, even though she didn’t expect anyone to answer. After a moment of silence, she reached out and shoved the door. The wood splintered and cracked free of the lock.
Thanks, powers, for actually being here when I need you.
Taking a step into the room, she immediately knew something was off. The apartment was a strange mix of an old woman’s taste, flower furniture, plants everywhere, photos of grandchildren covering every wall, and tiny fragile figurines. Then she saw new items that didn’t make sense. She found children’s toys and clothes and a sink stacked up with unwashed dishes.
She walked past the coffee table, where little cars had been arranged as if racing. When she moved to the fridge, her heart was in her stomach. Turning the handle, she opened it.
Inside was the old woman’s dead body.
No. No. No.
“Fuck!” Alec muttered behind her.
Breathing hard, she closed the fridge door and moved back. “They did it. Brian and his family killed her.”
“Why?” Alec asked the question she wondered herself. “We helped get them an apartment. We got her a job. There was no reason to kill the old lady.”
Going to the window, she already knew what she would find. Directly below them was the blood-stained alley.
“They used their magic to kill her, for whatever reason, and they brought the angels down on them.” She said the words numbly.
Turning, she walked right back out the apartment door. She moved down the street until she found a phone booth. Inside, she dialed the police and told them where they would find the old woman’s body.
The least she deserves is to be found by her family. To have a proper burial.
Hanging up the phone, she stared at Alec. “I want to go home.”
He took a second to answer. “I thought we were going to headquarters.”
To face everyone when I feel like falling apart?I can’t do that, or they’ll lose all faith in what we’re doing here.
“I want to go home.”
To her surprise, he didn’t immediately jump into action. Instead, he studied her, his expression thoughtful. His eyes filled with helplessness.
“We don’t know what happened,” he said, reaching out to touch her arm.
She shifted out of his reach. “Maybe you don’t, but I do.”
All hope rushed out of her, leaving her feeling weak and empty.
As if the world sensed her pain, rain began to fall. Cool, soft drops from a sky with only a scattering of clouds.
Turning, she headed back to their car.
Whatever happens now, I swear no one else will die because of my mistake.
But how she would stop it, she had no idea.
