Curse of the Fallen by Eve Archer

Chapter Thirty-Four

Ella

“What the hell was that?” Sara shimmied her legs from under the duvet as I leapt from the bed.

The door had trembled on its hinges when it had been hit, dust sifting from the stone walls onto the floor. I had no idea what had knocked on the door to Sara’s bedroom, but it had been big enough to shake the thick wood that had been in place for hundreds of years.

I ran on tiptoes to the door, pressing my hands against the surface and listening. I didn’t want to open the door and peek out, in case whatever had crashed into the door was as huge and heavy as it had sounded, and in case it was still there. I heard nothing, but I slid the iron bolt across to lock the door, my pulse fluttering.

Dominick had said that he was meeting with the prince of demons. Although he’d claimed it was a strictly political discussion and I had nothing to worry about, I was worried. I wasn’t up on my demon royalty, but I was pretty sure the prince of demons was a powerful guy, and probably didn’t take too kindly to angels.

“Well?” Sara asked, swinging her feet onto the floor and standing. “Do you hear anything?”

I shook my head, glancing back at Sara, relieved she was wearing floral-print satin PJs that would be easy to run in. “The door is too thick. Even if something’s out there, I can’t tell.”

Her eyes were wide. “What would be out there? I thought we were on a private island in the middle of the sea.”

I hesitated. Should I tell her who had arrived uninvited on the island?

“Ella.” Sara’s voice was sharp. “What are you not telling me?”

I opened my mouth to confess the truth, but my gaze was drawn to the flutter of movement at the window. Then my mouth gaped. A black-clad demon was crawling through the window, his hands clawing at the stone sill for purchase.

I was too shocked to speak, but I dashed forward and grabbed Sara, pulling her away from the intruder as he landed on the floor with a thud. Sara shrieked at the sound, shrieking even louder when she spun around and saw the creature straightening from his crouch.

This demon was no seductive succubus. His eyes were small and watery, and his brow thick and protruding, which made his scowl even more menacing. He slid his tongue across his top lip as he eyed us like we were lunch.

“What the actual fuck is that?” Sara whispered, grasping my hand like it was salvation.

“A demon. At least I’m pretty sure it is.” I backed us away from the creature, stealing a quick glance at the door, which I’d bolted.

“Any second now, the leader of the Fallen is going to come bursting through this door,” I said to the demon lurching toward us, summoning more bravado than I felt. “If I were you, I’d get out now before he arrives and sees you.”

The demon let out a half laugh, half slurp, but didn’t stop his slow advance across the room.

“Why would a…? What is a demon…?” Sara spluttered. “I mean, what the fuck?”

“The prince of demons is meeting with Dominick downstairs,” I confessed in a rush of hushed words. “It was an unexpected visit, and I’m guessing it didn’t go well. I didn’t tell you, because I didn’t want to freak you out.”

“So much for that.” Sara sucked in a sharp breath as I moved us back farther, reminding me that she was still recovering from a gunshot wound to the gut.

“Can you run?” I murmured to her, as our backs bumped against the door.

“If it’s to get me away from that thing, hell yeah, I can run.”

I groped one hand behind me, searching for the deadbolt and not taking my eyes off the demon. When my fingers touched the rusted iron bolt, my heart leapt. Almost there, I thought. Then I slid back the bolt with a clang.

The demon’s hooded eyes flared with rage as he realized what I was doing. I twisted around and tugged hard at the metal handle, my breathing shallow as the demon’s shuffling grew louder, and the door opened painfully slowly.

“Ella!”

Sara’s scream made me turn around as the demon lunged forward. Sara and I both dived away as he launched himself at us, hitting the door with a crash. The weight of his impact slammed it shut again.

Shit.I jumped to my feet before he’d shaken off his collision with the door, running over to Sara and tugging her up.

“Come on,” I said, pulling her away from the demon as he shook his head and staggered, dazed, in front of the door.

“Where are we going?” Sara scanned the room. “The only ways out are the door and windows.”

Since we’d switched places and were now closer to the window than the door, I peeked out. It was a sheer drop several stories down to the heard earth. So much for that escape route.

“We just have to maneuver him away from the door,” I said so only she could hear me. “He doesn’t seem all that bright as far as demons go. At least we’re not trying to outsmart a succubus.”

Sara blinked rapidly at me. “Should I be worried you’re tossing around these terms so lightly?”

“I told you. It’s been a week.”

The demon had regained his senses, and he looked even angrier than he had been. From the way he lolled his head, and the incoherent noises emanating from the creature, I suspected that wasn’t the first solid object he’d run into headfirst.

With a grunt, he barreled toward us. I waited until he was close enough that he wouldn’t be able to stop quickly, then I jerked to one side and pulled Sara with me. The demon couldn’t stop his forward momentum, but he twisted around, reaching out and grasping Sara’s arm. He wrenched her to him, and her hand slipped from mine.

Stumbling backward, Sara fell to the floor facefirst. The demon pounced on her and straddled her chest so that her arms were pinned to her sides. The monster was clearly intent on killing instead of kidnapping. Wrapping a burly arm around her throat, he laughed as he squeezed.

“No!” I was not losing Sara. Not after I’d just gotten her back.

I flew at him, channeling every bit of my fury and vengeance as I slammed my hands into his shoulder to loosen his grip. When my hands connected with his body, a blinding light pulsed into him. He went rigid, his arms trembling and finally going slack as he slumped to the floor.

Sara gasped, falling forward and catching herself on her hands. She glanced back at where the demon lay, a faint whiff of char rising off him, and then at me. I stared at my hands, now normal and non-illuminated.

“Did you electrocute him with your hands?”

I shook my head, although from the scorch marks on the demon’s arm, that looked exactly like what I’d done. “I don’t know what happened.”

Sara looked at me like she wasn’t sure whether to believe me or not. I was being honest about one thing. I didn’t know what I’d done, or how I’d done it. I’d never been able to zap people before, and there had been plenty of times in my life where I would have dearly loved to have electrocuted someone with my hands.

The door flew open, making me raise my hands and point them at the doorway. I expected to see more demons rushing inside, but it was Rami. His dark hair flopped down in his face, and his expression was stricken, as it moved from Sara to me to the demon.

“How did a demon get in here?”

“Through the window,” Sara said, as she stood. “Apparently those fuckers can climb. But don’t worry, hot stuff. Ella blasted him with her hands.”

His look of shock didn’t fade, but he nodded, glancing over his shoulder. “We need to get you both to safety.”

“Things didn’t go well with the demon prince?” I asked.

Rami gave a grim shake of his head. “He insisted on seeing you, and Dom refused. He wants me to get you to safety before Mastema comes hunting for you, himself.”

“You don’t have to ask me twice.” Sara hooked her arm through mine as she headed toward Rami. “Let’s blow this demon-infested joint.”

When we stepped out into the corridor, Rami pulled a gun from beneath his jacket. The arched, stone hallway was quiet, but the muffled sounds of a battle drifted up from below. My gut clenched as I thought of Dominick in the middle of the battle. I had no desire to encounter more murderous demons, but I hated the thought of leaving without him.

“Stay behind me,” Rami said, as he moved forward, his arms extended and his finger on the trigger of his gun.

After we’d snaked down a staircase and another long corridor, I realized we were heading away from the main hall and entrance. “Where are we going? I thought we were escaping?”

“I’m taking you to the dungeon.”