Ruined (The Eternal Balance #1)(52)

“Havat,” Heckle said, stopping in front of the chair. “Might I have a word or two?”

Havat narrowed his eyes, but nodded. Obviously he wasn’t thrilled about the interruption.

“We’re looking for a demon. One that fed from this human girl.”

“And you’re asking me this, why?” Havat grabbed the girl on the right, yanked her down hard, and kissed her. When she pulled away, there was a thin trail of blood, and an angry-looking wound on her bottom lip.

My stomach roiled and bile rose in my throat. He’d bitten her. The girl didn’t seem to mind, which made it even worse. Her tongue darted out, licking at the blood, as a twisted smile spread across her lips. With a low giggle, her eyes rolled back like she was deep in the throes of passion, and she ran her hands down the length of her body before crumbling to the ground and rocking softly.

“Because you have the best nose this side of hell,” Heckle said. “Are you going to tell me you can’t smell it on her?”

Havat laughed, and for the first time, turned to me. His eyes skimmed my body with an appreciative gleam as he took a deep breath. Instead of an answer, the demon laughed.

I opened my mouth to ask what the hell that was supposed to mean, but Heckle cut me off. “Who was it?”

“We do not give information for free here. You of all people should know, Keeper.”

“What do you want?” I blurted before I could stop myself.

Havat smiled. “And she has the nerve to speak to me. This gets better and better.” He leaned back and swung his right leg over the arm of the chair. “I would like a stone.”

“A stone?” That seemed harmless—which probably meant it was anything but. “A particular one, or will just any rock do?”

Heckle squeezed my hand, and Havat looked angry for a second before bursting into laughter. “I don’t meet many humans with your…charm. It’s amusing.”

“Glad I could entertain you. Now, about the stone?”

“It’s called the midnight stone and it was taken from me by a witch named Sadie Gray. Retrieve it for me and I will tell you the name of the demon that fed from you.” He turned to Heckle. “I assume my acquiring the stone will be fair. Am I correct?”

Heckle nodded. “It’s acceptable.”

Havat clapped his hands together and stood. He held out his hand, and said, “Then we have a deal.”

It was an unconscious gesture. Something society had ingrained at an early age. Without thinking, I let go of Heckle’s hand and reached for Havat’s. The room went silent, and for a moment, no one moved.

Then all hell broke loose.





Chapter Twenty-Three




Jax

There was a crash at the other end of the hall. But even with the demon’s improved vision, I couldn’t see what it was right away. I took two steps forward, and that’s when I heard it. A dull roar, followed by a chorus of footsteps pounding against the concrete. A few seconds later, Sam and Heckle came barreling out of the darkness.

“Go! Up the stairs. Fast,” Heckle huffed as they dashed toward me. Behind them, the roar grew louder and the sound of two racing footsteps became many, many more.

I took Sam’s hands and propelled her up the steps, Heckle on our heels. “What the f*ck did you do?” I growled as we crashed into the cellar at the top of the stairs. “Rip you to shreds. Make you wish for death. Any of this ringing a goddamn bell?”

“It was her fault,” Heckle yelled. “She let go of my hand. The moment she did, they all smelled her.”

“No blame,” Sam huffed, breathing fast. “Spank me later.” She must have realized what she said, because out of the corner of my eye, I saw her cheeks redden. “I—”

“No, it’s fine. I’m more than happy to spank you later.”

And that was it. All the air we could expend. Now was all about running. A single glance over my shoulder revealed that the large group that had chased Sam and Heckle from the basement had splintered into several smaller ones. Heckle glanced back, but he wasn’t quite as graceful as me. He tripped, going down hard in the mud. It was horrible leaving him behind, and I’d regret it later—maybe—but I held tight to Sam’s hand and kept going. The crowd wasn’t after him. It was after her. He’d be fine.

Angry yelling grew closer and something crashed into me from behind. I went down hard, just enough air to yell to Sam, “Keep going! Don’t st—” Something hit my jaw, and stars exploded in my eyes.

I managed to dodge the next blow, rolling over to see a blond demon’s feral expression. It swung again, this time catching me in the gut. Azirak stirred and fury spread like fire. With renewed strength, I bucked the demon off and jumped up.

I was about to throw myself forward, but another demon came charging up, knocking my opponent down with a brutal blow. A quick twist, and the other demon’s neck lolled at an unnatural angle as its body hit the ground. Climbing to my feet, my unlikely savior flashed a disturbing smile. “Hurry, my lord.”

It reached for me but I jerked away. “Your lord? What the—”

“You need to—”

Another demon came up behind him and, in a move I’d never forget, twisted and pulled, removing my ally’s head clean off its body. Fuck! I started running. Azirak didn’t fight it, either. It seemed as eager to get away as I was, and that scared the shit out of me. It didn’t run from fights. It ran toward them.