Her Soul to Take (Souls Trilogy #1)(44)

It wasn’t real, of course. Leon was obviously lying to try to scare me into giving him my soul. The Hadleighs weren’t some creepy cult family, there was no underground God. But the monsters were real, I couldn’t deny that. I had to figure out a way to deal with them.

I’d brought my camera’s memory card with all the footage from St. Thaddeus. Instead of joining up with Inaya and Victoria for lunch, I grabbed a sandwich from the cafeteria and headed to the library. The murmur of students speaking in hushed voices, the soft sounds of turning pages and scratching pens eased a little of my anxiety. Libraries somehow always managed to feel safe.

Long wooden tables were set up between the rows of bookshelves on the first floor, but I needed somewhere more private. The study rooms on the third floor would be perfect, so I took the elevator up. I found a space in a far corner, with some plush chairs and a table set up between two large windows looking out on the quad. I put on my headphones, waiting as my footage loaded in. I had several hours from the whole adventure, plenty for a two-part video series.

No one would believe what I’d recorded. It would be entertaining, sure, and the ad revenue might be nice, but things had gotten a hell of a lot more serious. I wasn’t very interested in making the latest viral video anymore.

I was going to upload the footage, but it would be a cry for help. Monsters were stalking me and my best defense was a baseball bat. Surely, someone out there knew more about this than I did. Maybe, if I could get this footage in front of enough eyes, someone would reach out.

Watching it back, even having been there to witness it in person, I could hardly believe what I was seeing. The smoke around the summoning circle, the congealing blood — then everything cut off in static once Leon appeared. But I had the footage of him on my phone, which I could use to fill in the blanks. I’d have to try to get a recording of one of the monster, the Eld; if I set up some cameras on the porch, I could record them if they came in the yard again.

I began to edit, lost in my music, until I noticed a subtle pressure on the back of my neck growing harder...then tighter…

I whipped off my headphones, resisting the urge to leap up from my seat as I looked over my shoulder. Leon was there, leaning against the back of my chair, his head bobbing slightly to the beat of the music playing from his earbuds. It seemed way too casually human for a demon to be listening to music on Bluetooth, and he wasn’t even bothering to hide his monstrous looks. His sharp claws tapped on my chair, and his golden eyes met mine as he gave me a wicked grin.

“Trying to make us go viral, doll? I’d advise against that.”

I snapped my laptop shut. “Why? Scared of your secret getting out? Afraid the church will come after you?”

He chuckled, tugging out an earbud and shoving it into the pocket of his gray sweatpants. Wearing those was just mean: his dick-print in them was obscene. He flopped down in the chair across from me, legs spread, his smile widening as I did my best to maintain direct eye contact.

Don’t look down, Rae. Don’t you dare look at that thick hunk of meat that still has your pussy throbbing.

He spread his legs just a little wider. “If the church came after me, they’d exorcise you first. But it’s not some overzealous priests you need to worry about. If you start making a fuss about me to the masses, Hell will come for you first.”

I glared. Eye contact, maintain fucking eye contact. “I’m guessing a video of a demon going viral would piss off Hell’s PR department?”

“Something like that.” He shrugged, wincing briefly at the movement. I suddenly remembered the blood on his arm last night.

“You’re hurt.”

He waved his hand at the words. “Don’t change the subject. You seem a little calmer today. You didn’t try to bash my head in on sight, so that’s a step in the right direction.” His claws stroked over his chin, just as I could imagine them stroking between my — “Have you reconsidered my deal?”

“No,” I said flatly, folding my arms. “No deal.”

“Aw, what’s the little doll so afraid of? You’re sitting here worried over a smart bargain when you should be worrying about the other monsters at your door.” He grinned. “If they consume you, it won’t be nearly as fun as our little games.”

I gulped. His lips had parted slightly, and between his sharp teeth I could see his red forked tongue. The touch of it between my legs was seared into me, as if my clit could remember the slow strokes.

I swear the damned demon could read my mind. “You’ll get a lot more of that if you take my deal,” he said, his voice low as he got up from his seat. He came at me slow, resting his hands on the arms of my chair, and leaned over me. “Tell me, Rae, what is it you’re afraid of? Do you think Hell is all fire and brimstone? Hell is like Earth: beautiful in some ways, dangerous in many, but I’d keep you safe. I take good care of my toys.”

This asshole, insisting I was his toy. Luckily, he couldn’t see my toes curl in my shoes. “Why do you want my soul so badly anyway? What do you get out of it?”

“Status,” he said. “Power, too, when the energy that makes you a physical being is bonded to me. And, of course, a new possession.” He winked. “We demons have a thing for possession, if you haven’t heard.”

“Well, I’m not your possession,” I said sharply. “And I don’t want your deal. So fuck off.”