Insurrection (Nevermore #1)(25)

Anna went cold as she saw the look of resignation on Uzarah’s face.

“You’re right, Achish. There’s nothing I can do about it. But...”

The demon tensed. “But what?”

“I am a necromancer. I can release all the other souls here that you’ve claimed in the past.”

The demon’s eyes flared. “You wouldn’t dare!”

“Oh yes, I would. So, you have a choice. Her soul, or all the others? Which is it?”

The contract appeared in his hand, then burst into flames. “She’s free. Take her and go.”

“You are to leave her alone while she moves out, and make sure all of your little buddies do the same, Achish. I mean it!”

“Fine!” He vanished.

Anna was aghast. “I can’t believe it was the easy! How did you do that?”

She shrugged. “A lot of centuries of negotiating with demonic dirtbags. Kind of like being a lawyer. You just have to know who to call.”

“So, are there a lot of you?”

Sadness darkened her eyes as Uzarah shook her head. “Not anymore, thanks to Saul and a few others who didn’t understand what we are, and why we were necessary to this world. And because of their rampant stupidity, I have to get back to my post before dawn. Give my best to your father. Tell him to finish our bargain so that your little realtor can’t run her racket here anymore.”

“What do you mean? What racket?”

“She’s the one who was really damned. And this was how she got out of it. Her bargain to save her own soul was to replace it with innocents. Your father has to close the portal here so that she can’t feed anymore lives to her demon. You need to make sure you’re not here when that happens. And that you’re really long gone when I come back to free the others.”

Her jaw dropped. “You lied?”

She shrugged. “If you think he’s going to keep his promise ... Let’s just say, I wouldn’t be sleeping in that apartment alone tonight. If you’re smart, you’ll wait on your dad to move out.”

“You got it. Believe me, I’ve learned my lesson.”

“And that is?”

“Be careful what you ask for. You just might get it. And whenever you sign a contract, always read the fine print first. You never know when the lawyers are going to suck out your soul. The devil really is in the details.”