Runes of Truth (A Demon's Fall #1)(10)

“We will do that, what about the second and third layer? We heard it’s different,” Connor enquires, but I don’t have a clue, and the only demon that would know, is no one I’m going to ask.

“Not a clue, but it is likely as bad as you are thinking it is,” I say dryly. It’s not a place I’m looking forward to going. My first and only trip to hell when I was eighteen was bad enough.

“Do you have a phone?” I ask them both as we stop outside the building. Connor pulls his phone out of his pocket, unlocking it, and handing it to me. I quickly type in the address, and my number underneath it, in his notes before handing it back.

“Come here at eight tonight. Wear something a human or demon would to a night club. No suits or cloaks,” I say, looking down at their outfits on purpose.

“We must leave for hell, not go to wherever this is,” Trex growls.

“This is our only chance. You asked for my help, so you’re going to have to trust me,” I say, going to walk away when Trex grabs my arm, pulling me to him. I look up as his green eyes stare down at me in anger and distrust.

“If you betray us, I will kill you. I don’t need my runes to do that, do you understand me, Evie?” he asks, using my name for the first time, and I grin, pushing my body closer to his.

“Totally. By the way, I’ve always liked a demanding guy. They are always best in bed,” I say, flirting with him to annoy him. As predicted, he pushes me away, scowling at me. I laugh, walking to the car, and look back at them.

“See you later, boys.” I wave.





Connor


“She was not what I expected. Not at all,” Trex says, watching the car taking Evie away and not looking away once. I think he expects her to jump out and start attacking us or something. Until today, until I met her, that’s what I’d expect her to do as well. She is nothing like I expected. Shiny, soft-looking blue hair that falls in waves around her. Glowing, fiery blue eyes and a killer body. If I’d met her under any other circumstances, I would do anything to get into her knickers.

“What do you think the keepers know about her?” I ask him, because I didn’t know they knew anything. No one knows anything of her. She is just a rumour, an outcast who kills anyone that goes near her. But that’s a lie. The witch she protects shows she doesn’t kill everyone. She held a dagger to my throat today, and if she didn’t care about killing, she would have killed me.

“Something she is willing to fight to find out,” Trex says, just as Evie’s car disappears through the barrier.

“We should go and get your brother,” I state, wishing Trex hadn’t suggested bringing him on this mission. He is the last person you want to take to hell with you.

“Yeah, he might need sobering up before tonight,” Trex replies, turning and walking down the street. We get to the first building across, and rather than going into it, we walk around it to the back entrance. It’s hidden, but nearly every Protector knows it’s here. The smell of smoke and alcohol hits me when we walk through the door, and I pull it shut behind us both.

“Let’s split up to look for him,” Trex suggests, knowing this place is underground and about five layers. It takes a lot to get us drunk or stoned, and this is the only place for Protectors to safely come and lose some steam.

“Sure,” I comment, walking to the left, and he goes right. I walk down the glass-walled hall ways, looking at the sofas and bars, not seeing Nix anywhere. I get to the end of the corridor when I spot him. He is sitting on a sofa, two girls at his side in dresses that leave little to the imagination. He has a bottle of vodka in his hand as he looks up at the ceiling and blows out smoke. Nix doesn’t have a shirt on, showing off his chest and arms that are completely covered in tattoos. His black curly hair falls all over the place as he hasn’t bothered having it cut in a while and by the looks of him, I bet he has been in here for a few days doing fuck knows what. Great, he is fucked. I open the glass door, walking straight over and standing in front of him. He doesn’t even notice as the girl on his right starts climbing on his lap, kissing his neck.

“Nix,” I shout, kicking his leg, making him nearly drop his bottle as he jumps and shoots his head forward. I look at the girls, vaguely recognising them.

“You two disappear, or I’ll tell your family you’re in here,” I say, watching Nix’s annoyed face as the two girls jump up off the sofa and practically run out of the room.

“Buzz kill, Con. We could have shared,” he grins.

“Maybe another time. We have shit to do, and you need to be sober,” I tell him, and he groans, lifting his bottle and downing it. I reach over, pulling it off him and smashing it on the floor.

“I’m not fucking around, Nix, get your shit together,” I tell him, just as Trex gets to my side.

“Do I have to knock you out and carry your ass out of here like last week?” he says, crossing his arms.

“No, I can fucking walk,” he mutters, glaring at his brother and stands up, swaying a little before passing out, his body smacking onto the floor.

“I’ll get him,” I pat Trex’s shoulder, and he glares at his brother, putting his hand on my chest to stop me.

“She wouldn’t want this. We both lost her, and this is not how she would want anyone to react,” he points at his brother. “Our sister didn’t die saving his ass, so he could drink his life away, I will deal with him,” he says, leaning down and picking up his brother over his shoulder. I feel sorry for Trex and Nix. They lost both of their parents, and more recently, their sister. Nix drinks the memories away and Trex, well he pretends nothing happened.