Read Online The First Sacrament (The Demons of Stone Chapel Book 1) by Lex Duncan - Free Book Online Page B

idiots went hunting! I wasn't the first and I wouldn't be the last, so why was I the one getting almost-possessed by a church and having dead animals planted in my apartment like Christmas gifts? It wasn't fair.
    “Hey, don't cry,” Max pulled me in for a hug. He smelled nice. Like soap. A pleasant change from blood and death. But that didn't mean I wanted him hugging me.
    “I'm not,” I said, pushing myself upright. Wiping my traitorous tears away, I squared my shoulders and lifted my chin a defiant fraction. Beatrice Todd didn't cry. Not where other people could see her do it, at least.
    ...But, God, was it tempting. The safe little lifeboat I managed to crawl my way onto was really starting to take on water. Demons weren't just creatures who lurked in alleyways anymore. They didn’t exist solely in memories of my parents, in breaking newscasts or Rosie’s frail body. They were way, way too real and they were getting too close for comfort.
    How could I be so stupid?
    Aralia's boots clicked across the floor. “Beatrice, you mentioned you heard a scratching noise last night?”
    I nodded.
    “Then you might want to see this.”
    Hurray. More encouraging news. I wondered what horror awaited me behind door number two! I tried to appear as calm as possible as I got to my feet and turned around.
    Claw marks, dozens of them gouged in the surface of the far wall. Proof that I wasn't paranoid or crazy. I shuddered to think what would have happened if I'd gone to investigate.
    Dante, who'd been standing there in his typical strong-but-silent type way, looked up at the ceiling, then back to me and Max. “Don't you have class?”
    “No,” we said in unison.
    I nudged Max with my shoulder. “Yeah, Max , don't you have class?”
    “Not until tonight,” he replied, nudging me in return. “Don't you have class?”
    Dante reached into the pocket of his coat and tossed a set of keys to Max. “Take Beatrice to school. We'll handle things here.”
    “Wait a minute,” I said. He should have known better than to order me around. “I can't leave .”
    “Why not?” He sounded serious.
    The gossip magazines would've been heartbroken to know that Dante Arturo, hero of the people, wasn't actually good at people. He sucked at social cues. “Because this is my apartment. All my stuff is here. No offense, but I'd rather not leave the two of you here with all my, uh, business.”
    Like the thongs Rosie bought me as a joke for my birthday last year. Why hadn't I burned those yet?
    “I assure you, Beatrice, I have no interest in your personal life,” Dante said flatly. He glanced at Max. “Go and come back here after you're done.”
    Max started to leave, but I put a hand out and gave him a little push back toward the couch.
    “Hold on,” I said, glaring at Dante. “I'm not a piece of furniture. You can't just send me away when you're done with me.”
    Max's mouth fell open. Dante's did the opposite. A muscle jumped in his scruffy jaw. “Excuse me?”
    I couldn't decide if I was angry or overwhelmed or both. I went with both. “Look, Dante, I really appreciate that you came over and I really appreciate that you keep helping me, but I'm not a couch and I'm not a dog. You can't just order me around and you shouldn't do that to Max, either.”
    Silence settled over the room like a heavy blanket. Intimidating as he was, I forced myself to hold Dante's gaze. He wouldn't respect me if I backed down now, and for one reason or another, I wanted his respect. I wanted him to see me as more than a bratty orphan who kept abusing her phone privileges. I wanted him to...like me. Or, at the very least, tolerate me.
    “It isn't safe for you here,” he said. He was proving himself to be quite the stubborn superhero. “And you need to go to school.”
    I sighed. Another useless argument, starring Dante Arturo and Beatrice Todd. He was right, though. It wasn't safe for me here. Not by a long shot. I didn't have anywhere else to go, but I