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Authors: s m blooding
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“There, he could have been reborn.” Balnore folded his hands over his crossed legs. “Which means that if someone talked to a demon who would like to get a hold of Lucius and open the gate—”
Paige thumped the table with her index finger. “Or Lucius could be trying to free himself to open it himself.”
“I’m just saying maybe Lucius is the one you’re looking for.”
“But you said he’s not a demon.” Dexx glanced at Paige. “She was nearly possessed by him.”
Balnore screwed his lips to the side. “Did you ever wonder how the human body could survive longer than a hundred years without looking like a decrepit prune?”
Dexx cleared his throat. “Why would I ever wonder about that?”
“He was given a demon soul, hunter, and the two became sort of a hybrid, of sorts. For all that Lucius started out a man and hasn’t spent any real time in Hell, hasn’t been initiated into the demon pack, if you will, he still has demon powers. Which means—”
“He’s able to connect to Paige and possess her.”
“Huh,” Paige said, blinking. “It’s not who I thought it would be.”
Balnore frowned. “Who’d you think it was?”
Paige looked at the demon. “Seven Tails Sven.”
“Then let’s be glad it’s only Lucius.”
So, who the hell was Seven Tails Sven, and how was he worse? Could this case get any more fucked?
B ALNORE SET HIS hands on Paige’s shoulders.
She stared up at him, the weight of the world settling over her. So much had happened. Memories slammed into her mind, making it hard to think. She needed her protector and guide, her teacher and the only one who could understand her at that moment. “What do I do?”
He smiled as he pulled away to perch on the end of the table. “Three years have passed, Peanut. It’s time to move on. You’ve got responsibilities. You need to pick them up again. The world needs you.”
She dropped her gaze to his knee.
“You don’t have the luxury to sit around and grieve. You have to pick yourself up and live. You don’t have a choice.”
A movement caught her attention.
Dexx had come a few steps closer, his knife in hand. “Are we done here? Can he leave now?”
Balnore gestured with one hand toward the knife. “I’ve heard stories about that.”
Dexx shrugged. “I do what I can.”
“So do we all.”
She swallowed and stared at the picture of one of the women who had been murdered. She blinked as the sudden realization hit her. Ashley had been killed because three years ago, she, Paige, had had a meltdown and had tried to kill her own mother using a demon. There were three people who had been killed because she wasn’t doing her job. If she had remained calm and in control, would these people still be alive? Would she have been able to control this uprising?
She would never know, but this case took on a much more personal note. This was her mess. She was the only one who could clean it up.
A dry chuckle escaped from her mouth. Once that escaped, she started laughing so hard tears streamed from her eyes.
Balnore knelt beside her. “Paige, you’ve got to be more careful. You didn’t set up any protections before you summoned me.”
She snorted, still chuckling. “I need protection against you? You were kicked out of Hell for being nice.”
He quirked his lips in derision.
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, Dad. I’ll be more careful.”
Balnore stood up and left in an evaporating mist.
Everything going on inside her head, all the turmoil in her heart, all the guilt, all the anger, the pain, the frustration, the betrayal. It just capsized, flipping the laughter to tears.
Dexx wrapped her in his arms. He murmured words of comfort into her hair, but she couldn’t understand them. She felt, for the first time in years, that she wasn’t alone. She’d felt anger before, the height of which had driven her to summon a demon to kill her mother. She had felt frustration. She had felt loss.
But this? Three years
“There, he could have been reborn.” Balnore folded his hands over his crossed legs. “Which means that if someone talked to a demon who would like to get a hold of Lucius and open the gate—”
Paige thumped the table with her index finger. “Or Lucius could be trying to free himself to open it himself.”
“I’m just saying maybe Lucius is the one you’re looking for.”
“But you said he’s not a demon.” Dexx glanced at Paige. “She was nearly possessed by him.”
Balnore screwed his lips to the side. “Did you ever wonder how the human body could survive longer than a hundred years without looking like a decrepit prune?”
Dexx cleared his throat. “Why would I ever wonder about that?”
“He was given a demon soul, hunter, and the two became sort of a hybrid, of sorts. For all that Lucius started out a man and hasn’t spent any real time in Hell, hasn’t been initiated into the demon pack, if you will, he still has demon powers. Which means—”
“He’s able to connect to Paige and possess her.”
“Huh,” Paige said, blinking. “It’s not who I thought it would be.”
Balnore frowned. “Who’d you think it was?”
Paige looked at the demon. “Seven Tails Sven.”
“Then let’s be glad it’s only Lucius.”
So, who the hell was Seven Tails Sven, and how was he worse? Could this case get any more fucked?
B ALNORE SET HIS hands on Paige’s shoulders.
She stared up at him, the weight of the world settling over her. So much had happened. Memories slammed into her mind, making it hard to think. She needed her protector and guide, her teacher and the only one who could understand her at that moment. “What do I do?”
He smiled as he pulled away to perch on the end of the table. “Three years have passed, Peanut. It’s time to move on. You’ve got responsibilities. You need to pick them up again. The world needs you.”
She dropped her gaze to his knee.
“You don’t have the luxury to sit around and grieve. You have to pick yourself up and live. You don’t have a choice.”
A movement caught her attention.
Dexx had come a few steps closer, his knife in hand. “Are we done here? Can he leave now?”
Balnore gestured with one hand toward the knife. “I’ve heard stories about that.”
Dexx shrugged. “I do what I can.”
“So do we all.”
She swallowed and stared at the picture of one of the women who had been murdered. She blinked as the sudden realization hit her. Ashley had been killed because three years ago, she, Paige, had had a meltdown and had tried to kill her own mother using a demon. There were three people who had been killed because she wasn’t doing her job. If she had remained calm and in control, would these people still be alive? Would she have been able to control this uprising?
She would never know, but this case took on a much more personal note. This was her mess. She was the only one who could clean it up.
A dry chuckle escaped from her mouth. Once that escaped, she started laughing so hard tears streamed from her eyes.
Balnore knelt beside her. “Paige, you’ve got to be more careful. You didn’t set up any protections before you summoned me.”
She snorted, still chuckling. “I need protection against you? You were kicked out of Hell for being nice.”
He quirked his lips in derision.
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, Dad. I’ll be more careful.”
Balnore stood up and left in an evaporating mist.
Everything going on inside her head, all the turmoil in her heart, all the guilt, all the anger, the pain, the frustration, the betrayal. It just capsized, flipping the laughter to tears.
Dexx wrapped her in his arms. He murmured words of comfort into her hair, but she couldn’t understand them. She felt, for the first time in years, that she wasn’t alone. She’d felt anger before, the height of which had driven her to summon a demon to kill her mother. She had felt frustration. She had felt loss.
But this? Three years
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