The Demon's Grave (25 page)

“Sticks?” Read was staring down at the milling bodies unconvinced. “They’re wolves, not house dogs.”

Aidan grabbed for another branch. “Then maybe they’ll go for these and we can have a chance to get out.”

I could only foresee one problem. “You think they’ll all fall for that?”

Aidan frowned, turning to Cody. “Cody do you think we could climb through these branches to the big tree and get to the black door that way? If we’re close enough to jump down then we won’t need to distract them for long.”

Cody obliged Aidan’s curiosity with a demonstration. He lifted himself from his branch to one of our higher ones as if they were monkey bars and dropped onto a branch above our heads. “Follow me,” he instructed.

Read sluggishly went first, his grip almost faltering as he made his way across the branch, legs dangling.

Holding my breath, I didn’t relax until I saw Read land on the branch above. If he could do it, so could I.

Aidan followed Read, his eyes kept turning back to me, making sure I was there.

As Cody was on his way to the second tree, we all watched his every move and did our best to mimic him.

Climbing through the trees was almost like being a kid again, though back then, wolves weren’t below waiting to rip you apart. I tried not to think about falling and focused on my steps instead. When I felt shaky or unsure, Aidan was the one who turned back around to encourage me. I found it somewhat surprising that he took so much effort into securing my safety. I suppose the scare with the witch’s house got to him. I wanted to let him know that it was alright and tried a reassuring smile whenever our eyes met.

Before I knew it, we were standing over the black door in the earth with the wolves trailing below. They were entertained by the movement above and crowded beneath us.

My hands felt raw with promised calluses by the time I reached the final tree limb. The guys had spread out to other branches, allowing me room on the nearest one.

Cody was smiling by the time we were all overlooking the door. He snapped off a larger branch. “Ready?” He asked.

Aidan, Read and I all grabbed branches that might fly a little farther than the thinner sticks.

“On three?” Read suggested, sounding unsure.

Aidan nodded. “Yeah, but should we all throw in the same direction?”

“Shouldn’t matter,” Cody shrugged, shifting on his feet. Gripped a branch above for balance he started the countdown.

The height was making me shake the longer I stared at the ground.
I hope I can throw far enough
. Recalling the calamities that were my baseball practices as a kid I almost missed my cue.

“Three!” Cody threw his branch as hard as he could into the clearing.

One dozen heads turned, but they didn’t move.

Aidan, Read and I threw ours.

Mine and Aidan’s made it to the clearing while Read’s tangled in another tree.

The largest, a white wolf, yipped and bolted forward. Whatever that one wolf initiated, the rest followed. Tongues lolling they bounded away.

“Now!” Aidan whispered harshly so not to distract the predators.

We all jumped from the trees. I jumped from a little too high. The impact quivered like a metal rod against my joints. Ignoring the shock as best as I could, I scrambled for the door.

Cody wrenched it open and it hit the ground loud enough to draw the wolves away from their pursuit and back to us, bounding at full speed.

Cody jumped first. I was going to wait for Aidan when I felt a hand shove me from behind. Unprepared, I was airborne, falling through the doorway, arms flailing.

Tumbling inside, I didn’t have time to scream and landed awkwardly. I think I managed to elbow Cody in the stomach as I fell on what felt like carpet.

Rolling onto my back, one wolf snapped its jaws, almost catching Aidan’s foot as he fell through. Before he hit the ground Read moved to jump.

I saw Read’s body fling back so violently that I screamed.

The door above our heads slammed shut, sealing out the wolves and Read Wallace.

Aidan landed between Cody and I.

One flailing arm almost caught the side of my face when the door above slammed shut.

Stunned and panting, we sprawled on the floor staring at the ceiling.

Did we just lose Read?
I knew what I’d seen but it haunted me, replaying in my mind in a loop until I could convince myself of what had just happened.

Slow, I pressed my palms into the carpet behind my shoulders and eased into a sitting position. My gaze never shifting from the door embedded in the ceiling. It had a tribal wolf carved into the wood.

I wiggled my limbs. I didn’t seem to be hurt beyond scratches and bruises. I glanced at my companions who seemed no worse for wear. “Think we can get back up there?”

“Where’s Read?” Cody looked around the room.

Aidan pointed to the door above while staggering to his feet. Baring gritted teeth, he limped a few steps, catching his balance against a grey wall.

Cody stood up too fast and wobbled back a few steps. His focus was above our heads and he reached for the doorknob‌—‌being the only one tall enough to do so‌—‌just as it evaporated inches from his fingertips.

Rolling, I started to stand, but found my legs too weak to attempt such a feat. “Maybe the wolves didn’t get him. I just saw him pulled back,” I said.

I looked around the small square room with grey walls and green carpet, which was very similar to the one we first fell into here.

“She’s right,” Aidan’s glassy gaze shattered. “I didn’t see a wolf behind him.”

Cody stared at the empty ceiling where the door had once been. “What if it did?” His eyes rolled to Aidan and me, hardening. “I heard those teeth before the door shut.”

Then he’s dead.
The harsh words itched in the back of my mind until I pushed them away.

“Nora…‌”

The haunting voice didn’t belong to either of the guys with me.

Jumping with a start, I twisted my head back hard enough to crack my neck.

Standing behind us was our elusive Master of Nightmares. The shock of seeing something so perfect froze me in place.

I wasn’t in the tower room this time and wasn’t alone either.

Damien gazed down at me, his obsidian hair framing his shocking pallor. Hands were clasped behind his back and shoulders squared, he could have passed for a gentleman, though that didn’t suit what he
was
. He wasn’t smiling, but his eyes were bright, making my stomach flip.

It was easier to try and stand the second time.

Rubbing the crick in my neck, I heard Aidan limping up behind me while Cody edged closer to my side.

“How did you like the wolves?” Damien’s intense gaze never left me. His voice didn’t echo inside my head like before.

I waited for a clever quip from Aidan, but when he didn’t say anything, I looked down, trying to sound nonchalant when I muttered, “Challenging, I suppose.”

Straightening my damp camisole and shorts, I made sure Aidan and Cody’s feet were in my peripherals.

The silence stretched, forcing me to look back up to see the demon still watching me, unblinking.

He must have liked the answer. Damien flashed a charming smile that was almost as jarring as it was foreign on him.

Aidan brushed up against my shoulder and gooseflesh prickled my arm.

“I began simply, didn’t I?” The demon asked, serious all over again. Without waiting for an answer he continued, his eyes not straying far from me. “And now we’re working our way up to difficult. Kind of like those…‌er,” he twirled his fingers searching for the word. “Console games I saw in that one’s head.” He motioned to Cody.

Cody’s voice barely squeaked above a whisper. “Where’s Robin?”

“And Phoebe?” I added.

“And Read?” Aidan finished.

Damien blinked as if the questions were shockingly idiotic. “They lost,” he said, finally sweeping his glossy black eyes to the others. “They’re
trapped
. I explained all of this.” Then seemingly to himself he muttered, “Perhaps I didn’t start out simple enough.”

The swell of frustration closed my hands into fists. “What do you mean they lost? They were taken.”

At the same time, Aidan’s voice melted with mine. “They weren’t even given a chance! Are they dead?”

A shadow stretched across Damien’s sculptured features before he growled as if speaking to an antagonizing child. “I said
trapped
.”

I felt my shoulders start to sink, feeling the strain in my muscles relax just a little.
He didn’t say dead. This meant we could save them, right?
I thought about the sacrifice the Others referred to.

To Cody I tried to sound positive, “see, they’re okay.”

Cody didn’t look at me. “Then where are they?”

Damien obliged, “they submitted to Challenges, the same as you.”

Eyes wide, I looked to the demon. “Meaning they could still die? They’re not safe?” Frustration was beginning to boil upward, a warmth in my stomach expanding like a balloon.

Damien’s mouth twitched as if to hide a smirk. “I explained the rules clearly. If you cannot win against the Challenge you end up dead or
trapped
here.”

The smug tone must have triggered something. The next thing I knew, I was shouting. Heat radiated off my skin where it had once been covered in goosebumps. “There wasn’t a fighting chance. You just
took
them! Now they’re stuck in Challenges? That’s basically a death sentence.”

“It is the Challenge.” Damien didn’t waver at my aggression. “Cody wandered off and ended up in a Challenge not directed for him. He skipped ahead and had to face the consequences. I’m following protocol.”

Protocol? This is the word he used to sum up the terror, the fear and the pain. It was so cold in comparison that I knew this demon had no idea what we were going through.

“He could have died in a Challenge not meant for him.” It took all I had not to launch myself at him. My hatred for him went beyond glaring, I wanted to hurt him. I knew I couldn’t, but the idea was deliciously inviting.
If I can find a way, I will.
I let the anger carry me just a few feet from the demon, just out of reach.

“Nothing is fair, Nora. I thought that you of all people should know that.” Damien lowered his voice, letting his raven-jeweled eyes bore into me as if we shared a secret.

Our eyes locked for longer than a few seconds and I realized my mistake. I was trying to piss off a demon. What the hell was I thinking?

“What does that mean?” I forced myself to simmer the heated emotions. It was harder than I thought.

“What is your age on your world?” Damien asked.

At first I didn’t know how to respond. The simple question was about as effective as a slap. Straightening my spine I plucked at my shirt, tugging it down. “What does that have to do with anything?” Neither Cody or Aidan spoke.

“I was curious how long it’s been for you,” he said and released one arm from behind his back.

Feeling the warmth rise in my cheeks I didn’t answer, too afraid of his goal.

Aidan betrayed me by saying, “Just answer the question.”

I glanced at Aidan annoyed. He wavered under the snap of my gaze, electric eyes flickering away before whispering. “What if it’s a clue?”

Turning back to Damien I answered honestly‌—‌I could have lied but didn’t, at least not yet. “I’m twenty-one.”

“Sixteen of your years then? Is that correct in how you gauge time?” The way he said it meant he already knew the answer.

The hairs on the back of my neck bristled. The pent up anger began to evaporate, replaced with dread.

“Sixteen years?” Aidan asked doubtfully. “What does that mean?”

I wasn’t sure who he was asking, but lied to drown the silence. “I’m not sure.”

Perhaps Aidan sensed the trembling in my voice but I could see it in his face that the wheels upstairs were turning in a new direction.

My hands wrenched on my shirt, straightening and twisting to keep them moving.

“Is there something wrong?” Damien asked, feigning innocence.

I didn’t answer the question. Instead I caved to Damien’s first assessment in a grumble. “You’re right, nothing’s fair.”

“Nora?” Aidan whispered from behind. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Cody nudge Aidan to keep quiet.

I wanted to spin around and tell Aidan it wasn’t his business.

In my family we hid most of the family pictures from when I was young. Locked away the past, the questions and the pain. It wasn’t until five years ago that Mom put up one picture in the back hallway where no guest would see.

Aidan ignored Cody’s nudge and said to Damien. “What do you mean, ‘It’s been sixteen years’?”

“Since we’ve met,” Damien answered coolly. “I admit, I didn’t recognize her at first. It’s peculiar how the exposed always come back.”

“What are you…‌” It wasn’t until the words started leaving my lips that I absorbed what he had said and staggered back, knocking into Aidan first. “Met? We’ve…‌what?”
Oh crap, his angle
. He was going to turn them against me. I felt the panic seize in my chest the moment Aidan backed away from my touch, hands up. Cody wouldn’t look at me.

Damien’s eyes sparked at my reaction. I was giving him exactly what he wanted.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to control the mixed emotions that sang through my blood. He had no right to butcher me through my past. “You’re lying,” I accused.

Cody stepped in front of me, almost blocking my view of Damien. “Look, if this isn’t a clue then it’s not important.”

I tried to give Cody a grateful smile, but couldn’t muster the strength. All my energy poured into controlling myself before I could do something stupid.

“But,
I
know,” Damien spoke up. His voice quiet, but carried throughout the whole room, ringing in my head as if it were its own megaphone. “I know everything.”

If he could see into our minds then he knew about me. He knew about my twin sister’s death sixteen years ago. I had to wonder how he’d twist a lie into that story. Not everyone was privy to my family’s loss. We were careful to avoid questions, always. It wasn’t that we couldn’t talk about Neive. It was that we couldn’t talk about her death.