demon screamed in rage. “I’ll kill her!”
He could feel the change in the air as Abigail’s body began closing to the demon, purifying against his presence, and he knew his prayer had been answered. Abigail’s body was no longer a safe haven for the demon.
“And then you’ll be back in hell,” he said.
“She will come, too!”
“Then a counter offer,” he said. “Take me instead.”
The room fell silent. Arthur could hear sizzling as the holy water burned flesh. He prayed that Abigail would survive.
“You won’t fight me?”
“You don’t have long to decide. Nowhere else is safe.”
The demon calculated, and he knew what it would decide. In him, it would have time; time to find another body.
At least, that’s what it thought.
It happened in an instant. One second he was Arthur, and the next he was something else. He felt overwhelming pressure inside his temple, and it was more than he ever could have imagined.
It was no wonder it had taken Abigail so easily, he doubted any human could be a match for it longer than a few seconds. It was a hot knife slicing through his brain.
His Hail Mary seemed an even longer shot now. He doubted he could hold it back long enough with sheer willpower. If he failed, it would kill Abigail anyway just out of spite.
All he needed was a few seconds.
He took the short dagger into his right hand and began carving into his left arm, just below the wrist. Blood ran from his first cut.
He started the second line in his skin, and the demon understood what he was doing. He felt it roaring in his mind, trying to subsume him. He nearly caved under the pressure, nearly lost it all, but he understood pain. He understood what true devastation was. The demon was fighting with brutality, trying to overwhelm him with sheer force. It didn’t understand that he had passed that threshold long ago.
I killed those people , he whispered in his mind.
He finished his second cut, shaking from the sheer pressure of the demon’s strength. Every single pain receptor in his body was being triggered, and it felt like he was standing in a fire. He felt it tearing and clawing for control, shredding his very existence.
There is no forgiveness.
The third cut, drawn at an angle to connect the other two. He felt his will wavering and knew he wouldn’t have long. He’d mentally battled demons before, but never like this. It felt like a train crashing into a brick wall.
There is only penance.
He finished the final cut and collapsed, feeling everything drain away. The demon went silent in his mind, and he felt humble respect mixed with unfathomable rage. The sigil in his arm trapped it, and once his body died the demon would have nowhere to go but back to hell.
When it went, he knew, it would take him with it.
But he was ready.
Shaking, he pulled the satellite phone out of his pocket and set it on the ground in front of him. He tapped the only stored number. It rang and was answered almost instantly.
“Arthur?” Frieda said.
“Promise me,” he said, sucking in a shuddering breath. Red agony had closed his vision to narrow slits.
“Arthur? What’s wrong—?”
“Promise me you’ll take care of her,” he interrupted.
The words hung in the air. A long moment passed and he imagined Frieda on the other end of the line, tense and barely containing her emotions.
“I promise,” she said finally.
He looked over at the form of the girl who should have been his daughter. She looked so young lying there on the floor. She seemed dead, but he hoped she was only unconscious.
He prayed she could come back. He thought of the good times he’d spent with her, raising her and teaching her and loving her like a father.
“Tell her I love her,” he said. “I always will.”
“I’ll tell her.”
With a smile, he plunged the dagger into his heart.
Chapter 1
Five Months Later
Haatim walked into the Ocotillo Library in Phoenix, Arizona, in the early afternoon and found a table in the
He could feel the change in the air as Abigail’s body began closing to the demon, purifying against his presence, and he knew his prayer had been answered. Abigail’s body was no longer a safe haven for the demon.
“And then you’ll be back in hell,” he said.
“She will come, too!”
“Then a counter offer,” he said. “Take me instead.”
The room fell silent. Arthur could hear sizzling as the holy water burned flesh. He prayed that Abigail would survive.
“You won’t fight me?”
“You don’t have long to decide. Nowhere else is safe.”
The demon calculated, and he knew what it would decide. In him, it would have time; time to find another body.
At least, that’s what it thought.
It happened in an instant. One second he was Arthur, and the next he was something else. He felt overwhelming pressure inside his temple, and it was more than he ever could have imagined.
It was no wonder it had taken Abigail so easily, he doubted any human could be a match for it longer than a few seconds. It was a hot knife slicing through his brain.
His Hail Mary seemed an even longer shot now. He doubted he could hold it back long enough with sheer willpower. If he failed, it would kill Abigail anyway just out of spite.
All he needed was a few seconds.
He took the short dagger into his right hand and began carving into his left arm, just below the wrist. Blood ran from his first cut.
He started the second line in his skin, and the demon understood what he was doing. He felt it roaring in his mind, trying to subsume him. He nearly caved under the pressure, nearly lost it all, but he understood pain. He understood what true devastation was. The demon was fighting with brutality, trying to overwhelm him with sheer force. It didn’t understand that he had passed that threshold long ago.
I killed those people , he whispered in his mind.
He finished his second cut, shaking from the sheer pressure of the demon’s strength. Every single pain receptor in his body was being triggered, and it felt like he was standing in a fire. He felt it tearing and clawing for control, shredding his very existence.
There is no forgiveness.
The third cut, drawn at an angle to connect the other two. He felt his will wavering and knew he wouldn’t have long. He’d mentally battled demons before, but never like this. It felt like a train crashing into a brick wall.
There is only penance.
He finished the final cut and collapsed, feeling everything drain away. The demon went silent in his mind, and he felt humble respect mixed with unfathomable rage. The sigil in his arm trapped it, and once his body died the demon would have nowhere to go but back to hell.
When it went, he knew, it would take him with it.
But he was ready.
Shaking, he pulled the satellite phone out of his pocket and set it on the ground in front of him. He tapped the only stored number. It rang and was answered almost instantly.
“Arthur?” Frieda said.
“Promise me,” he said, sucking in a shuddering breath. Red agony had closed his vision to narrow slits.
“Arthur? What’s wrong—?”
“Promise me you’ll take care of her,” he interrupted.
The words hung in the air. A long moment passed and he imagined Frieda on the other end of the line, tense and barely containing her emotions.
“I promise,” she said finally.
He looked over at the form of the girl who should have been his daughter. She looked so young lying there on the floor. She seemed dead, but he hoped she was only unconscious.
He prayed she could come back. He thought of the good times he’d spent with her, raising her and teaching her and loving her like a father.
“Tell her I love her,” he said. “I always will.”
“I’ll tell her.”
With a smile, he plunged the dagger into his heart.
Chapter 1
Five Months Later
Haatim walked into the Ocotillo Library in Phoenix, Arizona, in the early afternoon and found a table in the
Similar Books
The McCree's Star Spangled 4th
J.C. Isabella
Lord of Mountains: A Novel of the Change
S. M. Stirling
Glow
Anya Monroe
Material Witness
Lisa Mondello, L. A. Mondello
The Way Into Darkness: Book Three of The Great Way
Harry Connolly
The Royal Sorceress
Christopher Nuttall
Chasing Ivan
Tim Tigner
Emmaus
Alessandro Baricco
The Devil's Dozen
Katherine Ramsland