The Darkest Secret Read Online Free PDF Page B

had gone, and had emerged with hundreds of other demons and souls all trapped inside him, writhing, screaming, desperate for escape.
    But he was home now, and he needed to die. Had to die. He was a danger to his friends, the world. He would die.
    There would be no comforting Haidee, nor taking comfort from the woman she’d become, for he could never allow himself to leave this room, his sanctuary. His coffin. And that, he found, was what he would mourn most. Whether he’d encountered her soul in hell and absorbed her memories there, or had stumbled upon her years ago, her voice lost in the dark, thorny mire of his mind until now, he would never know. This was it for him.
    This was the end.
    Flames.
    Screams.
    Evil.
    Once again they battled for his attention and threatened to overwhelm him.
    Amun knew he couldn’t hold them off for long. Toodemanding, so demanding… He focused on the earthy perfume and cooling breeze, head automatically turning to the left, following invisible threads wafting in the air. Leading from this bedroom…into the one next to it? Power.
    Peace.
    Salvation.
    Perhaps he could leave this room, he thought then. Perhaps he could be saved. That small sip of salvation, the barest taste…a frosted apricot, juice so sweet his throat would forever rejoice.
    He just had to— flames, screams, evil —get there. Must…fight. FLAMES. Amid the growing black thunder in his brain, Amun jerked at his bonds. SCREAMS. Already torn flesh surrendered, and already broken bone dusted to powder. EVIL. But he couldn’t pull himself free. He’d already used up his strength, he realized. He had nothing left.
    FLAMES, SCREAMS, EVIL.
    As he slumped onto the mattress, he laughed silently, bitterly. He’d lost, and so easily, too. He’d truly, finally lost. He couldn’t even call for his friends. A single word spoken, a single sound made, and everything inside him would spew out, his clash against the evil all for nothing.
    FLAMESSCREAMSEVIL.
    Closer…closer now…
    A shocking burst of hope as that sense of defeat shattered.
    If he couldn’t reach whoever was in that bedroom, perhaps he…she…they…could reach him.
    As the evil swamped him once more, Amun shouted as soundlessly as he’d laughed. Come to me!

CHAPTER THREE
    C OME TO ME !
    The desperate male voice invaded Haidee Alexander’s mind, a thriving fire amid a raging ice storm, dragging her from a cloying sleep and into total awareness. She jerked upright, panting, wild gaze scanning, mind cataloging her options in seconds, just as she’d trained it to do since being captured by the demon. Unfamiliar bedroom with one window, one door, offering two possible escape routes.
    The door, varnished to a luxuriant shine. Scratches around the handle, meaning it was well-used. Probably locked. The window, thick glass, unstreaked by hand or bird. The pane wasn’t nailed shut, then. Couldn’t be, not to maintain that level of cleanliness.
    Window, best bet.
    Alone. Had to act now.
    Riding a cloud of urgency, Haidee threw her legs over the side of the bed and stood. Her knees instantly buckled, too feeble to hold her weight. Not normal. Usually she could awaken and five seconds later be ready to run a marathon. A this-is-the-only-way-to-survive marathon.
    This weakness… How long had she been out this time?
    She lumbered to a shaky stand, trying to find her balance as she replayed the happenings of the last weeks through her head. She’d been overpowered by Defeat, the demon she’d been hunting. He’d carted her to what seemeda thousand different locations, trying to lose her boyfriend, Micah, and his crew of four. Hunters, all of them.
    Don’t think about that right now. You’ll lose focus.
    Escape. That’s what mattered.
    She tripped her way to the window, but just before she tugged on the pane, she stilled. In all their days together, Defeat had never left her