Betrayed by Ednah Walters Page A

s and computer screens had burned holes, and desks were charred.
    Wal s and ceiling smashed in like someone played ping-pong with a demolition bal . But bloody smears around the holes, and the tel -tale bloodied knuckles and fingers of the unconscious people told a different story.
    “Why would the demons possess these people and force them to ransack the place?” Even before I finished the question, my heightened senses picked up unease in the air. I turned to look at the others, but they were busy moving from body to body, checking for signs of life. Maybe I was imagining discomfort from my friends. If they knew why Bran was here, they would have said so by now.
    “They were probably searching for something only the employees knew about,” Remy answered.
    Izzy winked at me. “But your man sure kicked some serious demon butt. Most of these people are alive, and their injuries are superficial. Kim, let’s teleport them to our entry point.”
    Kim made a face. “Do we have to? They stink.”
    Remy shot her a look. “The stench is in the air too, Larson. Help Izzy. And if one of them moves—” too, Larson. Help Izzy. And if one of them moves—”
    “Knock him or her out,” Kim finished Remy’s sentence with an eye rol . “If stil possessed, squirt the dew in their eyes to expel the demon and protect the host…yada…yada…yada…. We know the dril .
    Humans bring this upon themselves, you know.
    Demons don’t go where they’re not welcome.
    Sometimes I wonder if we’re doing people favors by running to their rescue then making them forget the experience.”
    “Real y, Larson? You want to start that rant now?” Remy snapped.
    Kim made a face. “I’m just saying.”
    Kim’s gripe with humans was nothing new.
    She, like the rest of the Guardians, put her life on the line every time she faced demons and was entitled to her own opinion. Sometimes I wish she would fal in love with a human. That would shut her up.
    Remy nodded at me, then Sykes. “Let’s do a quick walk-through to see if they’re among the unconscious.”
    Moving from body to body, I searched until I was at the other end of the room. Bran and Gavyn weren’t among them. Bran’s anger trickled to me.
    They were close. I groaned in frustration and froze when someone, or something, echoed it. The hair along my nape rose. No, that wasn’t a groan. It was more like a whimper, which wouldn’t surprise me in this macabre scene.
    Angling my head, I fol owed the mewling down a hal way to a corner office. The door rested on its hinges and the light from the hal way fel into the dark room. Shards of glass were al over the place. A safe, or what once used to be one, had crash-landed on a large glass-top desk and shattered it. Money and bearer bonds were scattered al over the floor. I couldn’t imagine thieves ignoring this much wealth, unless they were after something more important.
    The sniffles came again. My heart pounding, I reached inside the door frame for the light switch and flipped it on. Nothing happened. The sounds stopped. I tightened my grip on the Kris, using its light to see better, and approached the desk.
    For a moment, I thought the area behind the desk, crammed with a broken chair, contents of the safe, and glass, was empty. Maybe I was hearing things. Then the glow from the dagger fel on something smal and golden.
    A little girl, about ten years old with blonde pigtails, sat curled on the floor behind the chair, tears shimmering in her blue eyes. I couldn’t believe someone had brought their child to work.
    “Hey,” I said softly so as not to scare her.
    She blinked and her eyes became white. My fingers twitched around the dagger. Not just any child. A demon child.
    “Are you going to kil me?” she asked.
    The urge was there. One less demon to worry about. Hundreds of human souls saved. A few of our own would get their glory back. But the light from my blade didn’t seem to cause her pain. My vengeful angelic side fought