interrealm rift torn into my flesh to mark where the demon entered.” He touched the pulse point of his wrist. A flicker of violet chased along the black lines. For a heartbeat, the surrounding skin seemed to fade to translucence, revealing not muscle and bone but some glittering void. “It’s our only view into the demon realm.”
“Torn?” She blinked. “That must’ve hurt.”
“No.” Honest enough. By the time the mark appeared, his torment had been too deep to notice.
“I saw a similar tattoo— reven —on the driver at the pier.”
“The pattern identifies the class and potency of demon and its point of entry. In Ecco’s case, a strong chaos-class demon.” Archer smirked. “I’ll be sure to let him know you made him.”
“You’ve been watching me. You said there was no conspiracy.”
“I said it wasn’t a government conspiracy. We’re . . . private contractors. Very private. We keep watch over all demonic activity.”
“You stay together?”
“More or less.” Zane had mentioned an obsolete mated-talyan bond. Maybe in those days they’d taken turns taking out the demonic trash.
“Like a support group? To find a cure?”
“There is no cure.”
“Funny, I don’t feel doomed.” She stared down at her feet. “I’d forgotten how nice a strong body is. My poor patients . . . I could just keep walking forever.”
He caught her arm and forced her to a halt. Forced himself to ignore her supple heat under his hand. Nice body, yeah. “You can’t escape, Sera. Somewhere inside, you sense what’s coming.”
She strained against him, testing her strength. “And what is that, exactly? End-stage demonic infection, I know. Maybe I’ll just take two aspirin and call my pastor in the morning.”
Ah, he knew this moment well. He steeled himself against the pang. Just because she roused the memory of a certain idealistic, naïve young man was no reason to forget the hopeless outcome. “Too late. It’s ascending already, from your soul through your body, and demons can’t be destroyed. If you cast it out now, the demon will just seek a new host.”
She lifted her chin. “That’s easy.”
“No. It came to you through your weakness—in mind, in body. In your soul.”
“Not exactly fair.”
“I doubt fair comes up in the demon handbook code of ethical conduct. Besides, what does it take to resist temptation when you’re strong? Anybody can do that.”
She pulled at him more forcefully. “I’m stronger now.”
“Because of the demon. If you deny it, it will leave the way it came, through your wounds, taking what it has given you.” He tightened his grip, close to bruising as his demon roused to the defiance in her stance. If he gave it free rein, she’d know the folly of questioning him. “This strong body you like so much will be gone with the demon.”
“I got by before.”
“And when it goes, it will take a little more than you had. Call it recompense. Most likely, you’d never walk again.”
She froze. “Maybe that’s the price I have to pay.”
“Willing to sacrifice a chunk of your soul too? The demon burrowed into damage in your body and your soul. Places where it linked would be torn apart. Our theologically inclined believe your demon-mottled soul would be bound into the Veil between the realms to spend the rest of eternity waiting out the final battle in spiritual limbo.”
She wasn’t pulling away from him now. “Final battle?”
He ignored the question. “There’s no bargaining with this devil. You stay and fight for your hold on this realm, or you are crippled, physically and spiritually, for the rest of your life. A life that the most wretched of your former patients would deem a thousand times worse than their own deaths.”
Sera stared at him, eyes so wide he caught a glimpse
of the first drifting snowflakes reflected in her pupils. The demon had come to him in winter too, when old wounds ached most deeply. With all he’d lost, the prospect
“Torn?” She blinked. “That must’ve hurt.”
“No.” Honest enough. By the time the mark appeared, his torment had been too deep to notice.
“I saw a similar tattoo— reven —on the driver at the pier.”
“The pattern identifies the class and potency of demon and its point of entry. In Ecco’s case, a strong chaos-class demon.” Archer smirked. “I’ll be sure to let him know you made him.”
“You’ve been watching me. You said there was no conspiracy.”
“I said it wasn’t a government conspiracy. We’re . . . private contractors. Very private. We keep watch over all demonic activity.”
“You stay together?”
“More or less.” Zane had mentioned an obsolete mated-talyan bond. Maybe in those days they’d taken turns taking out the demonic trash.
“Like a support group? To find a cure?”
“There is no cure.”
“Funny, I don’t feel doomed.” She stared down at her feet. “I’d forgotten how nice a strong body is. My poor patients . . . I could just keep walking forever.”
He caught her arm and forced her to a halt. Forced himself to ignore her supple heat under his hand. Nice body, yeah. “You can’t escape, Sera. Somewhere inside, you sense what’s coming.”
She strained against him, testing her strength. “And what is that, exactly? End-stage demonic infection, I know. Maybe I’ll just take two aspirin and call my pastor in the morning.”
Ah, he knew this moment well. He steeled himself against the pang. Just because she roused the memory of a certain idealistic, naïve young man was no reason to forget the hopeless outcome. “Too late. It’s ascending already, from your soul through your body, and demons can’t be destroyed. If you cast it out now, the demon will just seek a new host.”
She lifted her chin. “That’s easy.”
“No. It came to you through your weakness—in mind, in body. In your soul.”
“Not exactly fair.”
“I doubt fair comes up in the demon handbook code of ethical conduct. Besides, what does it take to resist temptation when you’re strong? Anybody can do that.”
She pulled at him more forcefully. “I’m stronger now.”
“Because of the demon. If you deny it, it will leave the way it came, through your wounds, taking what it has given you.” He tightened his grip, close to bruising as his demon roused to the defiance in her stance. If he gave it free rein, she’d know the folly of questioning him. “This strong body you like so much will be gone with the demon.”
“I got by before.”
“And when it goes, it will take a little more than you had. Call it recompense. Most likely, you’d never walk again.”
She froze. “Maybe that’s the price I have to pay.”
“Willing to sacrifice a chunk of your soul too? The demon burrowed into damage in your body and your soul. Places where it linked would be torn apart. Our theologically inclined believe your demon-mottled soul would be bound into the Veil between the realms to spend the rest of eternity waiting out the final battle in spiritual limbo.”
She wasn’t pulling away from him now. “Final battle?”
He ignored the question. “There’s no bargaining with this devil. You stay and fight for your hold on this realm, or you are crippled, physically and spiritually, for the rest of your life. A life that the most wretched of your former patients would deem a thousand times worse than their own deaths.”
Sera stared at him, eyes so wide he caught a glimpse
of the first drifting snowflakes reflected in her pupils. The demon had come to him in winter too, when old wounds ached most deeply. With all he’d lost, the prospect
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