The Devil's Third (21 page)

 “What?” Tori shrieked.

“I’m in love with Carrie,” the female dark spirit continued. “I’ve been obsessed with her.”

Tori gaped at her, dumbfounded.

The female smirked, enjoying herself. “Yeah, that’s right. But no worries. Carrie doesn’t swing that way, and I just came here to say goodbye.”

Tori blinked at her, then looked at me for confirmation. I nodded and could hear the air escaping her lips, and her heart rate slowing down. Her shoulders relaxed and the fine lines at the corner of her eyes and around her mouth sagged from exhaustion. “You two need to leave,” she said, sounding spent. She step aside and pointed her finger out the door. The female left the room, the smirk still on her face. When I made a move to follow, Tori took my arm, halting me. “I don’t know what’s really going on,” she said, “but I appreciate you looking out for Carrie.”

“Paige and the people she loves matters to me,” I said, mentally excluding Brayden from my statement.

She released my arm, a tired smile formed on her lips. “Yes, I know that now.”

“Get some rest,” I said before stepping out of the room.

I headed through the maze of halls, having no idea where the female dark spirit went, knowing damn well who it was. I took the elevator down to the main floor while trying to formulate a plan. When I reached the lobby, my ears rang. She was sitting in one of the chairs with a leg draped over the wooden arm, looking bored.

“Ameerah, what the hell are you up to?” I asked, cautiously.

She swung her leg and stood, swiping a piece of dark hair out of her face. “I’m here to help you.”

I crossed my arms. “Why?” The last time she had helped me, I was ambushed by a group of dark spirits, so my trust level with her remained on shaky ground.

She rolled her eyes. “I told you that night I wasn’t aware I was being followed,” she said, sensing my apprehension. “Besides, what other options do you have?”

She had a point.

She headed toward the automatic sliding glass doors. “C’mon. We have work to do.” She paused when she realized I wasn’t following her, the doors sliding back and forth in front of her, making a hissing sound. She glanced over her shoulder. “Your lack of trust in me may be the cause of Paige’s demise.”

I flinched, and then followed her out into the predawn world, not thrilled with having to resort to a dark spirit’s help.

Chapter Twenty-One

Paige

Brayden took my wrist and pulled me to his side. His hand slid into mine. He squeezed it in spurts, sending Morse code, like we used to do when we were kids playing war against another group. Despite the unfortunate circumstances we were under, it touched me Brayden remembered this tactic we’d used long ago to our advantage, and I couldn’t help but smile. He told me to keep a clear head and not to provoke them.

I looked up at the five men standing shoulder to shoulder in front of us. The two on each end looked like they were in a biker gang. They were both stocky. The one to my left had shoulder length brown bushy hair and a wild look in his blue eyes. He sneered at me, revealing a gold tooth and rubbed his chin with his meaty hand. I couldn’t help but notice tattoos covering his arm, an artist’s collage on bare skin. He narrowed his eyes, giving me an icy stare. I pressed my side against Brayden’s and glanced away. I squeezed his hand several times, telling him I’d stay calm, but I didn’t like this one bit.

“I’ll make a deal with you, Bael,” Volac said behind me, on the other side of the Tahoe. “You give me the ring, and I’ll let Paige go.”

I drew myself up and squared my shoulders, refusing to be intimidated by the men who stood before me. The guy in front looked like Billy Idol, with his pale hair short and spiky, and a sharp-studded dog collar around his neck. His gaze latched onto mine. His brown eyes were glowing. I acted like I hadn’t noticed and took in the other two guys. One was big and black with a buzz cut, and the other was normal in height and had a mop of dark blond hair. They were both muscular and wore blue jeans and black T-shirts.

Bael laughed, an amused, cocky sound. “Now why would I surrender the ring to you . . . or anybody?”

“Because you know I’ll destroy it,” Volac countered. “I also know Paige is an enigma you’re dying to figure out. However, if I were to destroy her, the mystery of her would never be solved. It would haunt you for the rest of your existence.”

“You think you have it all figured out, don’t you?” Bael said, his tone edging toward threatening.

Brayden and I shared a look that could clearly be read as, uh-oh this situation could quickly become volatile at any moment. The guys in front of us seemed unfazed, except for the Billy Idol wannabe; he immediately spoke up in Volac’s defense.

“Bloody hell, he has it figured out, ya wanker,” he said to Bael, surprising me with his British accent.

“You’re not helping, Felix,” Volac said. “So I advise you to shut that hole in your face.”

Felix glared at a spot above my head and cracked his knuckles. I thought about jumping up in the air and taking off into the prairie behind them, but they were too close to Brayden and me and could easily snatch our arms, preventing us from doing so. Besides, I wasn’t in a position to do it. I had to think of Tree.

“I know you value your autonomy,” Bael said to Volac. “I give you my word. I will not intrude on your way of life. I’ll even go as far as to perform a blood oath if you so desire.”

“A tempting proposal,” Volac said, “and a week ago I would have accepted. However, I must decline your offer because it’s not about me anymore. There are others, like myself who refuse to have the yoke of tyranny around their necks.”

An idea came to me, and before I could stop and think about it, the words were already flowing from my mouth. “I agree with Volac,” I said. Brayden turned to me with a what-are-you-doing expression. I smirked, knowing he would know what it meant:
play along with me.
He squeezed my hand, telling me okay.

“What?” Bael said, sounding displeased.

I raised my voice. “I
said
, I agree with Volac, because how would you like it if somebody had the power to control you? You wouldn’t, would you?”

“I’m starting to like this girl,” the blond guy whispered to the biker next to him.

“You know,” Brayden interjected. “I think Paige has a point. I do agree with you, Bael, on bringing back the old ways, but you have no right to control other people’s lives. You’re not God, and even God gives people the freewill to do what they want.”

Bael laughed. It was dark and menacing. When he spoke, the loathing he felt dripped from each word. “The people in this world are unruly. They lack structure and discipline. They are a cancer which keeps spreading and feeding off the natural resources without giving something back in exchange or replenishing it. You cut down a tree . . . you plant another one in its stead.

“The God you speak of,
Brayden,
” he went on in a haughty voice,
“doesn’t care. I had questioned his authority one too many times and was cast to earth with words as sweet as honey, promising me this would be my eternal domain. I could roam freely between this world and my own spiritual realm. But I later discovered thy enemy was not one but many.” I glanced at Brayden, wondering if he was able to follow what Bael was babbling about. My plan to get Bael to speak freely worked, but I wasn’t following what he was saying. Brayden shook his head and shrugged. “There’s not one but many gods, all part of one godhead.”

“I don’t understand,” I said without thinking. Brayden elbowed me in the side and shot me a look to be quiet. I think he was afraid of me distracting Bael’s train of thought that he wouldn’t finish divulging what could be useful to us if we live through this mess. I bit my lip and released his hand so I could wipe my sweaty palms off on my jeans.

“As for controlling the dark spirits,” he continued, totally ignoring my comment. I could hear him moving around in a circle. His movements were slow and casual. “I plan to control the ones who are no better than the humans.”

I think I knew what Bael was doing by telling Volac this because he already knew his opportunity to control the dark spirits had vanished when he discovered Solomon’s power was in me and not the ring. Of course he didn’t want Volac to discover that, so he was playing him.

“I’m not concern with the spirits who do horrific things to humans or take delight in scaring them. In fact, I encourage such behavior and will eventually lead an army of them, like I’d done in World War II, only I won’t segregate a certain group like I had done with the Jews.”

My throat tightened, and my stomach clenched into a knot. I couldn’t believe what I just heard. I knew the dark spirits created horrific acts against humanity, but I’d never given thought to Bael being the one who orchestrated such acts. I don’t know why, but his admission to it wheeled me into a thick cloud of heartache, despair, and nausea. “What?” I squeaked, and then started coughing. I bent over and held my stomach. “Why? You–you lost the war,” I choked. “What was the p-purpose?”

Brayden draped his arm around my back. “It’s okay, Paige,” he said in a low voice next to my ear. “Calm down. Now is not the time to fall apart.”

I knew he was right, but a vision of naked bodies piled on top of each other in a ditch hovered in my mind. I remembered watching Nazi week on the History Channel, trying to understand how humans could turn into monsters and how somebody like Hitler could gain so much power and control over a nation.

My throat and eyes burned from my harsh coughing. Brayden gathered my hair, and held it away from my face, reminding me of when Nathan had done the same thing.

Nathan
.

My heart ached, and I hugged my arms tighter around my stomach. I wanted desperately to be in Nathan’s embrace, away from all of this, in the comforts of my home.

Nathan.

“Why?” Bael echoed. “Because there was a purpose behind it, which included losing the war.”

Between my coughs I became mildly aware of feet shifting uneasily in front of me, but they remained where they were. I dropped to the ground, not caring if I lived or died. I’d lost Nathan over this, and even if I did destroy the incantations, Bael could still gather another army of dark spirits and do a mass genocide on the human race. And where had the immortals been when War World II happened? Why didn’t they stop it? Unless, there were not enough of them. I once asked Nathan how many were there in this world, and he didn’t know. I was starting to realize we were sadly outnumbered–there were way more dark spirits than immortals. I was an idiot to think I could make a difference, and that I could help make this world a better place by protecting humanity from the darkness encroaching upon them. The hope I once had dimmed inside me. I pulled my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around them.

Brayden kneeled next to me and leaned his head to mine. Softly, he started a song he used to sing to me when we were kids, when I was feeling alone and missing my dad. “This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine. This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine.”

“I don’t mean to step on your toes, Bael,” Volac said, clearing his throat. “I’m also well aware you’re more powerful than I.”

“Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.”

“But I have to be frank with you. If you don’t give me the ring, I will not only kill Paige, but you’ll also have a war on your hands.”

Brayden placed his arm around my shoulder and continued singing. “Hide it under a bushel? No. I’m going to let it shine. Hide it under a bushel? No. I’m going to let it shine.”

I scooted closer to Brayden and leaned into him. One of the guys in front of us was humming the song. It sounded like it came from the biker guy with the tattoos.

“Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.”

“You’re treading in dangerous waters by threatening me,” Bael arrogantly said, unfazed by Volac’s warning.

“Don’t let Satan blow it out, I’m gonna let it shine. Don’t let Satan blow it out. I’m gonna let it shine.”

“Randall!” Volac shouted, causing me to look up. “Stop humming that ridiculous song.”

“Sorry. It’s just a catchy tune,” the biker with the tattoo arm said. Red-faced, he looked down and kept quiet.

I took a deep breath and Brayden pulled me to my feet. He slung his arm around my shoulders, keeping me close. The hopelessness I felt a few minutes ago still lingered inside me, but that song did spark a strength I forgot I had. Brayden remembered, though. He knew it was tucked away in a part of my soul like an inspirational quote written in a journal you had long forgotten about, only to discover it on the day you needed to read it the most. A familiar feeling toward Brayden reawakened inside me, causing my stomach to dip, and thoughts of our mortal life together and all the things we have done and been through, flooded my mind. Brayden reminded me of home, of fun and easy times. I longed for them, where the only problems I had to deal with were my premonitions and home life. Was it possible we were meant to be together? But then a vision of me lying in Nathan’s arms popped in my head. A terrible ache gnawed at me heart.

“I realize the consequences of my actions toward you, Bael,” Volac said. “I’m also not deluded enough to think I can overthrow you. However, I’d give you a good fight, and I believe we’d end up sparring for a very long time, possibly for centuries.” He paused, and the air seemed to grow thicker around us. Nobody made a sound. Dead silence, as if the earth and every living creature on it were frozen in the moment. “I’m not your enemy,” Volac finally said. “I don’t care if you bring back the old ways or gather another legion. I just want my freedom and so do others like myself. I know you’re a man of your word, but my mind cannot be eased unless you give me the ring, and I destroy it.”

“I have to admit,” Bael said, gauging each word carefully, “your boldness is a trait I admire. How do you propose to destroy the ring? Kora couldn’t do it. What makes you think you can?”

“I can’t,” Volac admitted. “But I’ve found an alternative to suit this unfortunate situation quite well.”