Page 30 of Corrupt Shadows
“My brother’s pet,” I spit. If it wasn’t insulting enough that they aided the witches to banish me here, they sent Solomor and a few others to watch me. Now, one of them was loose in the Human Realm.
Eshabia moves half an inch, and I pin him with my glare. I understand now why he was hesitant to tell me who. The messengers of bad news have been known to be destroyed before. But this time, I may be able to use the information to my advantage. Possessions are rare, and never without my approval. The attachment to the human must be powerful, and oppression must have worn down their soul. Even then, taking away a human’s free will is difficult.
“Is he in the Human Realm?”
“Yes,” he replies dryly. “He’s there at a nearby hospital, possessing a girl.”
A growl reverberates in my chest. My family must be behind this. We can’t communicate beyond our realm except through mirrors, and manipulating them is a power only I possess. They can only watch and heighten human emotions through them.
“Leave,” I bark.
His human form disappears into a cloud of black smoke, and I watch as the dark wisps leave through the open door.
Solomor out in the Human Realm means he can communicate with my brothers, if they’re still walking this world and not in Hell, where I should be. They have to be behind it, which means they want information. Why else would Solomor possess a human without my permission unless he was following the orders of another son of Lucifer?
I’ve been careful not to let anyone know of my habits. As far as the demons here are aware, I am haunting a human in Darkwood and nothing more. But if I’d let my guard down for a second, they could have heard… listened to what I’ve been doing in here.
If they know about Evie and Solomor tells my brothers, they’ll know my plan. If that’s true, they’ll kill her.
The precious Order that my brothers manipulate—using the guise of being angels, of all things—isn’t safe from me either. Being stuck in here has its disadvantages, but I have one major advantage; I can be in a room without being seen, as long as it has a mirror. I’ll hunt down every member of that fucking Order until I find a way to destroy them.
My shadows follow me as I walk down the winding roads, then pause outside a hospital. I slip from one shadow to another until I’m inside.
Lights flicker in the dark hallways, illuminating the demons waiting in the ICU. I smile when I see a mirror at the nurses’ station. It’s easy for a soul to become lost after death. All they have to do is see themselves in a mirror, and they’ll end up walking the Human Realm as a spirit forever. Unless they end up here instead.
Demons huddle around the mirror, their eyes bulging and alight with excitement. I can feel it emanating from them. They wait for humans to look into it so they can feed off their emotions. The more negative ones are best, and where better to find sorrow, rage, anger, and grief than a hospital? When a nurse stares into it, unaware of what is behind her reflection, their faces split into sadistic smiles.
I continue walking until I find a room with a mirror over a sink, then peer through it. I’ll search every single one in this damned building until I find Solomor and the human he possesses.
After looking through every mirror on two levels, I make my way to a room on the next floor. A woman sits on the end of her chair, too still for a human. She glances at the mirror above the sink and grins, as if she’s been waiting for this moment.
But she hasn’t been waiting here at all. He has. Solomor.
FIFTEEN
Evie
Rosa’s date shifts in his chair when he spots us entering the restaurant. My fingertips brush the sage-and-rosemary necklace. If he knows anything about demons, he’ll know these herbs. Or, at least, he should.
The shadows from the dim, red-orange lights highlight the strawberry blond woven between the brown strands of his hair. Rosa said he was our age, but his round, clean-shaven face makes him appear as if he’s twenty-one rather than twenty-eight.
We reach the table, and his glacial-blue gaze darts from Rosa to me. Her four-inch heels clack against the marble floor, and Aiden quickly stands, then pulls the chair out behind her. “Hey, beautiful lady.” His voice cracks, as if he’s cringing as much as I am.
Rosa clears her throat and places her purse down next to her. “Aiden, this is Evie.”
He extends his hand, and I take it, my nose wrinkling. I pull away as quickly as possible, grab a chair from an empty table, and drag it to theirs. I sit between them and place my elbows on the table.
It’s not too busy tonight, which I like. The low hum of music and chatter covers our conversation, and I lean forward. I pull my purse onto my lap, sliding my fingers inside until I brush against the barrel of the gun.
“I thought it would be just the two of us,” he tells Rosa, unaware of the weapon I’m holding under the table. “Not that it’s not nice to meet your friend.”
Rosa clicks her tongue. She tilts her head, her dark, crimson-painted smile pulling up at the corners. “We know who you are.” Her brown eyes narrow, and he tenses.
The dimples on his cheeks deepen with a forced laugh. “I’m Aiden.”
She rolls her eyes and lowers her voice to a whisper. “I know you’re with the Order.” Rosa pauses, drumming her nails against the polished wood surface. “You’ve been using me.”
“That’s ridiculous,” he says, his voice raising an octave.