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It was Asmodeus’ turn to laugh. “Dream your dreams, witch.”
“What is going on, baby?” Gran asked me as she pulled Abuela’s arm over her shoulders and struggled to get to her feet.
“I…” What could I even say? My eyes dropped to Abuela when she groaned. “We’ll talk about it later.” I helped Gran lift her as we worked together to get her out of the room.
Every step took energy, my back and skull aching. Panic filled my heart. I didn’t know if Gran was hurt, I knew without a doubt Abuela was, and now Asmodeus was here. I didn’t have time to wonder about all that now. I had to get them away and safe, I would leave the witch to Asmodeus and hope with everything I was he could handle it.
26
ASMODEUS
Her fear froze every inch of me. The scene made my heart ache as I fought against all the emotions that tried to crumble me.
Her emotions.
I watched from the corner of my eyes as Eden lifted her unconscious Abuela — a word she used to identify one of her grandmothers — with the help of her Gran and carried her from the room.
Their absence from the scene brought me no relief.
Once again I stood toe to toe with the witch who had left me standing in the rain not long ago. I felt the consequences of my actions in the anxious beat of Eden’s heart. In the panic that filled her alongside each breath.
My eyes glassed over as I felt the potent magic of the witch seep into my fingers the longer I held onto her. It pulsed up my arms like a toxin that made my flesh vibrate.
I pushed my power into her, coating my flesh to ward off her vile intentions.
“Do you feel it, Asmodeus?” she whispered.
“Feel what?”
“The torment I have in store for you… it’s such a potent thing in your wife, isn’t it? So much stronger than you would have ever dared dream. You know, there is a reason they lock those hearts of yours away. Demons are powerful things and to have such power steered by emotions could set the universe on fire. How the cosmos would tremble with each heartbreak. They’re only safe trapped inside another or in a box they can lock or open at their will.” The witch coated herself in smoke. “I want her to open that box so that you’ll feel it all. I want you to feel the way love aches. I want you to feel the way love leaves cracks in you. And I will continue to carve those cracks until there is a hole large enough for Maledictia to climb inside.”
Her smoke almost completely covered her now.
“And then I’ll breathe my own heartbreak in there until you’re nothing but the ache I have to carry with me because of you. And your wife… I’ll make sure there’s room inside for her too, as broken as I make her.”
Her black smoke exploded, sending me flying back.
The small bed in the room crumbled under my weight. I kicked the pieces away and scurried to my feet just in time to watch the smoke dissipate, leaving the room empty.
“Fuck!”
My chest heaved as I bared my teeth and looked around the empty room. The witch was gone again. Slipped right through my fingers.
My anger was ripped out from under me as pain speared my chest.
“Eden?”
I ran toward the door and stumbled when my horns hit the doorframe. Annoyance moved through me as I transformed my hooves into feet so I could better fit through. My horns still scraped against the wood, but didn’t thwart my progress as I ran into the living room.
Bloodied bandages covered the floor around Eden where she tended to her Abuela. Her Gran pressed a cloth to the woman’s brow as her eyes continued to roll back in her head.
“It just keeps ringing!” Gran panicked.
I hurried over and took the phone from her Gran’s hand. She flinched away from me, her wide eyes looking me over before her fist banged into my chest.
“Get away from my family!”
I ignored her assault as I looked at Eden whose face was streaked with tears. “I don’t know what’s wrong and we can’t get through to—”
