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She slumps to the ground, silenced into submission, and her head hangs forward.
Finally, she takes me seriously—and no one ever takes me seriously. Warmth spreads through my chest. Is this the high Remy and Talia are chasing? The power, the control? I can kill and get away with it. Is that why Talia did it?
“Dude,” Bax whispers from the corner, but I ignore him. “That was heavy, man.”
I grab Didi’s mama’s chin. “Where is the key?” I ask through gritted teeth, my heart racing but not in a bad way.
That shouldn’t have felt so right. The idea of killing Didi’s mama… Watching her struggle with that plastic bag struck something deep within me. No amount of running, kissing, or sex has ever made my body electrify like that.
Her lips quiver, and I move the candle close to her face. “Answer my question or I’ll burn your damn face off.” I have to give it to this broad, she’s tough as nails. She closes her eyes, and as the candle burns her skin, she begins to whisper.
Enough. I’ve had enough. She doesn’t get to pray anymore. Not when she’s filled Diana’s head with bullshit about going to hell for kissing.
I wipe her eyebrow with my thumb, the tear dropping over the burn mark I just left her.
“I can show you mercy,” I say softly, “just like your God would. But only if you tell me where the key is.”
She swallows hard. “It’s in the Bible in my bedroom.”
I curl my lip and stare down at her.
Of course it is.
“Where? Where in your bedroom?”
“Under my bed.”
I jerk my head at Bax. “Go, check.”
“Dude…”
“Go…please. Then we can get the hell out of here.”
Bax shuffles to the bedroom as I keep my eyes on Didi’s mama. Seconds later, he returns, handing me the book. I place the candle down and flip through the pages, and a tiny key, barely bigger than my pinky, falls out. I carefully pick it up, turning it over in my fingers before staring at the Bible from which it came.
“Didi thinks she’s going to hell,” I say to her, and fear radiates from her eyes. “When I leave, you’re going to pack up all your shit, and leave town, and you are going to leave Diana behind and never speak to her again. Do you understand me?”
I wait for her to answer, but her body goes limp and her eyes roll to the back of her head. Mumbled words escape her lips, “God of truth, lay bare his soul. Strip the masks from his face. Let him see the shadows he walks in.” She pauses, takes a deep breath, and her eyes right themselves from whatever trance she was in. “Did you get what you came for, demon? Show your face or hide in the grass like the snake you are.”
I squat down so I’m eye level with her and grin beneath the mask. “I’m not a snake; I am the reaper, lady. I was sent here from hell to torment you, and that’s all you need to know about me.”
I pull my knife out, and her eyes flash as she flinches back. My stomach twists into itself, and a rush of adrenaline hits me, making me feel more alive than I have in weeks. Bax is standing back, taking this all in, though his mask makes him seem evil.
“I got what I needed. Let’s go,” I say to him.
Bax starts toward the door, but I just stay where I am, watching Didi’s mama gasp for breath. Bax turns back to me as I’m locked in a staring contest with her.
“Hey, man…you coming?” he asks.
She stares at me, daring me in the flickering candlelight. “I’ll be right there. Wait outside.”
Bax shakes his head and leaves, and I wait until he’s out of sight before I dangle the knife in my hand and peer down at her, smiling behind my darkness.
DIDI
Something’s wrong.
My skin tingles with how thick the air seems as I walk up the overgrown pathway to the house. It’s quiet, too quiet, and the door is open. No candles flickering through the window, making the house edge into darkness.
