Page 94 of The Devil's Trials

Harper groans, letting her head fall back against the couch. “If I accept the role, I could very well be kicked out of the organization if they find out. I’m pretty sure this is unprecedented, so I don’t even know what the punishment for something like this would be.”

“You’d be killing demons. The way I see it, you’re still doing your duty under the organization’s vow to protect humankind.”

“Right, but they haven’t been known to hire, uh, independent contractors. If they discover I’m working for both sides, my loyalty will harshly be called into question.”

I relate to her concern more than I should as I consider what could happen if I even attempt to pursuesomethingwith Xander. And she’s absolutely right about being questioned. At its core, the hunter organization is a division of the government, and its members agents of it.

“I wish I could say I’m optimistic this has the potential to change the way the organization views demons. That maybe a partnership between the hunters and the monarch could be good for both sides. But I’m not naive. If my superiors learned I was hunting demons the king of hell assigned to me, I’d be hauled into headquarters and interrogated.”

I don’t want to agree with her. I’d much rather be naive and believe the arrangement Harper is considering with Xander could breed change between opposing sides of a centuries-old war. Except trust is far too high an order for the humans and demons.

“I think you need to be okay with the possibility of being exiled from the organization if you’re going to accept Xander’s offer. Ask yourself if you’d still want the role on his council if that happens.”

Harper sits straighter, swallowing hard. “I enrolled to help people. Sure, the government salary and benefits would be helpful when I graduate, but this just feels…bigger?”

I offer what I hope is a supportive smile. “I know what you mean.”

“I’m not saying I think I can change the world or anything, but I’m willing to take the risk and try to at least make things better.”

“That’s really brave,” I tell her in a thick voice. I wasn’t expecting the lump of emotion in my throat, and I swallow past it to continue, “And it sounds like maybe you have decided, even if you’re not ready to say it.”

She inhales slowly, then lets out a shaky breath. Her eyes meet mine, and she gives a little nod. Fear steals her expression, as if she just realized the impact of her decision, and I pull her toward me, wrapping her in a tight hug. Her heart thumps in her chest where it presses against mine, and I smooth a hand over her hair.

“Everything is going to be okay.” The reassurance is as much for me as it is for her. We both need it right now. “Whatever happens, we’ll dealwith it together.” I pull back, cupping her cheeks in my hands and hold her watery gaze. “Besides,” I say in a forced humorous tone, “we have the devil on our side.”

A startled laugh escapes her lips, and she lifts her hands to cover mine as she blinks away her tears. “Does that mean you’ve made a decision about him too?”

My stomach dips, and I press my lips together. “I don’t know,” I finally say, letting my hands fall to my lap.

Her brows lift. “You know enough to have dream sex with him.”

I smack her shoulder with the back of my hand, groaning at the heat in my cheeks as the memory comes rushing back. “I knew I shouldn’t have told you that.”

She laughs again, this time sounding more genuine. “Your mistake.”

I open my mouth to spill about the hunter test I failed, but the words don’t form. I can’t bring myself to tell her—not now. “Yeah, my mistake.”

“Come on. Let’s call it a day and fill the pits of stress in our guts with food and alcohol like people do for their mundane problems.”

TWENTY-THREEXANDER

It takes more effort than I care to admit to stay away from Harper’s apartment when I know Camille is there. According to Blake, she came yesterday after Harper told her about the threat Marrick sent. It doesn’t surprise me that she jumped on a plane and came to support her best friend. Camille is practiced at putting the people she loves first, even when it’s difficult or dangerous.

I’m not sure how long she’s staying. I shouldn’t try to see her despite the pull in my chest to go to her, but it’s harder to ignore with her close by. That alone begs the question of just how thoroughly losing my soul affected our bond. Does it go deeper than either of us initially thought it could?

It doesn’t help that Blake is gone all day, leaving me to spiral and seriously test my willpower to stay put. I go for a long run until my calf muscles burn, then stand under the hot spray of the shower until my skin is pink.

I relive the night we spent together only a few days ago and can’t help but wonder if she’s done the same since it happened. The thought of Camille still caring for me chips away at the stone wall in my chest, which has the beast grumbling with irritation. Taunting me with accusations of humanity and weakness.

Blake comes back to my apartment long after dark, bringing reports of a demon in Seattle who’s leaking information to the hunters about a previouslysecretfeeding tavern because of a personal vendetta he has with the owner of the establishment.

These places have become more prevalent in the last year or so, with humans seeking them out to let demons feed on them willingly. For some demons, it takes the fun out of the hunt, but others appreciate the low effort of it. But now that the hunters have been made aware of them,they’ll act swiftly to shut them down. ‘Kill demons and keep humans in the dark about their existence’ is their unofficial motto, meaning they’re going to be all over this.

“What’s the motive here?” I say to Blake as I pour myself a glass of scotch from the bar cart I insisted on when I moved here following our stint at the safe house.

“Besides mutually assured destruction?” He shrugs, sipping the cup of tea he made when he arrived. “Greer suspects he’s trying to make a statement about the demon world being unsafe under your reign.”

I set my glass down, a muscle ticking in my jaw. “Do we have eyes on him?”

---