Page 119 of I Accidentally Summoned A Demon
She stepped aside and inclined her head to the metal bars locking them in. The door opened, and Lucian was shoved through, his body covered in cuts and bruises, one eye swollen shut. Nex tried to move, but the chains restrained him. Lilith strode in, grabbed Lucian’s shoulder, and rammed him to his knees.
“Look what you made me do.” Lilith massaged her temples. “I have to kill one of my own and send him to The Praeteritus because of you. And Ilikedhim, Nex. I really did.”
The Praeteritus was a place of lost and forgotten souls. A place some argued was worse than torture, where there was no escape. Souls were locked in with no way out, wandering for eternity in anguish, no memory of who they were or what they’d done, so if someone came looking, they couldn’t be found.
“You don’t have to kill Lucian,” Nex said. “For fuck’s sake, Lilith, don’t punish Lucian because of me!”
“Thanks to you, I have no choice.” She withdrew a knife from the sheath on her hip. “He killed an angel for you and that human. You both knew that was unforgivable. You both knew there would be consequences. You’re lucky you didn’t have the power to do it yourself. Otherwise, this would be you.” She grabbed Lucian’s long, white hair and jerked his head back, exposing his neck. “I hope you’re happy. I hope fucking her was worth the pain you’ll endure. I hope it was worth getting your friend killed.”
“Lilith, don’t!” Nex threw his weight against the chains, but the cold metal cut into his skin and held him too far away. “Kill me instea—”
She drew the blade across Lucian’s throat. Blood poured after the knife. Gurgling and choking, Lucian spluttered blood from his mouth. His one eye blinked slowly before staying open, and he fell face-first to the ground. His body turned to stone, similar to the others in the cave, then crumbled to dust. His soul—a dim ball of white light—bounded around the cavern before it disappeared into the ground.
Chapter 43
Faith
Katherinehadtostayat the school too long. Thankfully, only one person was shot, and it wasn’t critical. So many people—police, church volunteers, school staff—asked what happened, what she saw, where Nex was. She couldn’t think of anything that made sense and repeated Allen’s comment, saying they got separated. Which was why they were now under the impression they had to search for him.
The shooter had a heart attack, the police told everyone. A lethal heart attack. Unusual given his age and overall health. No one had an explanation, but when the security tapes were played, all they showed was the shooter going rigid. He clutched his chest, sunk to the ground, and died with his eyes open.
Hours dragged by before Kat could leave. As soon as she was released, she ran to the parking lot. She dove into the car and dug her keys out, hands shaking too much to get the key in the ignition.
“You can do this.” She tried to get control of the shaking, tried not to let her mind take her back to the accident. “You can do this.” She raised the key to the ignition again and mentally repeated the same phrase in Nex’s voice, reminding herself how he sat beside her and told her she didn’t have to let fear control her.
She inserted the key and took a deep breath. Starting the car, she set her trembling hands on the steering wheel. “You can do this.” Tears fell down her face as she adjusted the seat and mirror. She pulled the seatbelt across her chest and focused on Nex instead of the memory of the last time she drove.It’s not too tight. It’s not too tight. It’s not too tight.
Kat allowed herself a few seconds to calm before putting the car in gear. She pulled out of the parking lot and remained stiff as she drove to church. She kept reminding herself to breathe, to not panic when a car passed her, to not feel like the seatbelt was going to lock. Rather than letting fear take over, she imagined Nex’s face and soothing voice, and that got her through the streets and traffic lights until she parked the car.
Snow kicked up behind her as she rushed across the street and ascended the church’s steps. Grateful the door was unlocked, she shoved it open and stepped inside. The heavy wooden door closed behind her with athud, and she jumped. Her gaze darted around the seemingly empty building. Except, if she’d learned anything through all of this, things weren’t always how they appeared.
If her attempts would matter, if they would change anything, she didn’t know, but she had to try. The only thing giving her confidence that she could be convincing was that she had the Bible on her side. Years in Sunday school classes, Bible studies, youth groups, and sitting through sermons where she memorized countless verses were what she armed herself with.
“Melchizedek?” she called. A long shot—the likelihood he hung around after Nex left was small, but she wasn’t giving up. Light filtered through the windows illuminating the center aisle in front of her feet. “Melchizedek?”
Silence answered. Tears filled her eyes, and she flexed her hands as she glanced around.Don’t lose faith,she chanted in her head. She closed her eyes, attempting to control the crying. The red scarf barely had a hint of Nex’s scent on it, but she clutched it, her knuckles whitening. “Please, someone talk to me.”
“We’re not here to answer anyone’s call.”
Kat spun toward the door, where a man she didn’t recognize stood. Gray eyes surveyed her, and steady hands clasped in front of his white robes. He emitted a similar feeling to Gabriel, yet not as calm or peaceful. While he looked approachable, she didn’t sense he was. There was only one angel Nex mentioned who she hadn’t met.
“Uriel?” She stepped forward.
His response was a curt nod.
Kat narrowed her eyes, snatched a Bible off a pew, marched over to him, and shoved it in his chest. “I think it’s time you brush up your knowledge on this.” She tapped the cover. “Having me thrown off a bridge wasn’t very angelic behavior. When’s the last time you read the Bible? Are you senile or something?”
Uriel blinked, then glared at her. He took a step forward but froze in place. Knowing there was only one angel who could immobilize him, he huffed.
“You deserved that.”
Kat’s head snapped to the side.
Gabriel leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. His eyes softened when she looked at him. “I’m sorry about today.”
“Did you do that?” Kat gripped the scarf tighter. “Did a demon do that? How could you let that happen? Someone gothurt.”
Gabriel shook his head. “We didn’t cause that, Katherine. Nor did Lilith or any other demon. Some people are evil by nature.”
