Page 75 of I Accidentally Summoned A Demon
She pulled her hand back and opened her dark eyes, a deep sadness in them. “This cannot end well. It’s beautiful, what you have, but it cannot last.”
“That’s not necessarily true. I have reason to be here. I was summoned. They can’t claim I’m here needlessly, and I haven’t manipulated her.”
Death’s brows drew together. “Proceed with caution, young demon. I think it unwise to assume no one will intervene.”
He’d thought about it, of course. But he also knew the angels let things slide in the past, and if they were to come, they’d come to him first like they had with others.
“I understand.” Death nodded. “The angels have sometimes looked the other way, but you must consider that you are not like other demons. You’ve moved so high up the ranks in such little time. You’re only a few ranks below Lilith. That status is rare. It places pressure on you, Nex. You’re considered a role model. Your actions are judged harsher.” Sadness laced her smile. “It is not always a blessing to have a higher rank. I would be careful if I were you.”
Nex clenched his jaw and gripped the bracelet. “Will you do it?”
“I do not mean to frustrate you. I am concerned for you and the human. I only mean to advise you. I have been around a long time.” Her gaze shifted, lost in old memories. “I have seen many things happen.” She blinked, and her gaze returned to him. “Things that I could not change but had to let take their course. Assumptions are dangerous. Assuming you and Katherine are safe because your circumstances are different is dangerous. I would urge you to keep a close eye on her. You may find you are not theonlyone keeping an eye on her.”
Nex frowned. “You know something.”
“I’m afraid not.” Death laughed with no joy. “The only communication I have with angels and demons is in those brief moments when I send souls home before they get lost. It is unwise to get too involved in the affairs of anyone, be it human, demon, or angel. I warn you, some of the worst things happened when people assumed their situation made them an exception. Few true exceptions exist in the world. I would not assume that you are one of those when the odds are stacked against you.”
Nex’s frown deepened. He wasn’t sure what to say, but he wanted to get back in case nightmares haunted Katherine. He didn’t want her to wake up alone. “I’ll be careful. Will you show me?”
“I sense no ill intentions from you, but there is something you must understand.” She approached and paused, her hand hovering below the bracelet. “There are rules I haven’t made but must follow, like the rules you have. It may seem I hold much power, and perhaps I do, but no powers are unlimited. You can only request one memory.One.” She raised a single finger. “If you ask this and later wish to know about your mortal life, I cannot give you an answer. If you do this, you will never know. Can you accept that?”
Nex was surprised at his hesitation.Knowing won’t do any good.It wouldn’t change the fact he was a demon or fix anything. He’d hate himself more. The memory he asked for held greater importance. “I can.” He offered the bracelet. “Will this be enough? She was wearing it when it happened.”
“This will work fine.” Death took the bracelet and closed her eyes. “I don’t need something from the souls who moved on, only something from that day. Something small,” she murmured. A deep frown pulled on her lips. “Oh, my.” Her eyes fluttered open. “This is an unpleasant one. Are you sure you want to see? It is not easy to watch.”
“I’m sure. I’ve seen plenty of things.”
Deathtsked. “Do not pretend you don’t know this is different. The deaths you deliver are for souls who are truly evil. You’ve never had to spill innocent blood. That was a path you avoided.”
“I can handle it. I want to see.”
“The death or the aftereffects?”
“Both.”
She presented her hand. “If you’re sure.”
Nex placed his hand in hers, and the air knocked out of him. The sensation was similar to being summoned—movement beyond his control—so fast there was no time to see the cold, brittle in between before arriving at the destination, close to a year ago . . .
Kat’s mother turned up the radio and sang “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” by Brenda Lee, dancing in her seat. Kat grinned and stopped the car at a traffic light. Using the rearview mirror, she found her father playing air saxophone in the back seat behind her mom. Kat giggled and returned her gaze to the road.
The light turned green, and Kat eased into the intersection. Ice coated the road, and snow decreased visibility. The streets were practically empty in the questionable weather. Between focusing on the road and the lack of headlights on the truck swerving from the right, neither she nor her parents saw it coming. They almost crossed the intersection when the truck slammed into the passenger side.
Their car jerked to the side. Kat didn’t register they’d been hit before the airbag deployed, smacking her in the face. The car rotated under the force until it faced the offending truck and skidded to a halt. Unable to see anything through the airbag, Kat froze. Once it deflated, her ears rang, reverberating chimes overpowering any other sound. She clutched her temples, lightheadedness overwhelming her as smoke billowed from the hood of the car.
“Mom.” She blinked her eyes into focus, and the ringing faded. “Are you ok—” She turned toward the smashed passenger side. Toward her mother’s lifeless body. At first, she couldn’t process that the contorted person next to her was her mother. The car had caved in, and the unrecognizable figure was so close it almost touched Kat. Blood ran down her mother’s limp arm and dripped on Kat’s seat.
“Dad,” she whispered, her gaze drifting to the back seat. Another mangled body wore half her father’s face, a single eye open, staring. Both bodies bent in unnatural positions, twisted and broken.
Kat pressed the button, but the seatbelt wouldn’t release. “Come on.” She jammed the button over and over, jerking at the seatbelt. Every attempt locked it up, restraining her.
Desperation had her wrenching the seatbelt so hard her mother’s bloodied arm slid closer, flopping on Kat’s hand. Kat screamed and withdrew. Her mother’s hand slid down, resting beside Kat’s leg. Then she noticed the blood wasn’t only on her parents. She gaped at her hand covered in sticky red liquid. Her coat, her pants, drenched.
“Come on,” she whispered, ramming the button to release her. Yanking didn’t loosen anything, only held her tighter to the seat, more unable to move away from her mother’s limp arm. “Come on!”
More than an hour passed before anyone made it to the scene. Snow-packed roads and a lack of other cars out on Christmas Eve meant the accident didn’t get reported for over forty-five minutes.
For seventy torturous minutes, Kat sat trapped in the car with her parents’ bodies, the repeated friction from her attempted escape burning and bruising her skin while her phone rested out of reach on the floor.
