Page 83 of When Bones Whisper
Breaths quickened in her lungs when she saw the demon again, but this time she was in its realm, and it was waiting for her.
Between a curtain of dark, long hair was an unsettling, too-wide grin and hollow eyes. Shadows darted erratically around her when she moved, her bare feet floating an inch off the ground.
Charlotte held her nerve, watching as the demon's eyes focused on her physical body, still sat on the ground, cross-legged.
Finally.
Whispers of Latin snaked from the demon’s black, long, pointed tongue that slithered from her mouth. The mark on Charlotte’s side seared with pain, and she dropped to her knees.
Panting, she wretched on all fours, trying to pull herself up but the heat in her stomach was so strong, all she could do was scream dry, raspy wails as she looked down at the fog.
Magic prickled her fingers and Duke’s meow pierced through the veil, reminding her she was not alone.
That she was anchored.
She couldn’t let her take her body. That bloody thing had taken her family from her and had disgraced her father’s name.
Magic flickered in her fingers as she turned herself onto her side, feeling the grains of salt under her elbow. When she looked up, the demon was already standing over her body. The demon’s long, charred fingernails grazed the back of Charlotte’s neck, excitement widening its eyes, the hissing increasing in volume from her smile that reached the corners of her eyes.
No!
Trying to crawl back to her body took every ounce of strength left in her. Reaching out, she grabbed her own leg, screaming dryly as the demon hooked its fingers into her shoulders, a cackle echoing around them.
It was too late. She’d lost. The demon was already forcing its way into her body at the same time as she was, her mind splitting with agony.
A whirl of an eerie grin and darkness stole her vision when she tumbled through realms, relieved when she grabbed her thighs, blinking rapidly.
The room was back to normal, her heart racing, mouth dry. When she looked up, she spotted the Smiling Woman in the reflection of the window, trapped inside the circle and standing over her. This time, however, she was frowning, eyes fully black.
Duke hissed as she stood and stepped out, careful not to break the ring of salt.
Her lungs ached with each deep breath. “I thought it got me.” Duke tilted his head, and she added, “I felt you on the other side. You gave me the strength to move.”
A sigh of relief whooshed past her lips. It couldn’t get her if it was trapped. All she had to do was not disrupt the magic there.
She jumped when three loud bangs erupted from the other side of the door.
Duke’s yellow eyes shone in the darkness, signaling that it was safe.
She was met with the darkness of the hallway when she pulled the door open. Glancing down at the floor, she spotted a wooden chest with gold banding and embellishments.
Lying on top of it was two small, rectangular envelopes.
Both had her name on them, written in the most beautiful penmanship.
Inside the first was a card she recognized from the grand salon. On the back was the word prey and on the front, Nathaniel had written:
You always have a way out.
The date was two days from now. He had agreed to her former request to participate in The Hunt, or as she thought of it, a deadly game of hide and go seek from what Alexander had described. He was going to let her try to win her freedom.
Carefully, she placed the thick envelope on the dresser and opened the second.
Inside, it read:
Please accept this as my apology.
Sincerely,
