Page 47 of Demon Hunger
“It was his demon pet… Khargon.”
I felt myself shrink with the knowledge. Khargon had worked with Drevan to redeem the first batch of subjects? How was that possible? Khargon was a demon, and the Redeemer was supposed to be human, according to what Drevan had told me. Unless…
“I can see you’re working it out in that head of yours already,” Jophiel said, looking as if he was about to pat himself on the back for a job well done. “Khargon wasn’t always a demon. She was once a lovely Sumerian girl.”
I shook my head in denial. Humans couldn’t become demons, could they? If humans went to hell, it was to be tortured. Besides, Khargon had a demon semblance. I’d seen it that day at Coney Island. It had been evident then, even without my Truesight. She was a hideous, gargoyle-looking thing.
Hideous.I knew the word stemmed from jealousy. I felt the emotion roiling inside of me. There was something else too, something I was exceedingly familiar with.
A feeling of betrayal.
Drevan had lied to me once more.
“I don’t believe you,” I spat.
“I think you do.”
“Humans can’t become demons.”
He barked out a laugh. “Who told you that? Where do you think they came from?”
“They… they…” I had no idea.
“Lucifer has many powers,” the angel said. “Some he passed on to his many offspring. From what I heard, Drevan got in quite a bit of trouble with his father when he decided he wasn’t going to allow his little lover to endure an eternity of torture. He turned her without permission.”
Did that mean that demon hunters quelled human souls? No. That couldn’t be. It was too cruel and ironic. There had to be another explanation.
Unbidden tears stung my eyes, and I fought to keep them from spilling. My lower lip trembled. Jophiel smiled with such sincerity that he looked resplendent. Through wavering eyes, I realized the expression on his face was one of utter triumph. He had set out to make me feel exactly this way. He had set out to break my heart all over again.
And he had succeeded.
“I hate to be the one to break it to you, but I think the way this game is played is unfair to many, including you.” He shrugged slightly, his wings fluttering a bit. “Mainly on you, if I’m being honest. I’m just trying to level the playing field.”
I couldn’t understand how this could level anything in any way, but who was I to decipher this evil angel’s logic?
“Just a few weeks ago, you shot me,” I said, puzzled. “You didn’t give a shit about me then. So why, all of a sudden, do you care that things are unfair for me?”
His eyes narrowed. Clearly, I was on the right track with my questions.
Jophiel took a step closer, towering over me. His mouth opened and closed, and I thought he might answer my question, but in the end, he raised his gloved hand, made a fist, and socked me across the jaw.
17
Icametoinmy dorm room, panting and in tears after the same nightmare. I blinked at Jenna’s bed, which was empty. The side of my face hurt like hell. I winced, rolled over onto my back, and startled, barely choking down the scream.
“What the hell are you doing there?” I asked, my heart racing from the nightmare and the sudden surprise.
Drevan was perched on my desk like he used to do when he possessed me. He jumped off, pushing my chair aside to stand at the foot of my bed. His fists clenched and unclenched as he trembled with obvious fury.
“Are you all right?” he asked in a strained voice.
I sat up and reclined against the wall. I clutched the side of my face and flexed my jaw up and down. I wasn’t all right, not by a long shot. My answer was a shrug. I was too tired for anything else, even though a part of me wanted to rail at Drevan for the way his lies seemed to compound on each other.
“You have a bruise.” He indicated his own jaw. “I shouldn’t have left. This wouldn’t have happened if—”
“Don’t beat yourself up about it.” I glanced around, looking for my phone. But I didn’t find it on any surface. I felt around in the bed and located it under my blanket. It was 10 AM on a Sunday morning, and I was supposed to be studying with Jenna, Sage, and Benjamin for our History of Demon Hunting test on Tuesday. They probably started without me, and once more, I would be playing catch-up.
“You can go to the infirmary and get that treated. Megan can get rid of the bruise and the pain.”
