A Demon Made Me Do It (38 page)

I gasp.
“
What
? Why are
they here…why did you bring me here…?” I reach down for my dagger
before I remember I don’t have it.
Damn,
Liora, what have you gotten us into?

“
So you could kill them,”
he says.

My eyes narrow again, and my heart
begins to race as I slowly straighten back up. I stare at him for a
long time, trying to discern if he’s lying...setting a trap. Maybe
he’s just trying to trick me into going in there, and something
really horrible is waiting for me. Maybe what he’d said before
about coming to kill me…maybe he’s following through on those
plans. But now he knows I’m strong…that I’ll fight back. So he’s
devised a ruse to deceive me into believing he—

“
Lucky…” Kieron’s voice is
gentle, but I take a few steps away from him. “I know it’s not in
your nature to trust…to believe in the goodness of others. But I’m
asking you to try. Everything I’ve told you…everything I said to
you that first night at the cliffs and every night since, well, I
meant all of it.
Every
word
. I never knew it would be possible for
me to find another demion I’d care about so much. One I would want
to spend the rest of my life with. One I could actually love and
who was capable of loving me back. Someone I couldn’t imagine my
life without.”

“
Why are you telling me
this? It doesn’t change the fact that—”

“
I’m telling you this,
because I made the deal to turn in the Amazèa in exchange for my
freedom. But I only want that freedom if it means being able to
have a life with you. Without you, my freedom won’t mean anything.
Not if you hate me…”

“
What are you saying?” I
whisper, inching toward him.

“
I’m saying…I brought the
Amazèa here for you to kill. I know you cannot hunt them outside
your boundaries, so I brought them to you. If you want to kill
them, you are free to do so. I won’t interfere.”

I pause. “But…but what about your
contract?”

“
I will have failed in
upholding my end of the bargain, therefore I’ll be bound to the
Legionary for whatever purposes and for however long they see fit.”
His jaw slackens, and his shoulders droop slightly.

I pace back and forth like a nervous
rabbit. “So, you’re saying that you’d give up your freedom…so that
I could kill them?”

He nods. “It’s not much of
a choice really. I want you. But more than just that, I want you to
be
happy.
To be
whole. To be who you want to be and whoever it is you were
meant
to be. I don’t want
to be the one who stands in the way of that. If you must kill the
Amazèa in order for that to happen, then I am more than willing to
sacrifice my freedom for it. I’ll do it happily and without
reservation.”

I narrow my eyes as I stare at him,
trying to decide if he’s telling the truth. “But…what about the
Legionary? Won’t you be forced to report me?”

He shakes his head. “You’re well aware
of the repercussions of your actions, but I also know that your
revenge on the Amazèa is not simple blood lust. I won’t report you,
nor will I participate in the hunt for you if there is one. I
understand what you must do…” His voice trails off.

“
I don’t know if you can
ever fully understand how I feel…I don’t think you can,” I
mutter.

“
They killed my mother. In
front of me. I’ve wanted to tear them apart with my bare hands for
the past eleven years. The only thing that stopped me was the
opportunity to finally put all that anger and hate behind me and
trade their freedom for mine.”

He puts his head down and looks at me
through lowered lashes. “I want you to know that whatever you
decide to do, I’m with you on it. If you go in there and kill them,
I won’t report you. Or, if you decide to let their punishment lie
in the hands of the Legionary, then I’ll do my best to help you
deal with that decision, also. I know you’ve been planning for this
day for a long time, so I want you to take some time to think it
over. But know that I’ll be here for you in whatever
capacity—”

“
I don’t need to think
about it. Take me to them. Now.”

Chapter 24.
Lucky

Kieron nods his head silently. He
enters the dark cave as I follow close behind. Once we’re both
inside, he snaps his fingers several times, each time igniting a
small, singular flame from one of his fingertips. The flickering
light reveals a long, twisting tunnel. Sharp grey rocks jut
menacingly at every turn, and I shiver in the unnaturally icy cold.
I wonder how Kieron managed to drag two of the strongest, most
powerful demons in existence down here by himself, or if indeed,
this isn’t some elaborate hoax after all.

My agitation increases with every
step. For so many years I’ve longed for this moment, and now that
it’s finally here, my stomach is churning with anticipation and
dread. This isn’t exactly how I’d pictured my showdown with the
Amazèa unfolding; nevertheless, it will end the same way. I will
have my revenge. Justice for Kayla and Michael.

We travel deeper into the cave, until
Kieron finally halts. “You’re almost there. They’re right around
the next turn.”

“
Aren’t you coming?” I ask,
suddenly fearful and trying not to let it show. It’s not being hurt
by the Amazèa that I’m afraid of; it’s being alone with the
monsters whose faces have haunted me for so long.

He shakes his head, the light from his
fingers casting an eerie glow on his handsome face. “No. This is
for you and you alone. The cage’s shield only works one way, so
your powers will be able to penetrate it; theirs will not. I’ll be
waiting outside for you when you’re...done.”

“
Thank you,” I whisper,
hating the way my voice trembles. I look in Kieron’s eyes one last
time as he brushes past me and disappears into the darkness. I
almost call out to him; I don’t want him to leave me here all
alone.

But I say nothing. He’s right. This
next step is for me and only me. Despite all my rage and bravado,
I’m scared—terrified I won’t have the strength to do what I’ve
vowed to do.

I take a deep breath, and the cool air
fills my lungs. Opening my palms, I let my own dancing fire guide
the rest of my journey. I force my legs forward one step at a time,
and with each step my heart thumps heavier. At last, I round the
narrow corner and my breath catches in my throat.

The small orb has an orange glow and
emits a faint electric hum. Several interlocking circles rotate
continuously around the outside, and standing in the middle,
holding hands and smiling sweetly, are the two Amazèa
demons.

Nausea floods over me in waves. I
stagger to a wall. I lean against it until my knees buckle and I
slide to the floor. I can’t blink, and for a long moment, can’t
breathe. How many times have I imagined seeing their bright,
angelic faces…their big blue eyes, like innocent school girls…their
long golden hair cascading down their childish bodies. The two
deadliest creatures I’ve ever known in my life, and they resemble
the sweetest, the most perfect visions of innocence and youth…the
very things they live to steal from others and to absorb within
themselves.

I take several deep breaths and
attempt to compose myself. Despite the chill of the cave my skin is
on fire, my insides a raging inferno of hate. These demons not only
destroyed my friends, but my innocence and my sanity. They
literally shattered my soul, reducing the broken pieces to empty,
pitiful shells.

Because of them, I hate my human half
for causing me to care so deeply for Michael and Kayla in the first
place. The pain of losing someone you love is the worst torture
imaginable, and these monsters have been torturing me for
years…

Ironically, my human half
hates
me
for being
of the same vein as these creatures—ones capable of this much
destruction and heartache.

Deep down, I know we’re both at fault.
And neither of us is to blame.

I glare at the monsters in
their glowing orange cage, and they eye me curiously. I wonder if
they know who I am or why I’m here. My face is like stone as my
eyes bore into their enchanted prison.
Why
don’t they seem bothered?
Why are they just
standing there contentedly, smiling and looking around as if they
don’t have a care in the world?

Suddenly, they grab hands and start
dancing in a circle, singing a child’s nursery rhyme.

“
Ring around the rosey,
pocket full of posey,

Ashes, ashes, they all
fall down!”

On the last word, they collapse in a
fit of giggles and playful screams. Everything they do, designed to
torment and mock me.

They know who I am.

The rage burning inside me threatens
to erupt. But I force myself to remain still, motionless. I sit on
the cave floor and just watch them as they repeat their act again
and again, dancing and singing and laughing hysterically as if
they’re the happiest little girls who ever lived. They repeatedly
flash cherubic, dimpled smiles in my direction as I glower at them,
fireballs in hand.

The time has come to do what I need to
do. And once I do it, there’s no turning back…my fate will be
sealed. Bracing myself against the cave wall, I slowly rise to my
feet and lift my arms.

Suddenly, Tatiana’s face
flashes in my mind. I think of how she’d found me in the woods as
an infant after I’d been abandoned and left alone to die. Of how
she took me in, cared for me, raised me, and gave me everything,
and more, that I could ever hope for. She’s more than a
guardian—she’s a
friend
.

I glance at the Amazèa
again and back down to the swirling fire in my palms. I see Bones,
my dearest friend and companion. I don’t know what the future holds
for us, but I
do
know I
never
want to see him get hurt. It’s bad enough I’ve already hurt
his feelings, but I know someday he’ll forgive me and things will
be good again. I
cannot
let him get physically hurt because of me. I have
to protect him —protect him from defending me, which he undoubtedly
would, if I become a target of the Legionary for my
crimes.

My heart racing, I slowly lower my
hands to my sides as the Amazèa dance and sing happily. I swallow
the bile rising up the back of my throat.

There’s Liora. She’s a part
of me. Her humanity, a hindrance and a strength. As much as I hate
her sometimes, I know it’s only her ability to feel love that
allows me to experience it myself…an intoxicating sensation I know
I never want to be without. True, when it’s bad, it’s really bad.
But when it’s good, it’s
really
good. And if killing the Amazèa
doesn’t
lift the curse,
Liora will be hanging around for a while. As long as she’s alive,
she’s vulnerable. Therefore, I’m vulnerable. She’d never survive a
life on the run.

Finally, Kieron. As much as
I desperately craved hearing his words of love, I can hardly
believe they’re real—that
he’s
actually real. He who fits me so perfectly, who is
my exact match in every way, and makes me feel like a better
version of myself. He who makes me feel so alive after years of
feeling dead inside. He who sees
me
—really sees me—with all my flaws,
but is still here anyway. He who is willing to make the ultimate
sacrifice for me and my happiness.

My arms go slack and the flames on my
palms subside.

This isn’t just about me
anymore.

Michael and Kayla—as much as I loved
them—are gone forever. Nothing will bring them back. The love
between us can now serve as my compass…my guide.

I slowly realize my criteria for
achieving happiness has changed. Even if I knew beyond the shadow
of a doubt that killing the Amazèa would reunify Liora and me, we’d
never be whole. Not if it meant losing all the people dearest to
us.

Michael and Kayla taught me
that.

I glance at the smiling faces of their
killers for the last time. Then I turn and head toward the darkened
corridor, never once looking back. The balls of fire on my hands
are now reduced to tiny flames on my fingertips, showing me the way
out.

Kieron sits on a rock, staring off
into the vast wasteland. He’s made a small fire, the only light in
the otherwise gloomy night. His mouth is set in a hard line, his
jaw clenched. I can see he’s bracing himself for what I’m about to
tell him.

He doesn’t flinch as I sit beside him.
I reach out, and immediately his soft hand surrounds mine. Finally,
he turns to look at me, and the love in his eyes wraps around my
heart. Without the faintest hint of judgment or condemnation, he
searches my face for clues.

“
Thank you,” I
whisper.

He swallows. “For what?” he asks
hoarsely.

I lean closer to him. “For believing
in me.”

His eyes sparkle, and a small smile
tugs at the corner of his mouth. He places one hand behind my head,
pulling me to him. The sweet reunion of our lips douses the last
embers of hate raging within me.