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  I place a kiss on her forehead, then lift and carry her vacant body back to her house so she can rest and recover in peace.

  Chapter Ten

  Maddy

  I cry out as I hit the ground hard. I take in a deep breath—then almost choke on how hot and dry the air is. It makes me feel as if my blood were boiling. Even the ground feels like hot coals.

  I pry my eyes open, then clamp them shut again, overwhelmed by brightness. I blink and try to focus.

  Leaning over me is a face in a porcelain mask. It’s a woman. Red eyes stare at me. Demon eyes.

  I bolt up to my feet, staggering as I distance myself from her. I stand there, face-to-face with a demon, waiting and watching for her to attack me. She straightens, but doesn’t advance on me.

  I stare at her, taking her in. I feel her eyes on me, doing the same.

  She’s my height and size, though her brown hair is longer, stopping near her elbows. She’s wearing a short, robin’s-egg blue dress. Her fingernails are painted red, and on her right hand is a black heart-shaped ring. With the demon eyes and strange mask, it makes her look like a frightening doll.

  My hands clench at my sides, trying to calm myself. I notice her hands doing the same.

  I stop.

  She stops.

  My eyes narrow as I stare at her mask. She does the same, glaring back.

  She’s mimicking me.

  The longer I stare at her, the less frightening she becomes. I don’t trust her—she’s a demon and she can easily kill me. But she hasn’t done it yet.

  I count to ten in my head, giving myself courage to break the staring contest and figure out where I am.

  I look around.

  Chandeliers hang from a ceiling far out of view, illuminating the massive space. A huge bar is next to a sitting area with leather couches and a TV. The walls and floor are black stone, and flowing through it are glowing red veins that give off nearly the same heat as the fire tornado. A massive stone table sits in the centermost point in the room. For as large as it is, it’s strange that there are only two chairs.

  A lone archway stretches across the far sidewall, while the largest fireplace I’ve ever seen rests on the right sidewall. The fireplace is so big I could walk right into it. Near the fireplace is a ginormous desk made of red stone. The edges are marked with intricate carvings, but I can’t see what they are from here. Behind the desk are unending rows of glass shelves, filled with multicolored files.

  Nothing in this space matches the size of this female demon. Whoever—or whatever—lives with her, I don’t want to meet it.

  Suddenly without warning, the demon grabs hold of my arm. Her essence rushes in. It instantly fills the hole in my heart, making me feel whole again, then in less than a second, it travels throughout my entire body.

  The unbearable heat of this place suddenly feels comfortable against my skin. Did she do this, and if so, why?

  I stare into her crimson eyes, wondering once again whether she’ll hurt me, but she just stands there, letting her essence flow through me.

  It feels . . . good. Powerful. Familiar. It’s the same exact feeling that came over me in the park as that redheaded angel rushed me. The energy I felt belongs to this demon—it’s her essence. It controlled me. And I just let it, never even bothering to figure out what it was.

  But I liked it. It helped me control my fears at Justin’s house last night, right before I stabbed him . . . And it’s how and why I fought against Ben when he attacked me . . . It’s helped in my dreams and with MJ . . . And countless other times over the past few weeks. It all started the night I met Justin.

  If it weren’t for her, not only would I have lost all those battles, but I also never would have made it out of Justin’s party that first night. She’s what made me run away.

  MJ and Justin made it sound as if I were invincible, and this just proved them wrong.

  Oh my God.

  I pull my arm back. She tightens her grip.

  “You are not supposed to be here,” she says in a soft soprano voice.

  “Where am I?”

  Her essence surges inside me, projecting images of her, this room, and fire. Lots and lots of fire. In my mind, I see people burning. Their screams fill me—rattling my bones and eclipsing every happy memory. I heard these screams when I was inside Damien in my dreams. I heard them again the day MJ died. These people are being tortured.

  A tear slides down my cheek. I want to unsee everything she showed me.

  This is Hell.

  “Well, no—this is just a room,” she replies as if she had heard my thoughts, even though that’s not possible. “Beyond that door, though”—she points to a mammoth set of doors near the bar—“is a world you are not meant to see.”

  I step back, but she moves with me. “Why did you bring me here?”

  “It was not my intent, though I am glad for it.”

  If her essence even inadvertently brought me here, why haven’t I gone back now that we’ve touched? That’s how it works with MJ and Justin: one touch sends us to another place, the second touch sends us home. She’s still touching me. Why is she still touching me?

  She drops her hand and turns away.

  That’s twice now. She replied to my unspoken words a moment ago and just now removed her hand when I questioned it in my mind. The words I’ve heard many times with Damien and MJ drift through my mind: there’s no such thing as coincidence. So how can she read my thoughts if MJ and Justin—

  “Because I am not like them, so I am not bound by their rules.”

  I clench my fists again as my mind reels. “Rules or no rules—you have no right to my private thoughts. And you sure as hell don’t have the right to overtake my body. Stay out of my head and stay out of me.”

  “I cannot do that. It is imperative you survive, no matter the costs.”

  My fingers run through my hair as I struggle to make sense of this. It is imperative I survive? Imperative to whom? Me? Or her?

  “I’m glad it’s so damn important to you that I stay alive! So why aren’t you helping more, then? All you’ve done is hijacked my body for a few minutes here and there.”

  She huffs. “I saved your life on multiple occasions.”

  I roll my eyes and huff right back. “You used me to fight, then you just abandoned me and left me to pick up the pieces alone.”

  She flinches. “I did not mean to cause you pain. For that, I am deeply sorry. I wish circumstances were different and I did not have to go to such extremes to save you—”

  “You didn’t save me.”

  She’s silent for a moment then says, “What about your dream Sunday night? It was my voice that urged you to continue through the snow when you had all but given up. And again when I told you to go to the blanket inside the cabin and rest. In fact, you would not have even entered the cabin had I not opened the door for you.”

  I shake my head, hating that she’s right. Between Justin and now her, I feel as if my control is slipping. Every time I thought I was brave and held my own against them . . . it was all her.

  I hug myself, trying to keep from falling to pieces in front of a demon.

  She moves closer, reaching out to touch me, and for a moment I want her to. I want to feel her essence inside me again, giving me strength.

  Her hand falls back to her side and I cringe, feeling even more alone. Somehow, I suspect she feels that way too.

  “It was not all me,” she admits. “Mostly I tap into strengths and abilities you already possess. MJ is right—you will change everything.”

  MJ’s name echoes inside me. My heart stutters. The force of those extra beats sends a charge through me. It shoves down my insecurities and ignites a fire in me.

  I’m done.

  I’m done being a pawn in their game.

  I’m done being her puppet.

  I’m done being kept in the dark.

  I stand tall, dropping my hands, refusing to let her intimidate me. I won’t give her to
tal control anymore.

  “How did you create the fire in the park?” I ask.

  She steps back, eyes widening.

  I advance on her, refusing to stop until I know everything. “How did you split the ground? Justin doesn’t have that kind of power. How can you do all this? What are you?”

  “I—I created a wall of fire to separate you from the angels. It was inspired by your own show this morning on the bridge. The rest was all you. As I said, I merely tap into what you already have. Your power is truly magnificent. You could do great things—” She pauses and shakes her head. “If only you were able to control it.”

  I turn away from her.

  “I’m working on it,” I snap, surprised by how much her comment bothers me. I want to control my abilities. Even if it’s just so I never use them again.

  “You cannot control them,” she says. “Not on your own. Your abilities are tied into your emotions, and right now you cannot control them. Kissing brings flames of passion. Heartache could flood the world. Anger, especially over someone you love being hurt, rips apart the earth. The angel is lucky I intervened. She may not have survived your wrath.”

  I struggle to rein in my reaction. I can control myself. She’s a demon, and I can’t trust anything she says—no matter how much I think she’s right.

  “You must see something,” she says suddenly, turning away and moving to the sitting area. She sits on the love seat and motions for me to sit on the black leather couch beside it.

  I consider refusing, but I doubt it would do any good.

  As I sit, the demon picks up the remote and turns on the TV.

  Something inside me snaps as it shows my bedroom.

  I’m lying motionless on my bed. MJ is beside me. Alexander and the brunette angel are with him.

  I watch MJ lightly kiss my forehead. “Please come back to me,” he says. He turns to Alexander, panic in his eyes. “Get me another cold rag. She’s burning up.”

  “What is this?” I whisper.

  “This is you. Streaming live, I guess you could say.”

  My mind is torn, trying to decide what is more unreal: where I am or what she’s saying. It’s all just . . . too much. Slowly, my emotions shrivel up, replaced by empty numbness.

  She mutes the TV. “I have—we have—watched you grow, every day, from here,” she begins. “I admit it is strange having you here now, actually seeing you and speaking with you. I am—what do you call it—star struck.”

  I feel her eyes on me again, but I can’t react. Every moment of my life has been . . . broadcasted, live, in Hell. For a demon.

  I turn my head, letting my hair hide my face from the demon. My gaze lands on the bar, and I’m reminded that she doesn’t live here alone. Whoever—or whatever—owns this massive room, watches me too . . .

  The numbness shatters. My stomach churns. An overwhelming sense of violation creeps over me. This is so much worse than when MJ and Justin watch me from the Veil of Shadows.

  “Up until recently,” she says in my silence, “you lived a very boring life, which fooled us into thinking we had succeeded. For this reason, we were not watching as closely as we should have been this month.”

  “Succeeded with what?” I hear myself ask.

  “Concealing you from angels and demons. After Thursday, however, we started watching constantly. Whenever I saw you were in trouble, I alerted my master—”

  “Who’s that?” I whisper, though I don’t want to know.

  She stands and steps closer to me. “Someone like me—someone helping you. He sends me to you. I enter you, not unlike how you enter others in your dreams and visions. But it only works for a few minutes. It is rather draining to my strength, and it takes about a day to recuperate. I helped you fight against Justin, but I was not able to hold on once he hit you. All I could do was watch from here”—she points to the TV—“as you fought bravely for your life.”

  I look up, catching her gaze.

  Her eyes lighten, and I get the feeling she’s smiling behind her mask. “You are so strong, Maddy.”

  Unsure of what to say, I nod.

  She sits beside me on the couch. She leans over even as I lean back. “Watching you has many benefits.” She leans in farther and whispers, “I know what happened in the last moments at Justin’s house.”

  I freeze. Fear and anxiousness battle inside me as I stare at the demon who knows whether or not Justin owns my soul.

  “The contract is protected by a spell, guarding it against Protectors,” she says. “It vanished when MJ arrived. The drop of your blood that clung to the end of the pen fell to the floor. It never hit the contract.”

  “Justin doesn’t own my soul?” I whisper, testing the words.

  “Not yet.”

  Tears of joy fill my eyes. I look up at the demon, and for the first time, I’m glad for her presence. Justin does not own me. This feeling won’t last forever—I know he won’t give up. But for now, I don’t care. Let him come. Let him come and just try to hurt me again. With MJ’s and this demon’s help, Justin will know what it’s like to feel fear.

  Then I pause. As grateful as I am to know this, I can’t help but wonder why she’s telling me now.

  “More beings are becoming aware of you,” she replies to my unspoken thoughts. “I will do what I can to help you fight them.”

  She turns her head to the TV. MJ is still leaning over me. My heart breaks at the lines of worry etched on his face.

  “You cannot stay here,” she says. “It is time I send you back.”

  I close my eyes and let out the breath I seem to have been holding since waking up here.

  She picks up the remote and presses another button. The TV now makes a whooshing noise as the image on the screen rolls like waves on the ocean.

  “I admit, our Time Keeper is not as fancy as that fountain,” she says, “but it works just the same.”

  Elizabeth’s fountain?

  She’s going to push me into the TV. No.

  “When I send you in, you should return to your own body.”

  “Should?” I take a few steps back toward the bar. My breath quickens.

  “It has never been done before.”

  She grabs my arm. Her essence hums to life inside me, pushing down my fears and replacing them with excitement.

  Yes. I find myself smiling. Not only do I get to try this Time Keeper out, but I get to go back to MJ.

  “Listen,” she says as her red eyes look me over. “I wish I did not have to do this to you, but I cannot take any chances.”

  I start to ask, “Do what?” but her essence picks up and a fog swirls inside my head. Each swirl sends a pulse of energy through my body that vibrates as a piano string does long after the note is played. It’s hard to think. Fuzzy. I’m floating, and the only thing keeping me tethered is her.

  “You cannot tell MJ about me yet,” she says in a soothing voice. “When MJ asks, tell him you do not know where you went. It was dark and hard to see, but you found the demon that took hold of you. You touched him. That sent you home and sent him back to the City of the Damned.”

  “City of the Damned,” I repeat, floating even more.

  She looks deeper into my eyes. “MJ needs to worry about others coming for you—soon they will. You must ensure that no one else learns of you. No matter what, you can never tell anyone you were adopted. Everything will be ruined if someone discovers who you truly are.”

  I nod. Even through the fog, I know she’s right.

  “There are a few dreams left for you to see. Tell MJ about them. Tell him you spoke with Elizabeth, but do not say her name. With your connection to the dreams broken, things will get a lot worse for you. Stay strong and trust MJ. Do that, and you could save many lives.”

  She hugs me, holding me close. “Good-bye, Maddy. I will see you again, soon.”

  She shoves me. I fall, but nothing stops me.

  I keep falling.

  Chapter Eleven

  MJ


  I stare into her emerald eyes, disbelieving what I’m seeing.

  She’s back.

  An hour ago, she left me and I had no idea how or by whom. I held her, keeping my essence inside her. But no matter how hard I tried, I felt nothing from her—even when her skin turned red with the fever I couldn’t break. All I could do was watch.

  It was as if the nightmare of yesterday never ended. But today was worse. Yesterday I couldn’t find her. Today I was with her—I was right there—but I still couldn’t protect her. Even my team was no help. Despite all my immortal abilities, I wasn’t enough to keep her safe.

  As I carried her limp body home, I prayed to Father, asking him to guide her back to me—begging him to let her be okay. I wasn’t sure if it would work, having never prayed before. Because I’m a Protector, praying isn’t necessary. But I had to try—I had to do something. Even though Father has no idea who Maddy is, he would have to take note of one of his angels praying.

  Her body shivers.

  I move my hands to her hair, brushing it from her face as my essence picks up inside her—searching for her needs. Her heart is racing, and her body is twisted with fear. I calm them, giving her space to breathe.

  “Oh, Maddy . . . I’m so glad you’re awake. What happened?”

  She blinks, and her brows narrow in confusion. “I–I’m back? Is this real?”

  I nod, taken aback by her questions. What did the demon do to her?

  She looks up and lets out a relieved breath. Then suddenly she slams into me, wrapping her arms around me.

  I hold her closer as my own fear—that I’d never see her again—settles.

  “Where were you?” I whisper into her hair.

  She clings to me even harder. “I don’t know. I’m cold.”

  She’s not. Her skin shimmers with sweat, which is only a sign of the fire I can now feel inside her. Still, I cannot deny her what she wants.

  “Tamitha,” I call, but she’s already next to me with a blanket. She throws it over Maddy, knowing I need to keep my hands on Maddy so my essence can continue flowing.

  Slowly, I lower her and rest beside her on the bed. She stares into my eyes, and I get the feeling she still doesn’t believe she’s here with me. I reach up and stroke her cheek.