Blood From a Silver Cross (Kat Redding) by E.S. Moore Page B

a chalk outline around the silver circle set in the concrete. He glanced up every few moments to check on me and I caught a hint of pity in his eyes.
    I looked away. It was my fault I was marked. I kept calling it his demon, but really, I was just as involved as he was. Every time I came down here, I was making deals with Beligral when common sense should keep me from doing something so mind-numbingly stupid. Yet somehow, he always knew what to say to hook me. It’s what made him so dangerous.
    Not this time, I promised myself. He won’t get me this time.
    If only it were that easy. What he usually offered was a way for me to help someone I cared about. He’d allowed me to see Levi for what he really was. He’d checked my brother, Thomas, to see if his mind could be saved. Each time I took on a mark, I did so out of my own free will to help someone else.
    Still, I didn’t feel any better about what I was doing.
    I sulked in the corner as Ethan finished setting up the circle. No matter what happened here, I was determined to walk away mark free. Maybe someday, once I was clear of the demon’s influence, and clear of some of my other troubles, I’d find a way to set Ethan free.
    He started his low chant, something he told me wasn’t entirely necessary, but somehow helped him focus. He was already starting to sweat, though the heat had yet to build in the room. I straightened and braced myself for what was to come.
    The dark speck appeared in the middle of the circle. It was little more than a black, button-sized hole in the fabric of reality. Heat poured from it. It blasted into me and knocked me back a step, though I thought I’d been prepared for it. I was forced to shield my eyes from the heat, causing me to miss the demon’s emergence.
    I felt, more than heard, the tear between realms. I tried to see past the waves of heat, but it was impossible. I caught a glimpse of red skin and black wings, and perhaps a horn or two, through my parted fingers before his glamour took hold and he was just another man, dressed in a suit and tie. This time, he was wearing a bowler hat. He tipped it my way as the portal closed behind him.
    “It’s so lovely to see you, my dear,” he said with a smile. His teeth were yellow and sharp.
    “You didn’t leave me much choice.” I wiped sweat from my brow and lowered my hand. It felt like I was standing in an oven.
    Beligral leaned on a cane that suddenly appeared in his hand. “Enough time had passed,” he said, glancing casually around the room. His gaze passed right over Ethan as if he weren’t even there. “I thought it was a good time to remind you of what you owe me.”
    “Oh, I haven’t forgotten.” I stared into the circle, but refused to look directly into the demon’s eyes. It was far too easy to get trapped in his gaze.
    Ethan edged his way to his workbench where he sat down and started chewing his nails. He was watching us, almost as if he knew something was coming and was simply waiting for it to happen.
    “So what do you want?” I demanded. I tried to sound tough, but damn it, Beligral scared the hell out of me. Even trapped within the circle, he was dangerous. One mistake and something very, very bad could happen. Yet even though I knew that, I kept coming back for more.
    What exactly did that say about me?
    “I’m simply interested in your paying off your mark, is all,” Beligral said. “There is no reason for you to be angry.”
    Yeah, right, I thought, but wisely kept my mouth shut. Somehow I knew he’d get too much pleasure out of me voicing my doubts.
    About a thousand questions shot through me right then. I’d sworn to myself that I wouldn’t ask anything of the demon, yet now that he was there, I couldn’t help but think about everything he might be able to help me with. There was Delai, of course, but what about the Left Hand? Could he do something that would allow me to find them without having to search the entire damn city?
    I groaned