“Who is it?” I asked, swinging the door ajar.
Two sets of eyes stared at me from the other side. In the millisecond it took me to blink, I realized who they belonged to. With a squeal, I launched myself into Raquel’s arms and smiled at Ashley over her shoulder.
“I’ve missed you, roomie.” Raquel’s voice was muffled as I suffocated her against my shoulder.
“I’ve missed you, too.”
She had no idea how much I missed the soft buzz of her snores at night, her trashy TV shows, and the girl talk that would keep us awake into the early hours of the morning. I never wanted to live alone again. Not after this. Nothing was as lonely as this dungeon.
“You’re alive.” Ashley threw her hair over her shoulder and smirked. Placing one manicured hand on her hip, she fixed me with her skeptical gaze. “We were worried they’d already carried out your execution. Guess you’re sticking around.”
“Guess so,” I replied wryly. Coming from Ashley, that was almost a love ballad. I guess I’d have to take what I could get. “You’re not getting soft without me to compete with up there, are you?”
“Not a chance.” She marched past me, into my quarters. With a disdainful toss of her head, she snorted and turned a circle. “Is this it? How do you survive?”
“One day at a time.”
Rolling my eyes at Raquel, I led her in and gave them the grand tour. Four individual cells in total, mine included. The main living and eating area. And the guard observatory station which had been left empty since the day I got here.
I guess they trusted me enough to give me that much privacy. But I knew there was always a guard on duty, just outside that thick metal door, listening to my daily activities. I wasn’t truly ever alone. And yet, that made me feel all the more lonely.
Once the tour was complete, I squirmed awkwardly next to the kitchen table and pressed my lips into a thin line. Two sandwiches weren’t going to be enough to feed my guests. And I’d finished the protein bars Manuel had dropped off this morning.
“Uh...I’d offer you something to eat for supper, but all I have is what they brought me an hour ago.” I pointed to my food tray. “Not exactly appetizing.”
“That’s okay.” Raquel clapped her hands together and bounced on the balls of her feet. “We’re here to escort you to dinner. You get a reprieve.”
“A reprieve?” I looked to Ashley for help. “What does she mean?”
A small smile curved her lips into something almost pleasant. “She means, we finally convinced Silvia to give you a little break from the dungeons. It’s only for an hour, but it’s something. Enough time to break you out of this hole.” She lifted her nose as her eyes swept the place. “I really don’t know how you survive.”
My mouth fell open the slightest bit as I soaked in what she said. They were letting me out, after two weeks spent pacing the same tile floors, wondering what was going on out there.
I’d take an hour. Heck, I’d take five minutes. Just enough time to reassure myself that the world hadn’t imploded since I’d been imprisoned and my life turned upside down.
“Are you sure that’s safe?” I asked, holding onto the back of a chair. For everything pulling me toward the exit, there was an equally opposing force warning me to hang back.
“No one’s going to hurt you,” Raquel offered, her eyes growing wide. “I promise.”
“That’s not what I’m worried about.”
I’d only just discovered the demon inside of me. With Manuel’s daily meditation sessions, I’d made contact several times during the time I’d been down here. So far, we’d established that she had the ability to lash out at me. Temporarily hurt me. But who knew if she could do more?
What if she took control? It was what she longed for. I could feel it every time I made contact—her urge to finally be rid of me. She was an unwilling passenger in my body, along for the ride. It was only a matter of time before she tried to push me out.
“We’re going to make sure it’s safe,” Ashley said, stepping forward, her eyes flashing. She lifted up the bottom of her golden blouse just enough to let me catch a glimpse of a silver dagger strapped to her belt. She frowned at me, meaning in her eyes. “I’ll do whatever I have to, to keep the innocent safe.”
Lifting my chin, I nodded at her, grateful for her presence. If there was one thing I could count on about Ashley, it was her fearsome take-no-prisoners attitude. If something went wrong, she’d put me down. No hesitations. It was better that way. I’d hate to hurt someone. Especially someone I loved. I couldn’t let the demon do that.
“Let’s go,” Raquel said, jumping up and down. The white skin of her belly played peek-a-boo beneath a short and very tight t-shirt with a picture of the Cookie Monster on the chest. “The clock’s ticking.”
They led the way out the door. I half expected for Silvia or her man-power, Oscar, to stop me at the exit. Tell me it was a mistake. But no guard stood duty and no one was there to tell me to turn around.
We ascended the stairs and pushed through the door that led to the grand entryway. The dim light of evening filtered in through the soft drapes that covered the windows. I relished the natural light as it hit my skin. Despite my fears, the manor looked exactly the same as it did two weeks ago. The feral demons hadn’t overrun and bur
ned it to the ground. A tense breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding released from my chest.
A few Nephilim scurried up and down the stairs, but no one seemed to have noticed me. I grasped for Ashley’s wrist and squeezed, pulling her aside for a quick word.