Heart of a Demon (The Dark Angel Wars 1)

Dirk gave me one last look over. The pain was beginning to fade from his eyes and the same dangerous lust had begun to replace it. He spat at the ground and then turned to follow his brother, limping slightly.

I waited until they rounded the corner before picking myself off the ground and retrieving the runaway toilet paper. Only a few minutes ago, I'd been itching to check on my demon, but now I wasn't so sure about it. If someone like Dirk could do that to me, there was no telling what that demon could do.

Maybe the best thing to do really was to let him rot.

Chapter Six

By the time I got home and changed, I was feeling guilty about leaving Gabe tied up in the woods. The only water he had was a little bottle of spring water I’d left by the bed. If I didn’t bring him some more soon, he might get dehydrated.

So I put on my hiking boots, grabbed some water and food, and took the usual trek into the western woods. I didn’t turn south until I arrived at a pair of pines that sprouted out of the ground together, forming a large V shape. When I reached the creek, I turned west and followed it a ways before splitting off and finding the shack.

From the outside, I couldn’t even tell there was anyone inside. All was quiet in the woods. The silence made me nervous, so I tiptoed up to the door, listening for any sounds of life. Maybe he was dead. He could’ve passed during the night because of the sword wound. I didn’t relish the idea of burying a dead body, but maybe it was better that way.

There was still no sound, so I pushed open the door as quietly as I could. The demon still lay on the bed, his hands bound by the ropes. His body was deadly still – not even his chest moved.

Disappointment pulled at my heart. I didn’t really want him to die. Something about him made me curious about the demon clans, and maybe if he’d lived, I could’ve gotten some answers to the questions I had about them. But now, I’d never know.

I went inside and dropped the bag of food and water on the cabinet. There wasn’t anything like a shovel in the shack, so I’d have to go back to Granny’s house and sneak one out of the garden shed. Hopefully, she wouldn’t miss it for a couple days. If I was going to make a hole deep enough that bears wouldn’t be able to dig him up, it could take some time.

Gabe’s eyes were sealed shut. I’d never seen a dead person up close before, so I walked up to the bed and watched him. If he wasn’t so still, I would’ve thought he was still alive. His face was still pale, but a pink undertone colored his cheeks. Maybe demons didn’t die like the rest of us.

All of a sudden, he opened his eyes and lunged at me, grabbing me around my waist before I pulled out of his grasp. I stood with my back pressed against the opposite wall as he strained against the rope, growling like a mad dog and tensing every muscle in his sculpted body. I’d nearly fallen for his trick. If he’d gotten ahold of me, he could’ve snapped me like a twig.

“That’s a great way to treat the person who saved your life,” I yelled at him, despite the panic threatening to send me running out the door.

He blinked,

the growling coming to an abrupt stop. “You saved me?”

His voice was less raspy now, but still weak. He looked down at the ropes around his wrists and then back up at me. I could barely catch my breath as his green eyes pierced right through me.

“Why did you save me?”

It was the question I’d been asking myself over and over during the past twenty-four hours.

“I’m not sure…” I still had my palms pressed against the wall, but his calm demeanor had me relaxing the slightest bit. “I saw you in that fight and I didn’t want to leave you for the demons to pick off. It didn’t seem fair.”

“Then why did you tie me down?” he asked.

I swallowed, trying to calm my nerves. “I didn’t want you to hurt me.”

He cocked his head to the side, his eyes still boring into mine. “I won’t hurt you,” he said, his voice steady.

I stood there for a few moments, feeling his gaze move over me. His voice had a seductive pull on me. I wanted to believe anything he said. It must be a demon’s trick. I’d have to work hard to overcome it.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t trust you yet.” I busied myself with grabbing a water bottle from my bag and a can of cold soup.

When I looked back at him, he was staring at the food in my hand, hunger written across his face. I felt a pang of guilt. It’d been hours since I tied him up. I should’ve left my snacks out for him, but I’d forgotten to do that with all the excitement of cleaning his wounds.

“Here, eat up,” I said, edging forward.

He sat inhumanely still, as if determined to prove his promise not to hurt me. I opened the water bottle for him and held it out. His eyes didn’t leave my face while he wrapped his fingers around it and lifted it to his shapely mouth. In only a few seconds, he drained the bottle and gave it back to me.

“Thank you,” he said, relaxing back into the bed. “By the way, my name’s Gabe.”

“I know. You told me yesterday when I was helping you get here.” I held out the can of soup and a plastic spoon.

He looked at it curiously, but didn’t take it.