Death of a Demon (The Dark Angel Wars 3)

He smiled and pushed himself higher onto his pillow. His cheeks flushed red and he took me into his arms. My tears soaked into his t-shirt. When I finally had control of myself again, I sat up to get a good look at his face. It hadn’t taken long for him to come back to the land of the living. If I didn’t know better, I would’ve said he was already in fighting shape.

“Don’t ever do that to me again,” I scolded. “Next time, I’ll go down into Hell, drag you out, and kill you myself.”

He laughed, low and throaty, and claimed my mouth with his in a dizzying kiss. When he was done, I felt my face flush with happy embarrassment.

“So...” Looking around at the machines, a frown pulled at the corners of his mouth. “What did I miss?”

Chapter Twenty-Six

It didn’t take long for Gabe to insist on getting out of bed. A half hour rest was long enough. He wanted to check on the troops and see what damage had been incurred by the recent demon invasion. I had to admit that I was antsy to see to my friends who were busy doing clean up. And according to Esther, my father had mysteriously disappeared into the lab hours ago. I needed to see him for myself, to know that he was okay.

As we entered the grand lobby, I prepared myself for what I might see. But this time, there were no white sheets covering up death. Only Nephilim coming and going, too busy in their work to pause. Relief soared through me once again. Maybe this time, we’d had the upper hand on the ferals. Luke’s new research lab had certainly proven useful.

“Welcome back to the land of the living, mate!”

We both turned to see Noah rushing toward us with a cardboard box in his hands, a giant smile on his face. He had a thick cut on his cheek that had already begun to heal. It only served to make him look more rugged. He reached out to shake Gabe’s hand and clap

him on the shoulder.

“You’re both just in time,” he said with a toothy grin. “I’ve got something brilliant to show you.”

“What it is?” I asked, my interest peaked.

“Hold out your hand.”

I complied and he dropped a pill in my hand, no bigger than a vitamin capsule. It was dark green and solid.

“Does it give me super warrior skills,” I asked, blinking up at him.

“No, I’ll do you one better.” He held the pill up between his fingers and stared at it as if it were the most beautiful thing on the planet. “This little piece of heaven is the answer to your prayers. An exorcism in a tablet. Sixty times more effective than our previous methods and much safer.”

Gabe snatched the pill out of Noah’s hands and held it up to his face. “This is the project you’ve been working on? Does it really work?”

“This is a culmination of a lifetime’s work,” Noah said with a proud smile. “And yes, it works. I’ve tested it on the ferals myself. Ninety-percent success rate.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. A pill to save the humans? I’d been resigned to the horrible fact that hundreds of humans might die today with our outdated exorcism methods, but with Noah’s invention, maybe that wouldn’t be the case.

“How does it work?” I demanded a little too harshly. My excitement was getting the better of me. “And do you have enough for everyone?”

A twinkle lit in his eyes. Lifting up the box in his hands, he tilted it so I could see the thousands of pills within. “I perfected the formula yesterday and stayed up all night to make them. We just shove it down their throat. Easier said than done, but the rest is up to the pill.”

“I have to see this in action,” I squealed. “Show me how it works.”

He laughed. “First, we need a candidate.”

“I think I have one for you.”

I turned to see Luke, Adam, Ashley, and Raquel all standing in the doorway. They were escorting an unruly demon into the manor. It snarled and hissed at me, a stream of curses falling from its lips. I narrowed my eyes at its familiar form and sucked in my cheeks. Of course, it would be her.

Granny.

“Good to see you on your feet.” Adam pulled his brother into a hug.

I ran to check up on the rest of them, giving them quick once-overs and then a hug for good measure. No one seemed the worse for wear. Luke was splattered in blood, but it didn’t seem to belong to him. Altogether, it was the outcome I’d hoped for.

“Shall we see this beauty in action?” Noah asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet. He held up the pill. “No time like the present.”

“You’ll never destroy me,” the demon hissed in a low rumble of a voice. “Never. I’ll take this wench with me to the grave.”