Not fucking likely.
Also, death spirits didn’t need to open a door to get inside.
My terror faded, vanishing like clouds after the rain cleared. My brow furrowed, and Leo straightened his posture, one eyebrow raised quizzically.
“Girl, you look like you got possessed or something. Do I need to knock you out?”
“No. But I need to fuck someone up.”
“You’re the craziest broad I’ve ever met, you know that?”
I ignored his accurate assessment of my mental state and spun back around, charging into the apartment with such ferocity the door banged against the wall, rattling the glass on nearby picture frames.
“She’s back.”
“Wants some more.”
“Tell her what Atropos has planned for her. Tell her, tell her.”
I snarled, “Atropos can cut my string when my time is done, you invisibitches. I’m done listening to you. Yeah, I’m going to die, but it’s not going to be here.”
Leo was standing in the doorway behind me, leaning casually against the frame as he watched me yell at his seemingly empty apartment.
“She’s mad.”
“Mad mad.”
“She will die, and her rage will be meaningless.”
“Death born of anger is a death of pain.”
Man alive, these spirits were chatty today. “Where is he?” I snapped.
“He who?”
“Who he?”
“We are alone.”
They laughed. They. Fucking. Laughed.
I don’t know if you’ve ever heard a malevolent death spirit laugh, when the sound itself feels like it’s coming from inside your own head, but let me tell you—few things in life are that creepy. My skin crawled, and every intelligent part of my being was screaming at me to get out of that apartment.
Glancing over my shoulder at Leo, I was impressed to still find him in the doorway. His expression was twisted in discomfort, but he showed no sign of leaving. Apparently now that he knew what the Keres were, he wasn’t going to let them drive him from his stolen home.
I wouldn’t want to sleep here with them around, mind you. The nightmares would be ones for the ages. If you could fall asleep in the first place.
“We’ll still be here when you’re both dead.” The voice was so light and singsong it was childlike and innocent. The words sounded all wrong in that sweet tone.
If the Keres wanted to be especially unnerving, they should try to take form as little girls. That would really throw people for a loop.
“You didn’t find me by accident.” I started prowling through the apartment again, even though I knew perfectly well it was empty. There would be a sign of him—of it—here somewhere. Leo had called me crazy, but in truth I’d never felt so grounded. Or at least as grounded as one could be when three demonic children were chanting threats inside your head.
“We are wise.”
“We are the Keres.”
“Sisters of the Fates.”