“Run,” Drake ordered. He snatched my hand that wasn’t holding the dagger to drag me along.
Before we could even open the door to the stairwell, my hair was snatched and I was thrown back, hitting the wall hard enough my vision blurred and pain exploded through my skull.
“Don’t fucking touch her!” Drake literally roared like a monster before tackling the demon. They were a blur of shadows and flame before Drake stood as the victor, spitting on the corpse of the demon he’d just killed. Somehow, I managed to get to my feet and join him. “You all right?”
“Thanks,” I said. “I’m fine. Come on before I have to murder more people.” He froze at my words and turned to me.
“Not people, Harlow. Demons. They’re not human,” he said, “They don’t deserve your sympathy.”
“You’re a demon, and I’d never kill you, Drake,” I argued.
“I have humanity in me,” he said. “Not the same. Don’t let this rest on your conscience. Given the chance they’d have watched the light drain from your eyes and danced on your rotting corpse. YourMontywould say the same.”
Bile rose in my throat at the picture he’d just painted. “Nice imagery.”
He let out a soft chuckle before pulling me toward the door. I watched in horror as a demon burst through the door and launched at Drake. The moment he made contact, anger exploded inside of me. No one hurt my guys.
The thought barely formed before I was lunging forward, dagger ready, slicing into the demon. This time with no remorse. He’d officially crossed the line. My life was one thing, theirs was another. No one would harm them if I could protect them. And Hel had finally given me a way to do just that.
“Thanks,” he said as he gently lowered my arm holding the dagger and stood, opening the door so we could get out of here.
The stairwell was even more packed with demons, but half had already gotten the memo and backed away at the sight of me. The bold ones still tried to fight, but Drake ruthlessly tossed them down the stairs so they didn’t have a chance to get to me.
I tried to help Drake but my hallucinations were back, mixing with the demons and making it impossible to tell which was real and which was not. Shadows and dark figures melded into the dimly lit stairwell until I could barely make sense of what I was even stabbing, though I fought them all the same.
Fighting on stairs was much harder than on flat ground. As if the demons could tell my silent struggles, they stopped backing away and joined in, hands grabbed at my ankles, and I clung to the railing, pulling myself up as quickly as I could with my blade swinging behind me. The heat of flames hit us every time I made contact, and it was oddly satisfying this time. The danger felt more imminent when there was a floor’s height to fall if they successfully pulled me down.
The sixth floor was eerily silent, given the insanity we’d just escaped. Drake closed the door and leaned against it, breathing hard as I sank to the floor to catch my own.
“I’m a badass,” I cheered. “Oh, I think I’m winning! I killed six!” He gaped at my celebrating, and I laughed, the sound half hysterical, but it helped chase away the panic and dread settling within me.
“You’re fucked up,” he finally said as he pushed off the door and started down the hall without me so I was forced to scramble after him.
“This is the lady I watched over when I got stuck up here after dark,” I said as we passed her room. “I hope she’s okay.”
“Mom is fine,” he answered. He was practically whispering, looking from her door then back to me. “Thanks for keeping her safe, Harlow.”
“Holy shit,” I breathed out in shock. The revelation was unexpected, but the more I thought about that woman and that night, the more it felt right. “I knew she felt familiar. When this is over we should visit her, she was so lonely.”
“I try not to visit too often, she inadvertently feeds me,” he admitted.
“So? What mother wouldn’t let her son feed if she could ease the pain of hunger? And I think you’re a bit more in control now. I’ve never seen you embrace it, and you’ve wielded it beautifully tonight,” I told him, walking away before the moment could get sappy or derail us. “We’ll visit together next time.”
“You’re so strange,” he said but it was with a hint of awe that had me biting back a satisfied smile. Sure, I had my flaws, but the guys easily brought out my good qualities and saw them. Going from a girl who was easily thrown away to someone truly seen was sometimes hard to process.
Rain pelted the rooftop like some cheesy horror film, but we didn’t hesitate to step outside into the storm. I had a job to do, and the last thing I wanted was to let the patients of Dark Haven die because I couldn’t believe in myself. I’d learned quickly at Dark Haven that things weren’t always what they seemed, but somehow, I felt connected to this place, wanted to save the people who lived here, and preserve this home in some way. It was honestly the only one I’d ever truly had. It may have started awful, and Vane ensured I was tormented only a few weeks ago, but the good here outweighed it. I finally felt like myself and I had people who truly cared about me.
“What do I do?” I asked Drake in desperation as I let the energy pull me toward my gargoyle. The one who’d protected me that night. And as my voice echoed in the wind again, I knew he was the one who had been calling for me.
“Harlow.” My name was so much louder as I approached it, and my vision tunneled so he was all I could see. Fractures had formed in the stone, and as I rested my hand against the cool rock I could feel it pulsing underneath.
He’s ready to be freed.
But how?
My hand instinctively raised the dagger, and I didn’t question what to do as I moved my hand from the stone and slid it over my flesh. Blue fire didn’t erupt this time, only a sharp pain as blood blossomed to the surface.
Without hesitation, I slammed my hand down on the stone gargoyle, offering my blood to awaken it.