Horror.
My eyes roved over the group. Most wore various versions of that same expression. No one moved. Even the ground had stilled.
“What?” I asked, touching the tips of my fingers to my lip. Blood seeped onto my fingers. I must’ve cut myself with a fang. A single drop formed along the underside of my fingers and dripped.
The previously frozen crowd now erupted into chaos. They screamed, pushed, and flailed, all eyes trained on the droplet of my blood. The only one not participating was Andre. He stood still, watching me with a hollow look in his eyes. He knew something the others didn’t.
The drop of blood hit the ground, and the sky opened up.
Overhead, a bolt of lightning crashed to the earth inside the circle, going straight through Leanne. I screamed at the sight of her body consumed by the bolt. Then the light brightened until it blinded me.
The heavens screamed, thunder cracked, and the earth shook once more. I clutched the standing stone and waited for the unnatural storm to pass.
The ground steadied itself once more, the sound of thunder died away, and the bolt of lightning winked out.
Leanne’s body had vanished, and in its place stood a familiar form.
The devil.
Chapter 21
Power crackled off of him. Unlike all the previous times I’d seen the man in the suit, tonight he felt . . . real.
His dark hair, chiseled features, tan skin, and almond-shaped eyes should’ve made him achingly handsome. Instead they made my skin crawl. Such deceptive beauty.
Consort, the wind whispered in my ear.
His gaze passed over the group, his eyes glittering with interest. “A welcome party and a blood sacrifice. I couldn’t have asked for more.”
Fear rolled off the men and women who stood behind me. In that instant I regretted all those years that I had wished for others to see the man in the suit. No one deserved that kind of fear, and no one could save me from him.
His eyes came to rest on me. “Ah, lovely Gabrielle. Just the woman I wanted to see. You and I are going on a little trip this evening.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw a number of officers shift nervously, probably debating what they should do.
“What did you do to my roommate?” I asked.
He took slow, measured steps forward. “She’s fine . . . for now.”
Somehow I seriously doubted that.
“You can save her life, if you come with me.”
Andre made his way through the group and stopped just behind me. I wondered why he didn’t try to come any closer.
“She’s not going anywhere,” Andre said. Normally his bossy nature pissed me off, but right now I appreciated it so much.
The devil raised his eyebrows, his mouth curving up into what might pass for a smile. “Andre de Leon. My, my, it’s been some time. You don’t look a day over four hundred.”
“Leave now, Lucifer. No one here will agree to your terms.” Relief flooded through me at the confidence in Andre’s voice.
The devil took another few steps forward. “I don’t think you’re in the position to make demands. You are outside an active circle. Gabrielle is not. You cannot enter and she cannot exit until the circle is broken.”
My head whipped around to face Andre. “Is that true?”
Andre’s eyes shot daggers at the man in the suit. He said nothing, which I took to mean yes.
Perfect.
***
I thought back to the séance I went to with Adam and Leanne. The medium had drawn a circle to keep herself and any spirits she called within it. She’d then activated it, and at some point, once all the students had left the room, she must’ve broken it to let herself out.
The thought gave me an idea. “Can I break the circle myself?” I asked Andre, still keeping my eyes trained on the devil. He’d taken another couple of steps forward.
“No, you didn’t draw the circle, you merely provided the blood that sealed it.”
I rubbed my temples. This was one of those moments where I really wished I knew more about how this world worked.
I let my hand drop away. Ahead of me the devil smiled, victorious.
A shiver passed through me at that smile. It was only now that it hit me: I was stuck in an enclosed space with the devil. That’s right. Evil incarnate.
That’s about when I lost it.
“Fuuuuuuuck!” I turned to run through the edge of the circle, but I ran into a solid—albeit invisible—wall. I pounded a fist against the invisible barrier, beyond caring that my actions were perhaps less than heroic.
When I saw the bloody tear trickle down Andre’s face, and the translucent tears in Caleb and Oliver’s eyes, I knew it was over.