Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 72519 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72519 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Luke recognized three of them from that horrible day in the quad. The fourth hadn’t been there, but Luke had seen him at other times with this trio. Any mercy he might have felt dried up when he remembered that this man had helped to tie Matteo up and kidnap him. He’d added to Matteo’s pain and fear. As far as he was concerned, he was as culpable as the others.
Around the quartet of college students, the demons danced, howled, and laughed. All of them were in their true, frightening form. It was easy to see why Tog was so reluctant to leave; they appeared to be having so much fun. Underneath the four college students, Ogos had spread himself out like a gooey puddle of toxic gel, catching all their sweat, tears, and blood. Every once in a while, he’d let out a bubble as if he were a bit of toxic waste or a pool of acid that would dissolve them in a second.
Of course, Luke had also watched Ogos consume an entire roasted chicken—bones and all. It was…disturbing. Dissolving a frat bro should be simple work.
Azroth touched Luke’s arm, pulling his gaze away from his attackers back to the demon at his side. “We didn’t know if you wanted to watch as we destroyed your enemies. If you don’t wish to be here, you can leave it to us. We will happily take care of everything. I will send you straight home where you can cuddle with your boyfriend.”
“D-Destroy? What do you mean by destroy?” Luke stammered.
The demon’s smile turned utterly bloodthirsty and as icy cold as the concrete under Luke’s feet. “We’re going to kill them. But don’t worry; we promise to make it as agonizing as possible. And as they die, we will—”
“Devour their souls!” Annod shouted as the skeleton with straw-like hair danced about the room, his bones clattering loudly. The other demons took up the chant, dancing with Annod.
Azroth placed a claw under Luke’s chin, turning his head to him. “After their souls are devoured, they’ll go straight to Hell. You don’t need to worry. They will spend an eternity paying for all the harm they have caused.”
Dead?
They were going to kill them.
Luke jerked away from Azroth, the room seeming to spin as he staggered a couple steps to his left. “Wait!” He panted, and his heart raced as a chill spread through him, pushing aside all the warmth Azroth had gifted him.
He wanted them to pay for what they’d done to him, for what they’d done to Matteo. His only crime had been daring to associate with Luke. But to go to the extreme of killing them? It felt like it was too much.
“You don’t want us to kill them?” Mullmag’s soft question made Luke aware that the room had become suffocatingly quiet. Even the quartet had stopped whimpering and shouting. All the demons stared at him in different degrees of shock and disbelief. The future of these men hung on Luke’s next words.
But if he didn’t agree with the demons, would they turn on him?
“I just…” He whispered and swallowed hard. “I’m not sure…”
Azroth cocked his head to the side, watching him in such a way that it reminded him of Atticus and the other crows. In the blink of an eye, Azroth shifted into his human form, dressed in a neat, dark suit. Handsome as always and very pulled together. Yet, it felt so wrong in these surroundings.
“I understand your hesitation,” Azroth crooned, his voice so soothing. “You have a gentle, kind heart. You’re always so quick to forgive, but these vermin aren’t worthy of your forgiveness. Do you not understand that when I found you, they’d already broken two of your ribs and one of your lungs had collapsed? You had a concussion that could harm your precious brain. Their intent was to hurt you until you died. And what about Matteo?”
“Stop!” Luke snapped. “Change back into your true form. Don’t hide who you are. And don’t think you can manipulate me with a pretty human face.”
Azroth’s expression twisted into something sour for a second. “You know, there are times your precious brain is quite annoying.”
“And I’m not one of your everyday stupid humans.”
To his surprise, a small, proud smile tweaked Azroth’s thin lips before he shifted into his demon form. He shook out his wings and resumed his attempts to coerce Luke.
“Regardless of which face I wear, my words are true. They were willing to kill you for embarrassing them. Is that fair? Your life in exchange for minor discomfort? They saw you as nothing but a worm. And what about Matteo? Do you think they’d allow him to live after he witnessed your murder?”
These bastards were going to kill Matteo too?
Even knowing that Azroth was trying to tempt him toward murder by cloaking in the guise of justice, he didn’t think Azroth was lying. It only made sense. Would they let Matteo go after witnessing such a beating? Especially given there was at least a slight chance he could identify them? Not a fucking chance.