Demon Cursed

by Sadie Hobbes

  I crossed the room over to Noel. Crouching down on the ground next to her, I put an arm around her as I took Micah’s hand. He slept soundly, just like Torr.

  Noel leaned into me, tears rolling down her cheeks. “I was so scared.”

  “I know. I’m sorry. I should’ve been here. If I had been—”

  Noel shook her head, pushing herself back and wiping at her tears. “No. Forks doesn’t have anybody but you. And we had him.”

  My gaze strayed to where Torr lay.

  Noel's voice dropped even lower. “Have you really known him for almost two years? Did you know him before you met us?”

  I shook my head. “No. I met Torr about two or three months after I met you. But yes, he’s been here since that day. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you but …” I dropped my voice as Marcus glanced over. “But I promise I will explain everything. Just not right at this moment.”

  Noel nodded. “Did you know about the wings?”

  I glanced back at Torr with a frown. “He doesn’t have any wings.”

  This time she was the one who dropped her voice. “No, not him. You.”

  My mouth fell open. “What you talking about?”

  “When you came into the room, wings popped out from behind you. They were on fire. It’s how you were able to cross that distance so quickly. You didn’t jump, Addie. You flew.”

  Chapter 34

  Graham

  Addie, who’d been speaking with Noel when Graham walked in, quickly returned to the demon’s side. It took everything in Graham not to yank her away.

  Jade worked on Torr, but she was worried about his wounds. He’d lost a lot of blood. She wasn’t sure it was safe to transfer human blood over to him. But even so, Graham had to admit there was nothing threatening about this particular demon. He was much smaller than any of the others he’d ever come across. He wasn’t nearly as muscled. Collectively, it made him seem younger than the other demons.

  After working on him for nearly an hour, Jade stood up with a wince, her hand at her lower back. She’d stitched up all his wounds and bandaged them as well. “His wounds will need to be cleaned the same as Micah’s, every day. I’ll leave supplies so that you’ll have enough.”

  “Thank you, Doctor. I appreciate it,” Addie said.

  Jade began to remove bandages from her bag. “I’ll leave these here for you to use and send someone over with more tomorrow.”

  Graham stopped her. “That won’t be necessary.”

  Addie glared at him.

  Jade’s look almost equaled Addie’s in ferociousness. Apparently Torr had shifted from frightening demon to a patient in need of protection sometime in the last hour. “I assure you, it will be necessary. I did not spend all this time patching these two up to lose them to infection.”

  “I know, Jade. And I have no intention of letting that happen. It won’t be necessary to leave the bandages because they’re coming with us. I’ll get them settled in at my house where we can keep an eye on them until we can figure out exactly why the demons targeted them.”

  Addie was already shaking her head before he’d finished speaking. “No, that’s not necessary. I can protect them from here. And look after them as well.”

  “And I can help,” Noel said from her spot next to Micah. Both of them looked determined.

  Graham had no doubt that they would do just what they said, but he didn’t feel comfortable leaving them here. Truth was, he hadn’t felt comfortable leaving them here the first time he’d visited, and now that he knew they’d been targeted, he couldn’t possibly leave them here.

  But Addie had a stubborn set to her jaw.

  “It would help my research if you came with us. I’d like to know how you came across your young friend here,” Marcus said, nodding toward Torr.

  If anything, Addie’s face became more mutinous. “Torr is not like the others. I won’t have him treated like a prisoner or a guinea pig.”

  Graham looked to Donovan, expecting some help, but he shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’ve no idea what’s going on here, but if they say this guy helped protect them, then I don’t think he should be treated as a criminal either.”

  He stared at Donovan in shock. Donovan was more angry at the demons than anyone he’d ever met. If he wasn’t rallying for Torr to be locked up … Well, he just never thought he’d see the day.

  “I’m not saying we lock him up,” said Graham. “But it would be much safer for all of you over in Sterling Peak. You can stay here if you want, but then I’m just going to move into the apartment downstairs to make sure that you’re safe.”

  Marcus sat down on the bed gingerly, trying not to disturb Torr. “I know you want to do what’s best for your family, Addie, but for right now I think what’s best is accepting Graham’s offer. Once you’re safely settled at Graham’s, you can decide your next steps. Three out of four members of your family need to heal. And I think they will do that better at Graham’s home, and I think you could use the help watching them as well.”

  Graham could tell Addie was wavering. She wanted to do what was right for her family, and she wouldn’t let pride get in her way. She took a deep breath. “I won’t have him treated badly. You don’t understand what it’s been like for him. We are his family.”

  “I won’t let anyone treat him badly,” Graham said, knowing that at that moment, he’d say anything to make sure that they agreed to come over to Sterling Peak. “We’ll protect him like we’re going to protect Noel and Micah.”

  He didn’t add that it would also be like how he was going to protect her because he had a feeling she wouldn’t appreciate that.

  But he was going to protect her. When he’d received the message from Laura, his heart had leaped into his throat as he imagined the worst. And he realized how stupid he’d been staying away. She’d had every right to say those things about Sterling Peak. It was his pride and embarrassment at not having realized how privileged he was that kept him away.

  But he wouldn’t make that mistake again.

  Chapter 35

  Addie

  Graham arranged for another car to come down and pick us all up. Torr would be hidden in the back. His existence wasn’t going to be public knowledge until I was sure who we could trust. Tess, Laura, Donovan, Marcus, Jade, and Graham all swore they would not tell anyone about him. Graham promised that if we agreed to go over to Sterling Peak, he would keep Torr safe.

  I was torn. I wanted them safe, of course, but I knew how hard it would be for humans to accept Torr. Maybe I had some of the same misgivings that Torr did.

  But then Noel, Donovan, and even the doctor had spoken up on his behalf. And I realized that maybe I could trust some other people. And the truth was, if I was going to be working during the day, I’d need help looking after them. The demons didn’t attack during the day, but we hadn’t thought they attacked in groups either. And if I didn’t go to work, we would be in much more dire straits. Graham’s offer was both extremely generous and a lifeline I couldn’t pass up.

  After placing Torr on a stretcher, we covered him with a sheet, carried him down the stairs, and put him into the back of the car. I climbed in right behind him. Noel arranged herself on the seat next to me.

  Micah was in the car behind us with Donovan and Marcus. I worried about Micah being without us, but there simply wasn’t room for his stretcher as well. And the doctor had given him something for the pain, which she promised would make him sleep for the ride at least.

  But I couldn’t leave Torr on his own. I hoped that Graham was telling the truth about protecting Torr, but I needed to be there to make sure of it.

  The ride over to Sterling Peak was blessedly short. The barricades were already removed by the time we reached the bridge. No one could look into the car and see Torr, and for that I was thankful.

  As we wound our way up the large hill, I couldn’t help but wonder at what had happened. The demons had tracked the swords back to me. I’d killed all those tha
t had come looking for it so far, but there had to be others that knew, which meant that there would be others that were still coming. That didn’t mean I was leaving the sword behind. It was a lethal weapon against the demons. I had one strapped to my back even now. I didn’t think I’d be going anywhere without it until I knew everyone I loved was safe.

  But I’d given the other sword to Marcus. Maybe he could get some answers.

  Noel took my hand, her gaze on Torr. I squeezed her hand back, a silent promise to explain everything later.

  She looked at me and then away, a tremble in her chin. I knew the fact that I had kept Torr a secret hurt her. And I hoped that once I explained everything, she would understand. She had to understand.

  At the same time, the echoes of our previous conversation played on a loop in the back of my mind.

  You didn't jump Addie. You flew.

  Even as I struggled to accept the possibility, my mind rebelled at the idea. I didn't know what that had been about but there was too much going on right now to even start trying to figure that one out.

  Even in her shocked state, Noel took in the house with awe. And I realized she'd never been this close to one of the mansions. She'd only been to Sterling Peak a handful of times and that had been to visit Sheila who lived closer to the bridge.

  "It's massive. How many people live here?" Noel asked as we pulled into Graham's drive.

  Behind the wheel, Graham cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable. "Just three, me, Mary and Franklin. There's four on staff during the day, but they don't sleep here."

  "And Mary and Franklin? They can be trusted?" I asked.

  "Yes. They basically raised me. They're good people.” Graham met my gaze in the rearview mirror.

  I nodded before turning to look back out the window, butterflies once again in flight.

  I let out a trembling breath. This was definitely not the time for that.

  Graham pulled the car around the back. Donovan pulled in right next to him. Lights were on at the back of the house. The back door opened.

  An older woman wrapped in a robe, her hair pulled back in a bun, stood in the doorway, while a balding gray haired man held the door open for us. I placed the sheet lightly over a still sleeping Torr’s face before we pulled his stretcher from the car.

  “I'll wait with Micah,” Noel clambered out of the car and moved over to the other one.

  Franklin inspected Graham from head to toe as we approached, relief in his eyes when he didn’t spot any new injuries. But his concern shifted to alarm when his gaze took in the stretcher. His eyes widened, and a tremor ran through his body.

  Torr’s hand had slipped from underneath the sheets.

  His green clawed hand.

  Damn it. I speared the man with a glare, daring him to make a comment. He looked away.

  Graham led us down the hall, through the kitchen, and through another hallway to the right. As we reached the stairwell, Donovan caught up with us. “Let me take that for you, Addie.”

  I shook him off. “No, I’ve got it.”

  Donovan walked next to me, obviously ready to grab the stretcher when the weight of it proved too much for me. But that wasn’t going to happen. I could have carried Torr myself up to the room if I needed to, so half his weight wasn’t much of a bother at all.

  Donovan seemed to realize it halfway up the stairwell. He grinned at me. “You are full of surprises, aren’t you?”

  He took the stairs two at a time to join Mary, who’d hurried ahead of us. She stopped three doors down and bustled inside. Donovan disappeared into it as well. I followed, not sure what to expect.

  But when I reached the doorway, I realized it was just a normal guest room. There was a king-size four-poster bed with white sheets and a navy-blue comforter. A bathroom was off to the right, or at least I assumed it was a bathroom when Mary reappeared out of it.

  There were deep-blue drapes on the wall and two chairs positioned in front of the large ornate fireplace across from the bed. It wasn’t as ostentatious as the Uriels’ guest rooms, which were drowning in gold leaf and cherub statues. Instead, there was a quiet, stated affluence to it.

  When Graham said that he would allow Torr to stay here, I’d worried he meant in some sort of dark, dank dungeon. At best, I thought a storage room.

  Together we headed to the bed and gently placed the stretcher on it. Donovan walked around the other side of the bed and reached over, carefully grasping the sheet underneath the stretcher and Torr.

  “On the count of three,” Graham said. He counted down, and then together we shifted him from the stretcher to the bed.

  “Mary, if you can help me get our other guests situated,” Graham said, standing up.

  “Of course,” she said, her gaze locked on Torr’s hand still visible from underneath the sheets. I carefully tucked it under the blankets.

  Graham stepped toward me. “Micah is going to be right next door. I’ll go get him. I assume you want to stay with Torr?”

  Once again I was torn, but I nodded. He looked down at me as if he had more to say but then stepped away without another word. He gently placed an arm around Mary and steered her out of the room.

  Donovan disappeared with them, leaving me alone with Torr.

  I slipped the sheet from around his head, unsurprised to see that his eyes were open. “How are you?”

  He grimaced. “I’ve been better.”

  “Thank you, Torr. If you hadn’t helped them—”

  He cut me off. “Are they okay?”

  “Micah’s hurt, but he’ll heal, and Noel has some bruising. You’re the one who took the brunt of it.”

  He nodded, his eyes closing slowly. “That’s good.” Then he opened his eyes again with a frown as he noticed his surroundings. “Where are we?”

  “We’re over in Sterling Peak. I needed help taking care of all of you. We’re in Graham Michael’s home. As soon as you’re all better, we’ll get out of here.” I lowered my voice. “No matter what it takes, we’ll get out of here.”

  Torr met my gaze and spoke slowly. “Am I a prisoner?”

  “I really don’t know. Graham said you’re not, but—”

  “But I’m a demon,” Torr finished quietly.

  I nodded. “Yeah.”

  “At least I have a gilded cage.”

  I wasn’t sure what to say to that, so I grabbed the medicine that Donovan had placed on the side table. It was the same one that Micah had been given. But I had wanted to wait until we were settled with Torr before he took it. Just in case.

  But it seemed that everything was on the up and up. I poured some of the pain meds into a small cup. “You need to take this.”

  Torr curled his lip.

  “Hey, I know. But you need to heal. And the sooner you do that, well, the better for all of us.”

  I helped him sit up, and he took the glass from me. After staring at its contents for a long moment, he downed it quickly. He grimaced. “That’s awful.”

  “Most medicine is.”

  Torr lay back down and let out a yawn. Quiet voices came from the hall, followed by the sound of people moving around next door.

  I adjusted the blankets over him. “I need to go check on Micah to make sure that he’s getting settled in. Will you be all right for a few minutes?”

  Torr nodded, his eyes already closing. “I think I’ll sleep for a little while.”

  “I won’t be long.” I ran a hand over his forehead. It felt warm, but I didn’t know how warm he normally ran. I stood up from the bed, and with one last look at Torr, crossed the room quickly, my feet sinking into the deep thick rug. It really was a gilded cage.

  I stepped outside the door, nodding at Laura, who stood there on guard. And thought that maybe I had just lied to Torr. Maybe he was a prisoner after all.

  Chapter 36

  A door connected Micah and Torr’s room. Mary opened it up and I could easily see the bed from in here. Micah’s room was almost identical to Torr’s, except it had
a deep-green comforter. There was a connecting door between the rooms. According to Graham, Laura was situated outside Torr’s room, initially to reinforce to the staff that the rooms were off-limits. But Graham promised she’d be gone once he was sure the staff understood the rules.

  Noel decided to bunk in with Micah, so an extra bed was brought in for her. I had a bed brought into Torr’s room as well. I situated it as close to the door as possible so that I could to see between the two rooms.

  I wanted to be with Micah and Noel, but I simply couldn’t trust that Torr would be all right if I left him alone. I’d never wanted to split myself in two so badly before.

  The doctor came in after everyone was situated and gave both Micah and Torr some more pain meds. She wasn’t sure how Torr would react to them, so she started with a lower dose than what she gave Micah. She explained that both of them should be out for the rest of the night. It was only a few minutes later that both of them slipped into a deep sleep.

  Noel then went and took a shower.

  I wanted to do the same, but I didn’t feel comfortable leaving them both unguarded. Noel came out, her hair dripping wet. She told me she would keep an eye on them both and scream if she needed me.

  I still hesitated, but I felt grimy, and I knew that now would probably be the best time to grab one. Stepping into the bathroom, I stared longingly at the large tub on the other side of the bathroom. Now, though, was not the time to relax.

  Instead, I jumped into the shower, intending to wash up quickly. But when the hot water hit my skin, every cell in my body screamed at me to stay there forever. The heat worked its way into all of my aches and pounded them away.

  There was an array of soaps and shampoos, each one smelling better than the last. I settled on a soap and shampoo with an apple scent. Then I closed my eyes, just enjoying the warmth. I really could have stayed there for hours.

  Reality, though, soon intruded. I shut off the water. Maybe in a few days I could take a long, leisurely bath. But for now, I dried off with one of the ridiculously fluffy white towels before changing into the clothes that Mary had brought up earlier.