Heart of a Demon: A New Adult Paranormal Romance

by Lacy Andersen

  That's what I had to be - a prisoner. What else would they want to keep me around for? They didn't want me to divulge their secrets to the other demon clan, so they had to keep me locked up for the rest of my life.

  "I'm sorry you had to go through all that." Gabe's voice broke through my worries. He was watching me out of the corner of his eye. "But Luke had to be sure you weren't demon possessed. We can't let one into the manor."

  I nodded. It made some sort of sense. Apparently, the black eyed demons could also possess humans. It was a good thing I'd never run into one face to face in the woods before.

  "I'll take you to the west wing to meet Raquel. She's Esther's daughter and close to your age. She can show you around."

  "Can't I stay with you?"

  The words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them. A pained look crossed Gabe's face, making me flush with embarrassment. He didn't need someone clinging to him all day long. He probably had better things to do than babysit a prisoner.

  "I have some things to see to," he finally said. "They had a funeral for Gregory already, but I have to go before the board and recount what happened. Demon skirmishes are getting more numerous by the day. They’re worried."

  "Gregory was the one that died in the forest?"

  It was a strange concept for demons to hold funerals, but after the week I'd had, nothing was impossible anymore.

  "Yes," Gabe replied with a frown. "He was a good warrior."

  We walked through the front doors of the manor, into a hall with a giant wooden staircase that split into a Y shape at the top. Ornate frames that hung from the walls held huge oil paintings of people dressed in clothing hundreds of years old. Intricate wooden detail trimmed every inch of the hall. It was like taking a step back in time to the eighteen hundreds. I half expected a butler to jump out and greet us.

  "Everyone's probably still asleep," Gabe explained. "There are seventy-five of us that live in the manor and twenty or so families that live in the houses on the southern lawn. Most of us are gatekeepers, but some of the others do assorted jobs around the manor. Obviously, I'm a gatekeeper."

  "Gatekeeper?"

  The term wasn't familiar to me. It didn't sound threatening, but Gabe was anything but a peaceful man with his weapons and battle scars.

  "I'll let Raquel explain all that," he said, leading me up the staircase and to the left. "Now, you'll want to make sure you have someone with you at all times. I don't want you running into Adam or one of his buddies without a guard. He gets funny ideas sometimes and I don't want him taking it out on you."

  So, I was a prisoner. I'd have to travel with a guard everywhere. Maybe they should just throw me in a dungeon so they wouldn't have to worry about it.

  "Can I go into the forest?" I asked.

  It was my last hope that I wasn't really being held against my will.

  "I don't think that's a good idea..." Gabe hesitated and in that moment all my remaining hope died.

  "Fine." I couldn't hide the disappointment in my voice.

  Gabe looked at me sideways, but didn't comment on it. We were approaching a long hall of wooden doors, each with a number nailed to it like addresses. He marched me to the opposite end of the hall until we stood in front of number 232.

  "I'm in the east wing," he said, knocking on the door. "But we'll see each other at mealtimes. I hope you'll like it here. Make sure you tell me if anyone gives you any crap."

  I wanted to grab his hand and beg him not to leave. These giant halls and stone walls were so intimating and cold. They were nothing like Granny's dinky little house in Hanna.

  I was afraid he'd take with him the only thing that reminded me of the comfortable life I'd lived before. Before all the demon fighting and the lying. Before the sacrifices and wooden pyres and goddesses. When life was simple and boring.

  Instead, I nodded and studied the carpet, willing the angry tears at the corners of my eyes to go away. Gabe surprised me by cupping my chin in his hand and lifting my face until I was forced to look at his face. There was an intensity in his green eyes that gave me courage.

  "You will be safe here, Lizzy. I swear it."

  I liked the way my name rolled off his tongue. I could listen to him repeat it all day long like a promise. Just as my knees were beginning to shake from looking in his eyes, the door to the room swung wide open, revealing a tall young woman with messy red hair and blurry blue eyes. She took a look at us, Gabe's hand still gently lifting my chin, and her mouth dropped open.

  "You're alive?" she sputtered. "Uncle Luke was almost ready to give up on you."

  Gabe dropped his hand to his side and frowned at her. "You know it takes more than a demon ambush to kill me, Raquel. Luke should know better by now."

  "I suppose so." She ran her fingers through her wild hair, attempting to flatten it but failing miserably. Defeated, she looked at me for the first time. "Who's this chick?"

  "My rescuer." Gabe looked at me with a spark in his eye. "Raquel, this is Lizzy. She's from a nearby town and she’s going to be staying with us. Your uncle wants you to take her under your wing, show her around, get her settled. First thing to do might be to get her some appropriate clothes."

  I looked down at my thin dress and wrapped my arms around my waist. It didn't leave much to the imagination.

  "Wow, is she human?" Raquel poked me on the arm as if she expected me to be a mirage. "A real human?"

  "Yes," I said, swatting her hand away. "A real human, thank you very much. Not a monkey in a petting zoo."

  Gabe chuckled, the sound rough and throaty. “I think you’ll both get along just fine,” he said. “Let me know if you need anything. I’ll be around.”

  I watched him leave, taking with him the last bit of confidence I had left. Raquel waited until Gabe disappeared down the end of the hall before she ushered me into her room.

  Two full-sized beds with elaborate headboards sat on opposite sides of the room with a fireplace in between. A set of armoires and a vanity with a mirror and antique washing basin on top took up some of the remaining floor space. Altogether, Granny’s entire house probably would’ve fit into this room.

  “That bed’s yours,” she said, pointing to the neatly made mattress on the left. “The washroom’s that door to the right. The good thing about sharing a room is we don’t have to use the community washroom. I’d die if I had to shower in the same place as the boys.”

  Raquel threw herself on her messy bed. She had on a pair of pink flannel pajama bottoms and a white tank top. Posters hung around her headboard. Some were from rock bands that I recognized. Others were from movies I’d heard about. If I didn’t know better, I would’ve thought this was a normal teenager’s room.

  “How old are you?” Raquel grabbed a couple of granola bars from under her bed and threw me one. She tore hers open and ripped into it. “I’m nineteen.”

  “Twenty-one,” I said without thinking.

  With the granola bar in hand, I suddenly realized how hungry I was and tore open the package. I hadn’t eaten much during the past twenty-four hours.

  “I can’t wait until I’m twenty-one.” Raquel talked with her mouth full of food, stuffing another granola bar in her mouth. “When we turn twenty-one, we can make a bid for warrior status and partnership. I’m hoping I get paired with someone like Gabe. Not only is he dead sexy, but he’s a great fighter.”

  I nodded along, but didn’t understand anything she was saying. All I could think about was the bed, just two feet away. A good night’s rest was tempting, but I had to start hatching an escape plan. Going to Hanna was out of the question, but maybe one of the neighboring towns wasn’t too far off. All I knew was that I couldn’t stay in a place full of demons, worrying that at any second one of them was going to attack me and eat me for breakfast.

  “Not only that, but Gabe’s way nicer than his younger brother, Adam.” Raquel rolled over on her bed. “Adam could transfer to Africa, for all I care.”

  My ears perked up. “
Adam, the tall blond surly guy with attitude for miles?”

  She nodded.

  “You mean to tell me Gabe and Adam are related? That seems impossible.”

  These demon families were confusing to me. There was so much more to being a demon than I thought possible.

  Raquel flipped to her stomach and grinned. “No kidding. They had a younger sister, too, but she passed away years ago in a skirmish.”

  I couldn’t help feeling sorry for Gabe. My loss had been before I even knew what a mother was. I couldn’t imagine having to bury a sister.

  “Do you mind if I get some rest?” I asked Raquel after she’d finished her third granola bar. Maybe she’d leave me alone if she thought I was sleeping. “I didn’t get any sleep last night and I’m dying. Would that be okay with you?”

  Raquel nodded and jumped out of bed, running to her armoire. “Sure thing, let me grab you some clothes.” She pulled out a similar pair of flannel pajamas and a t-shirt. “For now, you can wear mine. I’ll pick up something for you after I go down for breakfast and training. Then I’ll come back and see how you’re doing.”

  I pulled on the clothes, grateful to have something actually cover my legs and my chest that wasn’t so see through. Leaving the dress crumpled on the floor, I crawled into bed with a sigh. It would’ve been too easy to fall asleep in this huge bed and forget that I was imprisoned by demons.

  “I’ll fill you in on the rest of the manor rules when I get back.” Raquel ran a brush through her hair and pulled on a pair of skinny jeans that sat low on her slim hips. “Just don’t go anywhere in the meantime. Uncle Luke will kill me if I let you wander around without an escort.”

  There it was again. A thinly veiled attempt to keep me from noticing that I was their prisoner. Not allowed to go anywhere or do anything without a babysitter. We were going to see about that.

  “See you later,” Raquel said, before slipping out the door and leaving me in total darkness.

  “Not if I have anything to do with it,” I mumbled into the covers.

  Chapter Thirteen

  I gave Raquel a good fifteen minutes before throwing the comforter off and rummaging through her things for a pair of shoes. She wore a size bigger than me, but with a stolen pair of her thickest socks, the shoes fit pretty well. I grabbed a black hoodie from her armoire and dropped below her bed to dig out the rest of the granola bars. To my surprise, there was an entire feast down there consisting of candy and snacks. I took as much as I could stuff in my pockets and then ran for the hall.

  It was still early, so the halls were empty. Not wanting to push my luck, I went in the opposite direction Gabe had brought me, hoping to find a back staircase. If I didn’t get out of here before all seventy-five of the demons that lived on this floor woke up, I’d be in trouble. None of them were probably as nice as Gabe had been to me.

  I found an old stone stairway in the back that led to a side door. The sun was higher now and beginning to warm the dew that lay heavy on the grassy clearing. If this was the west wing, I’d need to go around the manor and travel east. Although I’d been too upset to pay much attention to where Gabe brought me last night, I was pretty sure that if I traveled southeast from here, I could hit the small town of Dumont, or at least run into the highway.

  Pulling the hood up over my head, I skated the edge of the building, pausing at corners to peer around and watch for anyone awake. The grounds were quiet, but some signs of life were coming from the tiny houses on the southern lawn. Lights shone in some windows and the occasional clang of pots and pans interrupted the quiet.

  The house where they had tested me stood quiet and still. I wondered if Esther lived there, all alone. If I remember correctly, I’d spotted Raquel and her fiery red hair in several pictures in the hallway.

  The eastern woods were within sight across an open expanse of lawn that seemed to stretch forever. It wasn’t an ideal escape. Someone might spot me before I made it into the woods. I was used to hiding in the forest, but the short cut green grass offered no cover to someone trying to escape. But it was the only way out of here.

  Time to make a run for it, I told myself. It was now or never. Once I got to Dumont, I could worry about clothes, food, and traveling. Until I was out of this place, I wouldn’t feel safe, no matter what Gabe promised.

  Breaking into a sprint, I ran at the edge of the forest, keeping my hands on the hoodie pocket to stop the snacks from spilling out. It was surprising to me that they hadn’t surrounded this place with a fence to keep the other demons out. I would’ve thought it made them more vulnerable to attack, but right now that didn’t matter. It only made my escape that much easier.

  I was halfway across the lawn when a blond blur dove into me, tackling me to the ground. Granola bars and Twizzlers and candy bars fell out of my pockets and across the grass. The blond blur grabbed my wrists and threw me when I tried to get back up, slamming my head into the hard ground.

  Adam’s face appeared in front of my eyes, his icy blue eyes filled with deadly determination. I tried to kick and squirm out from under him, but he was too strong. He wrapped a hand around my neck and began to squeeze, cutting off my air supply.

  I knew they’d kill me. I just hadn’t expected it would go down this soon. Granny had warned me about the demons a million times. They’re vicious, she’d say. Creatures from hell weren’t to be trusted.

  As my vision darkened, something hit Adam hard enough that he released my throat and went tumbling to the grass beside me. Looking up, I saw Gabe with an intense rage burning in his face. He stood deadly still, his whole body tense like a lion getting ready to attack. Although he was glaring at Adam, a shiver of fear went down my spine at the sight. I scrambled backwards on my butt to put some distance between us.

  “Touch her again and I’ll kill you,” Gabe growled.

  The air shimmered and sparked around him, as if he were standing in a cloud of flammable gas. Every inch of his exposed flesh began to shine with a light so pure that it hurt my eyes. I had to look away just to keep from going blind.

  “I was just trying to keep her from running away,” Adam replied in a dry voice. He stood up and brushed the grass off his pants. “I didn’t think you’d want her to end up a plaything for the demons. That’d be a fate worse than death. Something that you’re all too familiar with, I’m sure.”

  Gabe maintained his powerful stance, but didn’t say anything as Adam walked away. I kept my eyes glued to the grass in front of me, intent on studying the wrapper from a rogue Milky Way bar. After a minute had passed, I heard him take a couple of deep calming breaths and sit down next to me.

  “I had a feeling you might try to run. The woods aren’t safe right now. That demon got a taste of your blood and she’ll never give up until she reclaims her sacrifice. The safest place for you is the manor.”

  I swallowed hard. If I never had to see that demon again, I’d be happy. To know that she was still after me and my blood made me want to throw up. I’d die before I’d let her take me.

  “Where were you trying to go?” Gabe reached out to touch my hand, but I snatched it back.

  His skin wasn’t shining anymore, but that didn’t mean he was safe yet. My mind was still reeling from the sight of him standing against Adam.

  “To Dumont,” I whispered. “Anywhere but here. I know you said you’d protect me, but I can’t live with demons.”

  I saw his head snap up out of the corner of my eye.

  “Demons? You think I’m a demon?”

  Lifting my head to him in confusion, I nodded. “Granny told me that there were two demon clans fighting for territory in the woods. She said they were evil and would kill me the second they laid eyes on me.”

  “Well, that’s true about demons,” Gabe said. His eyes were much softer now, but a frown still pulled at the corners of his lips. “Just like that demon your town worships and tried to sacrifice you to. But we’re not demons. We’re Nephilim.”

  I’d never heard of the Nep
hilim before now. It was a strange word that didn’t roll off the tongue very easily. Gabe must’ve seen the confusion in my eyes.

  “The Nephilim are a breed of warriors descended from humans and angels,” he explained. “Unlike our angel relatives, we’re mortal. But we live much longer than humans and have inherited some angel abilities.”

  My head spun. So Gabe wasn’t a demon after all? He was an angel. A true-to-God angel who killed demons in the woods. And the goddess I’d spent my life worshiping and praying to was an evil incarnate demon. I wouldn’t have been surprised if I woke up suddenly and found this all to be a dream.

  “Take a guess on how old Luke is,” Gabe offered.

  After all this news, I had no idea anymore. “Um…fifty?”

  “Wrong. He’s three hundred and twenty and will probably live to nine hundred if the demons don’t get him first. Once we reach maturity, our aging process slows way down.”

  I narrowed my eyes and looked at Gabe. “How old are you?”

  A smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. “I’m a baby compared to most of the Nephilim out here. I turned a hundred and twenty last December.”

  Oh great. I had the hots for grandpa. The idea sent a flush through my cheeks and I buried my head in my hands.

  “Come on, it’s not that bad.” Gabe pulled my hands from my face. “We’re the good guys, I promise. The Manor was built to defend one of the six hell gates. We kill any demons that happen to come through, and keep them from infecting the human population. That’s why I’m a gatekeeper. I was hoping Raquel would explain all of this to you before you had a chance to freak out.”

  “I sort of told her that I needed to sleep before she could explain anything,” I said sheepishly. “Then I bolted after she gave me some space.”

  Gabe shook his head and pursed his lips at me. “I knew you were going to cause me trouble, Lizzy. But I guess I underestimated you.”

  A fresh wave of blood pooled into my cheeks. After this infraction, he’d probably lock me in my room so that he wouldn’t have to be bothered by the baby human anymore. It was nothing less than what I deserved.