“What’s happening now, to her, that’s my fault.” He expelled a deep breath and shuffled a step closer. “Excuses are just that, and I have one for everything. And fuck intentions too. I wanted it both ways. Wanted her. I knew I couldn’t have her if she knew everything, and her knowing everything would’ve stopped…this.”
Legion twisted its lips in a sneer. “How high your opinion of yourself must be.”
“I promise, it’s not.”
“And what are a Sin’s promises worth? By dear Varina’s count, not much.”
Campbell’s heart thudded hard, his head going fuzzy. Every molecule in his body geared to fight. He was racing neck-in-neck with fear, the black void nipping at his heels. His ears rang with the roars of thousands of demons. And while it would be easy to let himself fall, it was no test of strength.
No, the real strength was forcing himself to stop, turn to the blackness, and stare it down.
It figured now he’d understand. Everything Luxi had told him, everything he had questioned. Now, standing here, the reasons behind the choices they made were crystal clear. So clear he couldn’t help but wonder what had taken him so long. The terror that followed him would continue, but it paled to the horror of standing by and letting a Hell Demon tear apart the woman he loved.
He could fear death but accept it all the same. At least in death, his nightmares wouldn’t find him.
“How about a trade,” Campbell said, his chest aching. “You’re not going to get far in Varina’s skin, anyway. You know I’m not going to let you walk out of here. To get through that door, you’ll have to kill me.”
It shrugged. “And?”
“And what do you think will happen then? I’m the only one here who wants Varina alive. You take me out, you take out one of Lucifer’s children, and he will bring Hell down upon you. And tough as she is, Varina’s human body is no match for the devil. You’ll be wiped out in seconds.”
At that, Legion seemed to consider him. The demon tilted its head, its eyes narrowed. “I suppose you have an alternative.”
Campbell tightened his jaw and nodded. “You want a chance against Hell, you need to wear the skin of something from there.” He inhaled, ignored the wailing in his mind, and embraced the dark. “So take me.”
28
Every cell in Campbell’s body screamed at him to run. To lash out. To fight. That horrid sensation in his gut was going to consume him alive. But he stood firm. He didn’t blink. And the longer he stared it down, the less roar it had to its voice.
“You?” Legion echoed, sneering. “Do you take me for a fool?”
“Not yet,” he replied, calmer than he would have thought.
“I cannot possess the body of a Sin.”
“Why not? Because you haven’t tried before?” Campbell spread his arms. “So try. Give me your best shot. I won’t fight you. I won’t run. I’ve laid down the welcome mat. Just give Varina back her body. That’s all I ask.”
Legion blinked at him through Varina’s eyes. “You are not serious.”
“Do I look serious?”
“I have heard the screams, Superbia. Lest you forget. Moreover, I was there. I saw what happened, and I know. To offer your body without a fight is to die, and death is what you fear most of all.”
Campbell forced his throat to work. “I never said I wasn’t afraid.”
“Then why?”
“I love her more than I fear death.”
Legion studied him for a moment, then snickered. “You barely know the girl and you are willing to sacrifice an eternity for her? Forever is a long time.”
“It won’t matter. I’ll be gone.”
Another long moment passed. “Quite the hero, aren’t you? Seems a waste, if you ask me, but I suppose it is your body.” It edged a step forward. “Know this, Superbia. If you try to deceive me, your life won’t be the only thing to worry over.”
His chest lurched and his head spun. “So you accept.”
“You have intrigued me. I will admit that. And I have always wanted to know the extent of a Sin’s power.” It grinned that grin again, twisting Varina’s pretty mouth into something ugly. “All of Hell will tremble.”
Campbell doubted it. Neither Lucifer nor the other Sins would allow Legion to get very far in a Campbell-suit, but the demon didn’t need to know that. Or perhaps it already knew that but didn’t care. No matter. As long as Varina was able to live out the rest of her life.
As long as she knew it had been real for him. Hopefully now, she did.
“Your lover is certainly brave. Foolish, but brave.”
Varina stared through the eyes she couldn’t control. Campbell stared back. For a moment, she thought he could see her through the mask Legion wore. She wondered how she looked—if a phantom without a face could reflect the wealth of conflicting emotions that comprised her existence.
Why in the world would he do this?
“For amore, darling. Weren’t you paying attention? The poor idiot loves you, or thinks he does.” Legion offered a low chuckle. “As I said, foolish but brave. Such a waste too. Ah well. Is there anything you wish me to say to him before I depart?”
In the world Varina knew, love didn’t exist—at least, not love to this extreme. Love strong enough to overwhelm the innate need to survive, to make the big sacrifices. The shock that had rattled her the night before when Campbell first let slip his feelings for her surged back tenfold, with it the disbelief, the fear and most of all…
“Don’t. I’m not worth it.”
“There,” Legion cooed, “we are agreed. But fortunately, this is not your decision.”
Aloud, the demon said, “It seems Varina has no words to spare for you. Pity.”
Campbell shrugged. “Wouldn’t matter. I think you know which one of us is the better grab. If you’re going to take a body, might as well take one that can pack a punch.”
“What sentimental fools you Sins have become.”
“So you’ll do it, then. Me for her. That’s the deal. Varina walks.”
Varina experienced a surge of excitement—one that wasn’t hers. The demon was giddy to the point of bursting, sending energetic thrills up and down her spine. It must have grown sloppy in its enthusiasm, because at once, she could feel everything. See everything. Images of desolated cities, scattered human remains and blood. So much blood. Stanley Kubrick amounts of blood. Forgotten were the past ambitions—those centering on survival. No, Legion wanted to dominate.
Legion would assume Campbell’s body, manipulate Campbell’s siblings, recruit allies and cut down enemies.
All because Campbell loved her.
She wasn’t worth this.
“Campbell, no! Please!”
That caught the demon’s attention, and abruptly, the connection closed. “No peeking,” Legion purred. “You know how I feel about spoilers.”
“He doesn’t know—”
“What I plan to do? Do you really think that? Silly girl, of course he knows. He just doesn’t care. You heard the man. He loves you.”
“Varina walks,” Legion said aloud.
“And you’ll leave her alone. Forever.”
There was a pause. “Whatever my plans may be, once I assume your pretty skin,” the demon said, “I will not willfully include dear Varina. It is, however, a very small world. I cannot guarantee that our paths will not cross, but I will never again crawl inside her.”
Campbell grew still, something flickering behind his eyes. Varina knew that look—or knew it well enough to guess at what he was thinking. About his family, his fears and everything that could come to pass. How handing Legion his power was possibly dooming the world. Then there was emptiness, the same that had taken him over when she’d referenced his night terrors. The panic he tried so hard to hide.
But all the same, he squared his shoulders and nodded. “That’s good enough for me.”
“Then it seems we have reached an agreement.”
Campbell nodded again. And smiled—a warm, relieved
smile that nearly broke her.
That was the moment she realized it. That ache that had lingered, the horrible throb of pain from where Campbell had ripped out her heart—she knew what caused it. No matter what had come after, she couldn’t stop herself from bleeding. It had hurt too much, cut too deep, because of that truth. Because she had not only trusted him, but she’d let herself fall in love.
She loved him.
Oh god.
And she couldn’t let him do this. Not for her or the world—she couldn’t let him sacrifice himself.
“Again, my dear, not your decision,” Legion said. “As it turns out, you have nothing to bargain. Your lover does.”
“Don’t.”
“Too late. The deal is made.”
“All right,” Campbell said. “All right.”
Then he closed his eyes, and something within her shapeless form began to cry.
It couldn’t be that simple—it couldn’t be, yet it was. The sensation of being returned to her body was something etched in memory. As though a lens was twisted back into place, and she could see again, well and truly. The demon didn’t move fast, it never had, but its presence no longer clouded her headspace. In a moment she could feel the tingling tips of her fingers, wiggle her toes and taste the acidic dryness in her mouth, which prompted her to work her lungs. The gulp of air she took in tasted so good she could have wept.
But she didn’t. Instead, Varina looked to the shadow that didn’t belong. Long dangling wisps of black reaching from her body toward Campbell, and Campbell stood, willing, his eyes closed, his breathing harsh but his expression one of acceptance.
He was doing it. Jesus, he was really doing it.
This couldn’t happen.
Varina stared at the shadowy patch for a moment, her blank mind trying to rev to life, but stuck in neutral. There was no stopping Legion—this she knew—but she had to try anyway. She refused to stand idle as Campbell…
Her gaze landed on something that didn’t belong. The box she’d placed on the petticoat table.
The box.
Her hands and feet were in agreement on what to do half a second before her mind caught up. Varina lurched forward on wobbly legs, nearly tripping over herself to close the distance to the table. Legion had not yet fully left her, and she felt its weight with each movement, dragging her downward, encouraging her to fall. But she didn’t fall. She stumbled into the petticoat table instead, a hard gasp shoving its way out of her mouth. Inside, the demon twisted as though tangled, and a sharp pain exploded in her abdomen.
The air crackled and hummed. Varina’s fingers closed around the box, her palm digging into the side hard enough to cut. Behind her, the demon roared, but if it wanted to stop her, it had waited a beat too late. She jerked the box to her chest, inhaled raggedly, then pried open the lid.
Everything dissolved in a blaze of white.
Varina couldn’t help it—she screamed. Her body pitched forward without permission, and a whip of pain cracked through her legs as her knees hit the ground. She choked down oxygen so thick she gagged, and the hall filled with a horrid piercing wail that pressed upon her ears so hard she was surprised when they didn’t pop. Her insides gave a lurch, and she felt something slam against her chest from the wrong side.
Legion.
The demon dug itself in, hooking its oily tendrils around her ribs and holding firm. Tiny shards edged along the inside of her skin, pushing up hard enough that she smelled blood. A fist had closed around her heart, squeezing and pulling with every pulse of that terrible blinding white. The demon’s voice was in her ear, but she couldn’t make out its words.
The screaming continued, though she wasn’t sure whose anymore. Varina’s throat closed and her insides constricted, her eyes going wide in the face of blinding nothingness as the demon screeched and clawed and attempted to burrow itself to safety. She tried to gag but couldn’t, wanted to stand but her legs wouldn’t obey. The air split with a cry that was either her or Legion or all of Hell itself, and over it was Campbell. Campbell screaming her name, Campbell telling her to hold on, Campbell, Campbell, Campbell…
Then her body gave way, tearing apart at the seams. Legion was there one second, gone the next, leaving behind rips and holes and angry sores. Varina tried to breathe, but something stabbed her lungs and her mouth filled with thick, liquid copper. She would have gasped, but she couldn’t. Her throat refused to work.
“Varina! Varina!”
The floor rattled with the crash of Campbell’s weight. His face appeared above her, his wide eyes brimming with tears.
“Oh shit, oh god.”
A burning itch flared to life in her chest. Varina whipped her face away when a chest-deep cough seized her body in great, trembling shudders. Lungfuls of blood hit the wooden floor. She was finally able to breathe, but tried to drink down oxygen too fast, and ended up coughing so hard she worried her bones would crack.
Varina felt very far from herself, as though reaching for her skin through the veil of a dream. Every command she sent to her body was either greeted with resistance or ignored altogether. Even small things she couldn’t manage, and this time, she knew it wasn’t the demon. Legion’s stain upon the air had vanished—she couldn’t feel it anywhere.
It was gone. But it had taken her with it.
“Stay with me,” Campbell said, but he didn’t sound like himself. His voice was harsh, choked. “Stay with me, Varina. Just hold on.”
Her world shifted as he drew her into his arms. It wasn’t until she saw him again that it hit her full on. His voice. His words. The horror in his eyes, the grief, the pain.
She was about to die.
A spike of what she could only call fear shot through her, icing over whatever was left inside. Death was one of those things she’d thought of in the abstract—something she’d known would happen one day, but had forever relegated to the future. It was what had happened to those around her—it was what she brought to the demons who tracked her down. It was dark and it was ugly and it was forever.
And she was terrified.
“Ca-Campbell…” It took a few tries to get her mouth to cooperate. “Cam—”
“Shh. No, no, no, no, no. Save your energy. We’ll get you help. I’ll get you help, and you’ll be fine.” Except now tears had gathered at the corners of his eyes, and he either didn’t notice or didn’t care. “You’ll be fine. You did it. You got him in the box. You—”
“Offer.” She coughed again, wincing when blood splattered against his chin.
Again, he didn’t seem to notice. “You did. You—”
“Me,” she finished. “You… Why?”
“Why?” Campbell frowned, searching her eyes a moment before he understood. “I love you. It didn’t matter. That’s why.”
She would have cried if she could have managed it. Instead, she coughed and rasped, “Afraid?”
“Yeah. I still am. I’m fucking terrified.” Campbell pressed a kiss to her brow. His mouth was so hot it burned. Then he asked, “Why did you do it?” in a rush, and winced after, as though he didn’t want to know.
Too bad. There were reasons aplenty, but only one he had to know now.
“Love.”
It was amazing what one little word could do, how it had the power to transform. She watched him pull back, his eyes widening, crinkling at the corners as they filled with light. The tears she’d seen gathered now spilled down his cheeks, running into the edges of a mouth that didn’t seem to know whether to smile or cry. After a long moment, his lower lip began to tremble, his jaw tightening and the awe in his gaze hardening into steely determination.
The ghosts of her former doubt were banished in that look.
Campbell released a long, shaky breath. “I’m going to get you help now. I’m going to pop us upstairs and—”
She was shaking her head. There was no help. There was only death. Campbell knew it—he had to.
If anything, Campbell’s resolve grew firmer. “I just
found you,” he said. “I’m not letting go yet. I’m going to get you help. It’s not too late.”
He started to move with her, then paused, finally looking away from her face. She watched as his gaze moved down her body—down the part that felt ripped open. As comprehension warped his expression, stole away his fire and replaced it with reality, she felt the last of her own fight surrender.
And there was the fear again, closing in around her. No longer a sickly warm, but a horrid cold. The sort of cold that burrowed into bones. Cold fear was death—it was certainty and it was the end.
“I… There’s… I know this,” Campbell was saying, his words rushed. His face had contorted, and he looked somewhat manic. “I know. They’ve done this. They’ve been here. They got through it. She saved him. I…”
Varina wanted to tell him it was okay, but she couldn’t find her voice.
It didn’t matter. He kept talking.
“They did it. Both of them. He did, then she. I…” He broke off abruptly, wincing as though pained, and fell quiet.
She waited through pained breaths, the taste of blood inching farther up her throat with each rise and fall of her chest. Her heart had lurched with excitement, and for a wild second, she’d wondered. But his silence drew on, and he sat, staring at nothing. There was movement behind his eyes, but it was shadowed, and grew darker by the second.
She felt him giving up.
Finally, Campbell barked a sob.
“No. I won’t do that to you. I can’t. I can’t.” He blinked and shook his head. “Invi…my sister, her boyfriend was cut by the hand of God, for fuck’s sake. She saved him. He should have died and she saved him. And my brother, Ira, saved Cassie too. She should have bled to death, but she didn’t. They saved them. Both.” He swallowed. “But they had to…turn them. Into something they weren’t. Into… Cass was a Virtue, and now she’s not. She became something else. Roman too. Not a Virtue, but he became something else. I could give you my blood. I could make you something else. That might save you.” Campbell paused again, another wave of tears flooding his eyes. “But I know. I know, Varina.”
Deliverance from Sin: A Demonic Paranormal Romance (Sinners & Saints Book 5) Page 27
