suddenly seemed a lot more dangerous now that I knew what lay hidden just out of sight of mortal man.
As soon as I was clear of the room, I collapsed, trembling against the floor, terrified I had made the biggest mistake of my life.
29
“Pretty heavy, isn’t it?”
I looked up, eyes wide, to see Ethan kneeling beside me. His hair was a mess and he looked terrible, but at least he was composed. It was more than I could say about myself.
“Is he gone?” I asked, standing. I refused to show any more weakness than I already had. I was really starting to get annoyed with how weak I’d been as of late. I should have been able to handle the demon.
Of course, I knew why I was so rattled. Thomas’s discovery had really fucked me up. I needed to get my head on straight and start focusing like I was used to doing. I couldn’t keep freaking out over every little thing.
“No,” Ethan said.
“What? You left a fucking demon alone down there?” I couldn’t help but scream it.
Ethan recoiled from me. “He can’t get out,” he said. “Only someone from the outside can break the circle. It’s safe.”
“It sure as hell didn’t feel safe.”
“It used to have that effect on me too,” he admitted. “But you get used to it.”
“I don’t see how.”
He shrugged. “Just like you got used to dealing with life as a vampire. Anyone can overcome anything if they really want to.”
He was right. My anger ebbed, as did my fear. “You’re being quite philosophical for someone who summons demons for a living.”
Ethan smiled. “I have my moments.”
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. It did wonders for my composure. Now that I was standing in the basement, away from Beligral and his oppressive heat and stare, I felt stupid. He was trapped in his circle. I knew that. Ethan had been doing this since he was a kid. How dangerous could the demon really be?
“I want to go back down,” I said, earning a surprised look from Ethan. “I have to know if he can help me or not.”
“Are you sure?” He gave me a skeptical look. “I mean, you freaked back there. I don’t want you to do something if you don’t think you can handle it.”
I glared at him. “I can handle it.”
He grinned. “Okay, okay,” he said. “I just want to be sure. I mean, I could ask him for you if you want. There’s no need for you to go back down. He met you and that’s good enough for me.”
“No,” I said. “I’m going to do this.”
I didn’t give him a chance to argue. I headed back down the stairs into the lab. It was still hot, but it was far more manageable now that I knew it was coming. I walked across the room and leaned against the table with my weapons just in case the circle wasn’t as secure as Ethan thought it to be.
“Welcome back,” Beligral said. “I’m surprised you returned.”
I didn’t answer. My eyes roamed the room, checking to make sure everything was normal. I still needed a few moments to fully compose myself anyway. Being in Beligral’s presence was like standing in front of the sun. It was oppressive.
My eyes fell on the candles and I flinched in surprise. They were lit, but the flames weren’t flickering. Instead, they were frozen in place, like they were a recording and someone had pressed pause.
Beligral laughed and I looked at him. He was sitting in the chair, cane lying across his lap. He would have looked like any other guy as long as you didn’t look into his eyes or he didn’t open his mouth. He could easily pass for human if he really wanted to.
Which was part of the ploy, I was sure. I’d seen glamours before, and I knew he was ramping up the glamour now. There was no way a demon could look like that. I could almost see the horns hidden behind the pleasant face.
“Do you know why I’m here?” I asked. It was a struggle to get out the words, but I managed. Each passing second seemed to get easier and easier. I would never be comfortable standing in the same room as a demon, but at least I was able to handle it now.
It did put the whole hanging around werewolves thing in perspective. That was nothing compared with this.
“You are here because you wish something of me,” he