Knight's Absolution (Knights of Hell #5) - Sherilee Gray

Prologue

"Why are you doing this? Why are you helping us?"

Luna glanced at Grace. The other female was almost unrecognizable after the beating that demon had given her.

There was no time for explanations. Her demon minders would be on them in minutes.

"Stairs," Luna directed before Grace could trip. "I wouldn't wish this life on anyone.”

"Come to the knights’ compound; they'll keep you safe,” Grace said, voice garbled, blood dripping down her chin.

Luna shook her head. Leaving wasn’t an option. "I can do more good where I am. I’m his favorite, he trusts me.”

“The demon I met, the powerful one?”

Luna didn’t answer; the less Grace knew, the better for all of them.

They made it to the garage, and Luna half carried Grace toward a black SUV. "I'm going to have to ask you to cover your eyes," Luna said.

They climbed in, and she quickly secured a scarf over Grace’s nearly swollen-shut eyes.

"At least there's no chance of me peeking," Grace joked weakly.

"I'm sorry you had to suffer through that. I would’ve come sooner, but I had to pick my moment.”

Feet pounding on concrete echoed in the distance. The assholes had already found her. Luna started the car and gunned it out of the garage and onto the street, weaving in and out of traffic, making a dozen turns, until she was sure no one was following.

Grace looked blindly at her. "They know what you've done. You can't go back."

“The windows are blacked out. They don’t know it’s me driving.” She had no choice but to go back. She wouldn’t leave without Ronan.

“Cameras?”

“None, it’s too risky.”

“Are you sure no one saw you?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.”

She’d survived all Sir’s punishments so far. She could again.

"Look, I know you can't tell me your name, but please, if you ever want to get out, if you ever need help...shit, just someone to talk to…call me. Will you do that?"

“Honestly…I hope I never see you again, Grace." The only other being she’d ever trusted was Spencer. The demi had been with her, with Sir, since she was seven years old. What would it be like to have someone else she could rely on?

The thought was pointless.

Being anything more to this female would be far too dangerous for Grace. Besides, she didn’t need anyone else.

The only thing a dhampir like her needed was blood. She was immune to emotion; had no physical or emotional needs.

That’s not entirely true, not anymore.

It had taken her time to realize it, to accept it, but somehow, a year ago, she’d started to feel anger. Just that, the one emotion.

That alone made her life more difficult. Learning to control it hadn’t been easy.

A strange sensation curled in her belly, making her breath catch and the beat of her heart quicken. The last time she’d experienced something similar was when she was near the knight. Gunner’s presence did something to her. Whenever he was near, she had a strange physical response. She didn’t understand it. Didn’t like it—

Or maybe she did?

She wasn’t sure, honestly.

Luna pulled off the road and stopped in an empty, shadowed parking lot outside Chambers Furniture Store. "You can take off the blindfold.”

With shaky hands, Grace removed the strip of fabric covering her eyes. She was a mess, and the scent of her blood—and there was a lot of it—was making it hard to concentrate, even as Luna’s stomach rebelled. Starvation was one of Sir’s favorite ways to control her, and he’d had her on an extremely restricted diet.

“You’re trying to stop him from releasing Diemos, aren’t you?” Grace asked, breaking the silence in the car.

Maybe it was the hunger, the burning pain in the pit of her stomach that had her dropping her guard, but she couldn’t stop herself from blurting the truth. “I’m going to kill him before he gets the chance. No one gets to do that but me.”

It was the right thing to do. Sir had aligned himself with the wrong side—and the power-hungry bastard had taken her and Ronan with him. It was her duty to stop him.

It would also appease the murderous rage she felt looking at his smug face.

Grace stared at her, long and hard. “You’re ill.”

Luna shook her head. Unless you counted starvation as an illness.

“We can help you,” Grace said weakly, her body trembling. “P-please don’t go back to that twisted fuck. You don’t need to sacrifice yourself for this cause.”

“I’m not ill.” She couldn’t stop her gaze from dropping to Grace’s throat, lingering on the frantic pulse beating there. Her mouth went