The Lure of the Devil (The Demons' Muse #4) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,175

coming here?" I asked. "Especially the people whose friends are missing."

Sia reached over and rubbed my shoulder, using that as an excuse to lower her voice. "Because nondenominational groups are usually less judgmental. College students aren't exactly the most pious. We get drunk, high, and screw around. I think that to people looking for a little guidance on how to cope with the loss of someone, this place would be awfully appealing."

By this point, we're close enough to the doors that I didn't dare ask any more questions. Nick took the lead, with Luke right behind him. I followed them in, all too aware of Sia and Bel trailing behind me. That meant Sam had to bring up the back of our little group. Stuck smack in the middle, I took the chance to look around.

Never before had I seen an actual religious ceremony. I'd read about them. I'd looked at pictures and drawings that depicted the ordeal, but this was like none of them. The only religious iconography was a wooden cross attached to the speaking podium at the front of the room. The rest of this long, narrow building was nothing but row upon row of wooden benches. For some reason, I'd expected more incense burning and angelic statuary.

Nick chose a bench in the middle of the room, neither too close nor too far away from the front to stand out. The six of us barely fit, but we made it work. And still, people talked about the missing students. That seemed to be the greatest topic of conversation, and mixed among all of it were those subtle references to angels. Real ones. Here.

Soon enough, a young man wearing a shirt with Greek letters on it walked towards the podium. He looked familiar. Leaning over my knees, I narrowed my eyes and focused on his face. On this world, we all had human bodies, but I was pretty sure I'd come face-to-face with that guy in the battle on Vesdar.

"Gabriel," Sia breathed, proving I was right.

His hair was the same brassy color as his body on other worlds. His wings were gone, but his overall physique looked the same. And even from this far away, I could see the vibrant green color of his eyes. There were no flames like he had in his natural body, but the color was the same.

"Good morning," Gabriel said, smothering the soft conversation that had been filling the room. "Once again, we come together to pray to our Lord and Savior. It seems the kidnappings continue, with five more students from this very school being listed among the missing. I would like to read a list of their names, and if you're here for them, please stand when you hear theirs."

Picking up a piece of paper, he slowly listed off the same names the news had reported earlier. Three different people stood up, and those around them reached up to offer a hand in support. It was an oddly touching gesture, but a useless one. I didn't quite understand the purpose of it, but from the look on Sia's face, she did.

And from there, Gabriel launched right into his sermon. He started off talking about hope and redemption. I remembered the verses he cited from the multiple times I'd read the human holy books. Next, he talked about prayers lifting us up and empowering us. At one point, he paused so everyone could sing one of the songs. Since I didn't know the words, I took the chance to watch what was going on around me.

It could have been the seriousness of this ceremony, but all of the humans looked almost entranced. Their eyes were slightly unfocused, and their reactions were just a bit too slow. They didn't have the same air of confusion that I'd seen when Luke twisted minds, but it was just a little too similar, almost like they were drunk on something.

We sat back down, and it got even worse. It almost seemed like the longer Gabriel talked, the more enthralled the people became. Maybe it was from their desperation? And yet, I could almost feel it. Something was definitely going on.

"Sia," I whispered, leaning towards her. "Is it just me, or have these people been mind-fucked?"

Luke heard, and leaned in to answer. "It's almost like he's trying to manipulate them as a group," he said. "But I don’t know how that's possible."

"Eye contact," Sia said. "Everybody in this room is looking at him. They're completely focused on