her only chance—hers and Aimee’s. They had to get away.
The fact that they had to escape beneath the lycans’ very noses, creep past sleeping monsters—that one misstep and she and Aimee were both lost, dead—didn’t change her mind. It was now or never. They might see the value in keeping Darby around, but Aimee would never be safe. It was only a matter of time before they went after the girl. Even with a fresh vision hanging over her head, a terrible harbinger she couldn’t quite shake free from her thoughts, she knew she had to take a chance and run for it.
Suddenly a surge of warmth pervaded the room. An unnatural warmth. Like an oven door had been opened and a wave of roasting heat swept free. Shit!
Darby whirled around, her hands clenching into fists, looking, searching, knowing what she would find.
Not now.
But of course, it would happen now. Now when she was her most vulnerable. Now when she most needed help. That’s always when a demon chose to call.
A great shadow slipped beneath the door and crawled along the floor and walls until materializing before her.
She had to tip back her head to meet its dead-eyed stare. This one was a beauty. The head of a serpent but the body of a battle-hardened gladiator. He leaned down toward her, his flicking tongue almost touching her nose.
She braced herself, legs squared.
“Shouldn’t you be somewhere else?” she demanded, forcing a show of bravado. This demon frightened her more than those lycans outside this room. Lycans could kill her, but this demon could own her soul for eternity.
“There’s been a lot of activity in this area. You’re too hard to resist. Despite the abominable weather, I had to check you out for myself …”
So her visions hadn’t gone undetected, after all. She was a fool to think otherwise. She knew how it worked. The same way it always had. Her visions attracted demons. Especially sucky since she couldn’t control her visions. She had long accepted that—why else was she living all alone here? She might not be able to control her visions, but she could control her environment. Relocating to an environment abhorrent to demons was the responsible thing to do. It beat following in her mother’s footsteps and taking her own life.
“That was unnecessary,” she said.
The demon’s slit eyes surveyed the room, his flat nostrils flaring wide as he lifted his face and scented the area. “Ah, lycans. You’re in a bit of trouble. Couldn’t you use some assistance?”
“No. Get out of here. I don’t need or want anything from you.” Instantly, her mind drifted back to the vision of her and Aimee running through the snow, lycans surrounding them. If it held true, she’d soon need serious assistance.
She shook the thought aside and reminded herself that she’d managed to beat out her visions before. Knowledge was power. Her visions could be averted. She’d simply make sure she didn’t take off on foot through the wilderness with Aimee. Because she knew what would happen if she did.
“No? Not yet. You sure? Maybe I’ll stick around until you do …” At that moment the demon shuddered, fading back to shadow for a moment before managing to regain form.
Darby smiled, knowing he was weakening in this cold. He wasn’t going to stick around much longer. He couldn’t. “I don’t think you’re staying.” She chafed her hands over her arms. “Brrr. My, my, isn’t it cold in here? You’d think they could adjust the thermostat. I think it’s as cold in here as it is out there,” she taunted.
As if her words did the trick, the demon shuddered like rippling water before her eyes. “I’ll find you again.”
“I don’t think so.” She’d managed to stave off visions for the most part these last few years. Once she managed to escape this nightmare, she’d move north again. Another town. Another lonely existence. But safe—she’d have safety again.
With fresh determination feeding her heart, Darby quickly moved to the bed. Looping her arms beneath Aimee, she held her close, inhaling and savoring the child’s sweet scent for a moment. When she turned back around the demon was gone—not even its shadow lingered.
They had to slip out now. The lycans would expect them to stay put—they wouldn’t suspect that she’d dare come out while they were in full shift. She pressed her ear close to the door again, listening for several moments. Her adrenaline rushed, pounding in her veins. Readjusting Aimee in her arms, she carefully unlocked