Whispers of the Demon Hunt

Eva's POV "Do you know what you mortal have done?" His voice was smooth and scary at the same time; every word sent chills down my spine. His silver eyes sparkled like the sight of a dangerous animal when the moonlight hit them. I felt too close to Kade, and his warm, seductive touch was very different from the cold grip of worry wriggling in my chest. "I saved my sister," I spat back, and my voice shook with anger just enough to make me feel bad. "That's all that matters." He tilted his head and looked at me slowly and carefully. His slow smile made my skin tingle. The dark hair around his chiseled face framed it, and the faint glow of the calling circle danced across his flawless skin. It was clear that Kade was beautiful, scary, and supernatural. I could smell smoke and something sweet coming from him as he approached. "You saved her," he said. "Tied yourself to me while you did it." Eva, are you ready for what that choice means?" Even though my throat hurt, I didn't want to take a step back. "I will pay whatever cost is required." Kade laughed a deep, rich laugh that rolled through the night like a dark song. He said in a whisper, "Strange words." "However, deals with devils are never simple." "Then tell me," I pushed back. "You gave your soul away without even reading the small print." "What is in the fine print?" I blurted. His smile grew bigger, and he reached out and stroked my chin with a soft but electric finger. "You'll find out soon enough." The touch made me shiver, but the fire that grew in my chest was not fear. It was something much more dangerous. I pulled my chin away and said, "I didn't call you for riddles." "I asked you since you are the only one able to save her." Kade's eyes got dark like a storm, and the silver there spun around. "That's what I did. What will you do, Eva, now that you owe seven nights? Seven nights in my world, connected to me in every way that matters." I stopped breathing. His words hit me hard, and every sentence was full of meanings I didn't dare look into. "I'll survive," I said softly, but more to myself than to him. He laughed again. This time, it was softer, but it was still a little scary. "We'll see about that.." Even though the truth hit me like a ton of bricks, I wanted to yell and demand answers. For Lila's sake, I tied myself to a devil, which is a being of sin and darkness. My body begged me to leave, to get away from his painful gaze and the suffocating pull of being with him. I tried, but I couldn't. As Kade left the circle of calling and reached out to Lila, my sister stopped coughing. Her fever, which had been killing her for weeks, leaving her pale and quiet on the bed, went away in an instant. There was no longer the pain in my chest that had been bothering me for so long. Instead, there was something heavier—a bill I couldn't expect to pay. "You think this is a game, don't you?" I felt soft, but my voice was harsh. Kade furrowed his face and crossed his arms over his enormous chest. Not at all. This is an order. I also think a lot about my contracts. "And what precisely do you intend to do with me over these seven evenings?" His mean sneer came back, this time scary and more vicious. "That's up to you, little summoner." But you should be ready for the unexpected." I glared at him and was so angry that it put out all my stress. "You never scare me." "That's your first mistake," Kade told me clearly. "You need to be scared." I told him, "Then maybe you should stop trying so hard to act scary." Despite my heart beating fast, I managed to splutter; "You might be a demon, but I've handled worse." Even though I was sure of myself, his laugh was a deep growl that made me shiver, but not as much as his response. "Have you recently?" "Yes," I quickly replied. "You won't be the last monster I encounter; you're not the first either." His face stopped being funny, like a shade moving away from the light. He whispered, "Be careful, Eva." His voice was a dark threat. "bravery and foolishness lie on a thin line." I didn't back down, even though I had to swallow hard. "What you do to me doesn't matter. As long as Lila is safe, I'll do anything." His eyes became a little less hard for a second. "You're either very brave or painfully naive," he stated. "Perhaps both". Kade looked right into my eyes, and I saw something raw in them that stopped my heart. Then it was gone, and his typical look of detached pleasure took its place. He turned back into the darkness and said lowly, "I'll see you in my realm soon enough." "Until then, have a good night." His shape shone and then became a mist that touched me like a kiss before nightfall. I stood there shaking because my chest hurt from having too much energy. His presence was still there, like a mark on my skin that was still hot from the heat. It was still thick in the air. As the wind changed, it carried a voice that made me freeze in place. I stopped breathing when I looked toward the treeline and saw the shadows moving in strange ways. There was something much worse than Kade out there. When someone yelled, "Eva!" I turned around to see Lila standing at the opening of our house, her face pale and her eyes wide with fear. Before I could move, the shadows moved forward, and a woman in total darkness with eyes that lit up like embers showed up. Her voice was high and angry, and she growled, "Foolish girl. You think you might turn me down? You've only just begun to pay for it." I fell backward as the woman raised her hand, and her fingers curled into claws that looked like they were ripping at the very fabric of reality. Something evil was in the air, and I could feel her power as if it were an iron cloud around me. What are you? My voice was shaking but strong enough to cut through the tension. She laughed and made a mean face with her lips. "Your worst dream," she said in a stern voice. "And his." Thick shades and a cold, dark darkness once again surrounded me. Lila's sharp, desperate cry was the last thing I heard before the world disappeared. I got closer to Lila, but the shadows in the forest began to form into shapes that made my spine shiver with fear. It howled again, this time closer, like a death knell echoing through the trees. "Lila, please return inside!" As I screamed, my voice broke because the shadows began to move. But Eva…" "Inside, now!" I cut her off when I turned back to the trees. The shapes were beginning to take shape. They looked like people but were deformed, and their eyes flashed a scary green in the dark. Their long, shaky arms and legs made me nervous as they moved forward, and their strange, jerky movements told me something. As I looked for the small knife that was stuck to my thigh, my heart was pounding in my ears. It was a weak defense against whatever was coming at me. "Fascinating," said a voice behind me, its words smooth and angry. When I turned around, I saw Kade sitting against a tree with his arms crossed and a smug smile on his face. "What are you trying to do?" He cut. "Are you just going to stand there?" I retorted. "What else? It's really fun. His silver eyes sparkled, but his body language told me otherwise. There was a fight. The first of the beasts rushed out of the darkness, its ugly shape briefly lit up by the moon. Its very sharp claws slashed at me, giving me just enough time to avoid getting hurt. "Eva!" Lila yelled from the front door. "Stay inside!" I screamed and hit the animal very hard. My knife just barely touched its skin, but the animal hissed in anger, and the cut healed almost right away. Kade said, "pathetic," and then he finally moved forward. He flicked his wrist without using his hand, and the animal stopped in the middle of a lunge. Its body twisted as if it were bound by chains he couldn't see. Kade smiled at me and said, "Thank you." "Help me and save the sarcasm!" I screamed. Two more monsters came out of the water, and their bright eyes were fixed on Lila. I stopped moving. When one of the monsters ran for the house, Kade's mood changed right away. He groaned as if I were bothering him. His face turned angry, and he ran very fast to catch it. With a mighty blow, he sent it flying into the trees. But more shadows were appearing, and the forest was coming to life with movement. "Kade, what are they??" I asked, my voice shaking as I stepped closer to Lila. His mouth clenched, and I saw his eyes were upset for the first time. "The Collector's pets," he said with anger. "The Collector?" Kade looked at me with sharp, demanding eyes. "We don't have time for explanations." If we don't leave now, none of us will make it through the night. A quick, loud boom came from the trees, and the ground shook under our feet. The animals stopped moving and looked up at the trees. They saw a tremendous, hulking shape—a beast that was much bigger and scarier than the others. Too late, Kade said in a low voice, his silver eyes narrowing. "It's here." The animal swam, and its open mouth showed rows of sharp teeth. As dark energy flared around Kade, he pushed me back and moved in front of me. The man yelled, "Run!" loudly, but I wouldn't move. The beast roared again, and this time, everything fell apart.