Grace
What Corbin’s done to me is inhuman. It’s something I can’t imagine any real person going through. That’s how I feel—like I’m fake. It’s the only way to keep from losing my mind since, whenever I start to pass out, I’m woken with smelling salts and a sharp smack or pinch.
I don’t know how long I’ve been here. It can’t have been long, but it feels like an eternity. The sting of the madman’s blade is familiar now. He’s worked his way over me, from toes to fingers and between, slicing and pricking, just enough to make me cry out in pain, but not deep enough to kill. Still, the blood’s pooled all over my body, making me feel like the girl in that movie where the bucket full of pig’s blood falls on her at prom.
Only it’s my own blood.
When he cuts my shoulder, he leans in, whispering in my ear about how she hurt him. I can’t believe I ever felt bad for him or cared about the story behind his love.
The fuzzy sensation of unconsciousness hovers over me, but he digs his nails into one of the wounds on my leg, and I cry out again, fully awake.
“I wanted you to see what you’ve done first,” he says, tapping the now-red blade against my cheek. “But the only thing left to decide is whether to take your eyes before or after I finish.”
Despite everything I’ve gone through, his words still fill me with fear. He blinded all the pictures. He keeps threatening to do the same in different ways. I’m truly frightened, and I want my strength back so I can crush him and his evil. For the first time, I’m convinced of the existence of pure evil in a human being.
I close my eyes, whimpering, begging Lucifer to let me go now. I feel the tip of the blade, so familiar, now poised over the center of my right eyelid. I want to shake my head, but if I move a millimeter…
He waits, and I wait, terrified beyond anything I’ve felt before. The pressure increases the most miniscule amount and stars burst into my vision. I moan, trying to beg or snap him out of it or something. Anything.
I need Josh. I can’t help myself: I pray for Josh to come and save me. Just like he did with Cam. Even though I know this is different, even though I know he can’t and shouldn’t intervene, I need someone—
The door to the bedroom slams open. Could it be him? My heart leaps just as Corbin jumps off of me, taking the knife with him. I open my eyes and lift my head enough to see who’s come to save me.
Keira?
“You sick bastard,” she says, sauntering toward Corbin with only a sideways glance at me. He’s covered in my blood, too, a byproduct of lying over me while he cut. He wanted the intimacy of my pain. I shudder.
“Another bitch. But you aren’t my type.” He flicks the bloody knife backward and forward as she reaches him. “Still, I can have fun with you, too. Put you all out of your misery. But I set a trap to prevent unwanted visitors. How’d you get past my little contraption?”
Keira shrugs off the leather jacket she’s wearing. I now recognize it as Noah’s. Her halter-top is slashed open on the side and some blood trickles down her bare midriff. “I deflected most of the blades. But this is going to cost you.”
She reaches for his wrist and cranks it backward. I hear the snap, and the weapon drops to the ground. Corbin screams, and I can’t help but take pleasure in his pain.
He falls to his knees before her, and she tosses him to the side of the room where he lies whimpering and cradling his hand.
Keira comes over to me, cringes in distaste, and snaps open the bonds holding my wrists and ankles together. She pulls the makeshift gag out of my mouth.
“Look out!” I yell.
She lifts one hand without so much as a backward glance and hits Corbin in the nose, sending him back to the ground.
“Ugh. You need to get cleaned up. You look like a bottle of ketchup threw up on you.”
I throw my arms around her and hug her, crying into her shoulder. She stiffens beneath my touch and then raises her hands to my back, where she pats me awkwardly.
“Thank you,” I gasp between sobs.
“Come on, let’s get you out of here.” Keira helps me to my feet, supporting me with her shoulder, and we turn toward the door—
Only to find Lucifer standing there, silhouetted against the doorframe. Smoke curls from the cigar in his mouth, and I cringe painfully, clinging desperately to Keira. But she’s shaking now, too.
“So. Keira, what do you think you’re doing?” Lucifer removes the cigar from his lips and flicks some ash onto the carpet before moving forward.
“I came back to…to see how Grace was doing with Randy and found her here like this. You didn’t want her to be here, did you, Boss? I can put her back.” She drops me back on the edge of the bed where I can do no more than curl up. It hurts everywhere when I move.
“Oh, I think you know very well what I intended. Keira, Keira, Keira. I thought I was getting through to you.”
He’s right in front of her now and lifts a hand to caress her face. I’ve never seen her look so afraid.
“You’ve really fucked this all up, haven’t you?” he asks. “You will pay for that. I had such high hopes for your future. So sad. But not everyone is cut out to be a Demon. Our friend here had the right idea,” he says, indicating the unconscious monster on the floor. “Let’s take our time before the final blow. Shall we?”
He snaps his fingers, and both Keira and I are each bound with our wrists and ankles tied together, lying helpless on the bed. Corbin stands over us with his knife. Only now it’s a bigger knife, new, shiny, and clean. He’s supernaturally frozen in place, staring at Keira. Lucifer strides behind him and whispers in his ear, considering Keira as she struggles on the bed next to me.
“You captured the intruder. You can teach them both a lesson now. Do your worst.”
He turns on his heels.
“Wait,” I say, weak but finally able to speak. “Leave me. Keira didn’t do anything. She really didn’t know, Lucifer. She couldn’t have.”
Without a word, Lucifer flicks his cigar so that the ashes fall on my stomach and sticks it in Corbin’s free hand.
“I’ll see you both in Hell.” Lucifer blows us a kiss as he leaves the room.