SPREAD ACROSS THE FLOOR of the empty room were Abel's bedsheets. His pillow was torn from its case, the mattress flipped up on its side. The drawers hung open, the priest's few belongings spilling out of them from when they'd been ransacked. Every hanger in the wardrobe was empty, Abel's clothes now scattered about. Signs of Malachi's desperation marred the room in every way it could.
But perhaps the most telling sign was the window.
It hung open on only one hinge. A gust of wind parted the curtains. Black feathers covered the floor, fallen from the wings of crows who'd made their home inside. They'd long since been chased away in Malachi's fit of rage. Not a week later, one returned.
Six eyes blinked up at the figure observing the room.
"I've never seen him that angry before," she told the bird. "We need to find Abel before he does."
The bird tilted its head at her.
"Will you help me?"
As expected, the bird did not speak. Instead, it bristled in consideration. When the figure held out an arm in invitation, the crow watched thoughtfully for a moment.
At last, it leaped up from the windowsill, landing on her arm.
"Excellent," she hummed, petting the bird's head with the pad of her finger. It cooed contentedly in reply. "First, where are your friends? The more eyes the better."
Right as she asked this, a loud rustling drew her attention to the window. One by one, the rest of the crows joined her in the room. Dozens of red eyes met her gaze.
"Speak of the devil," she muttered. "Come on, then. We've got an angel to find."
YOU ARE READING
Dead Moon Chapel
FantasyA young priest makes a deal with a sexy demon to reject his faith and lose his purity in order to save himself from being sacrificed to a looming, all-powerful God. * * * All that young priest Abel Atherton wants is to become an exorcist, but that d...
