BOOK 2 of the Running With Devils Series
It's been three weeks since Coralynn Bennet was dragged down to Hell and it was nothing like how she imagined it. It was a kingdom of skyscrapers but no sky. Demons ran amok, but limited their bloodthirsty te...
AN: Bet yall didn't think you'd see me twice in one week lmao🥲😂 Heads up... it's short but building up to the finale here.
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The Witch
Pain was all I could grasp. For several moments, that's what I was. It was all I knew. Except for the comforting weight of a head on my chest and the feel of arms wrapped entirely around me.
"Mal," I squeaked.
He jolted slightly, lifting his head to reveal tired reddened eyes. Malachi shifted to stand.
"How do you feel," he asked with a timidity I'd never seen in him before.
"I've been better," I offered the joke with a grimace more than a smile.
He did not laugh.
"We're going to leave now," he said.
I frowned. "But—"
"You need to get as far away from Hecate as possible. I'm not risking anything. She has a powerful paralysis demon at her beck and call. If she gets her hands on you like this again, I don't think she'll hesitate. This was her testing the waters," he said firmly. "Once she smells blood, she's relentless. I'm not leaving you to fend for yourself."
I nodded, trying not to see those sickly yellow eyes pierce the darkness behind my lids every time I even blinked.
"She should know that I won't hesitate next time either. She's a dead female walking."
I lifted my eyes to meet his. This time I wasn't afraid to face him. He gazed unflinchingly back.
"Good. I'm glad to hear it," he said assuredly.
I nodded. "Take me home, Malachi," I said, an unexpected lump cutting off the strength in my voice.
"With pleasure, little witch."
Then he scooped my body up into his arms once more, cradling me close to his chest. This was the same safety I had learned to crave the night we had made our way onto a ferris wheel. It was the same as when he had helped me in that dreadful club or when he had taken us in to hide us from the Morningstar.
We watched each other in silence as he took me down the hallway. Everything we felt had no words that could be used to properly convey the pure emotions we held. I used to dream of having someone who could connect with me on such an intimate level.
But this bond we shared had gone far beyond what a mortal girl could have dreamed of.
I reached upwards with my good arm, tracing along the seam of his lips and the crease beside them that proved that a smile existed beneath all his heartache.
His gaze softened further, lips curving slightly. "Studying again?"
