Page 136

I sit up, clutching my head as I do to keep it from rolling off my shoulders or exploding.

"There's a potion for you to drink," she says. "It will help."

I see a mug on the table before me and pick it up, sniffing. "Ugh. What is this?" I ask, crinkling my nose.

"Something that will remove the demon you brought home within you," she says nonchalantly, as if commenting about a headache.

"Demon?"

She nods. "Oh yes. He's hitched a ride and needs to head back to where he belongs now. Drink up."

I take the vile liquid in like I'm doing the longest, worst-tasting shot in the history of shots. And then my body convulses, and I see a bucket next to the couch that I grab to vomit into.

The vomiting seems to last days, but it doesn't faze Matilda.

When there's nothing left in me, I look into the bucket and see that's it's all black sludge.

She sets her crocheting down and comes to me, feeling my head and examining the bucket. Then she says some words and does a symbol above the sludge, and it all disappears.

"There. All gone. How do you feel?"

Like shit. But also…"A bit better. My mind isn't as muddled."

"Sounds like you had an interesting evening," she says.

"That's one word for it," I say. "I… think I need to go to bed. And brush my teeth. My mouth tastes like demon."

Matilda nods, as if this is all par for the course. "Sleep well, dear. You'll feel much better in the morning."

My body aches and I feel exactly as one might expect to feel after having a demon exorcised from their body. I do as promised and scrub my mouth clean until I can only remember the taste of vomiting up demon.

Then I try to undress. Holy shit. It takes me forever to figure out how to undo all the pieces of my gown, and once I'm naked I soak in a hot bathtub for a long time, letting the warmth melt away all my aches.

But a bath can't help the pain in my heart.

There were other girls there that night who were likely owned by Nicholas. Other girls he will abuse and sell and trade. I can't leave them there, but what can I do? How can I fix this?

I close my eyes, trying to sort through it all, when someone very close to me clears their throat.

I startle and look up to see Cole standing at the edge of my bath with a half-smile on his face.

"If I wasn't here on very important business I would be so tempted to ask if I could join you."

His words light up something inside of me, and I wonder what it would feel like to have him in the bath with me, to feel his skin against mine, our bodies becoming one.

I shake my head to dispel those thoughts. "What are you doing here?" I ask.

"I have a surprise for you," he says. "But you have to come with me."

"Right now?" I ask.

He nods. "It'll be worth it, I promise."

There's something in his eyes that convinces me it's worth going, so I stand up and his eyes take in my body as he hands me a towel. I dry and dress as quickly as I can, despite needing sleep very badly. "Where are we going?" I ask.

"Not far."

He takes my hand and pulls me into his arms. "Do you trust me?" he asks.