Page 90 of Demon Apathy: Sunderverse

“Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man,” I read.

Before I finished, there was the sound of wood groaning and the entire bookshelf in front of us retreated into the wall, revealing a secret room. At first, the space was dark, but then a set of fluorescent lights sprang to life. An ornate stone pedestal was revealed. On top of it, Striker’s Queller and its scabbard rested.

“The Queller must be kept safe,” he said. “And I think it will be secure here. Only your voice will work to open this space. The Queller is yours, after all. When you need it, all you have to do is retrieve it.”

“Wow, I…” I didn’t know what to say. Only a question occurred to me. “But how do I get into your office?”

“It’s never locked.”

“Oh.”

I walked to the pedestal and touched the hilt of the sword. “Would this kill Jophiel?”

Of course, I already knew the answer, but I wanted confirmation from Grant.

“Yes,” he said.

“And Drevan?”

“Yes.”

“Not just vanish him back to hell?”

“Correct.”

“So that night at Grand Central Station, I could’ve killed him?”

“You could have. That’s a mightycouldthough. He would not be easy to kill, even for the most proficient of demon hunters. I know you’re angry at him, but you plan to kill him, do you?” He smirked. His question wasn’t serious but a joke.

“He said I was angry?”

Grant nodded. “I don’t blame you. I wouldn’t want my friends involved in any of it, but it’s their choice. Free will and all.”

We stepped out of the secret room, and Grant handed me the book. “Just place it back on the bookshelf, and it will all return to its original position.”

I slid the tome back next to theLustone. The bookshelf began moving, the wood groaning again as it resettled.

“Should I be reading those?” I asked, pointing at the collection of deadly sins’ books.

“Nah, they’re boring. So…” He returned to his seat behind the desk. “What did you decide about getting Truesight?”

“Nothing yet. But I will let you know soon. I checked out some books from the library to read on the topic and help me decide.”

“Good idea. Nothing better than an informed decision.”

As I left the director’s office, I felt overwhelmed by the huge responsibility on my shoulders, and the way it had just managed to grow bigger. I already had my family to worry about and, with my reckless behavior, I’d succeeded in adding my friends to the mix.Great!On top of that, a deranged angel wanted me dead, and as if all of that wasn’t enough, I’d triple-complicated everything by getting romantically involved with a demon.

What was the matter with me?! I was a glutton for punishment. Maybe, in the end, I would end up being the Gluttony Subject, too. It wouldn’t surprise me.

Shaking my head, I pushed away all those thoughts and focused on what was probably the least important of all my concerns… Drevan’s real appearance.

He was hiding his true form from me. I was sure of it, and once I proved it, once I was able to see through his mirage, I would at least remove one complication from my puzzle.

My infatuation would end.

Because there was no way I would continue to think I was in love with him if he turned out to be an ugly ass monster. Nope, I wasn’t into that kind of kink.

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