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CHAPTER

TWENTY-THREE

SAMANTHA

I woke to the sound of a bell.

A deep, rolling, tolling bell. One that went through my soul, dragging me awake.

I sat up on the bed, gasping for air, panicked, terrified, heart racing, but nothing was happening. Not that I could feel or hear. Not that I could see. Nothing at all.

And yet, the bell meant something was happening in the spiritual realm. It was a toll sent directly from the Heavens. A wake-up-right-now-and-get-to-work alarm.

Right. Okay. Work. I could do that.

I sat up in the bed and realized I had no clue where I was.

It was a nice room, but it wasn’t familiar at all. There were no knickknacks or anything like that. It was basic with no personality—no color, no pictures, no books—but still, the furniture seemed high-end hotel nice. But it wasn’t a hotel. Even in the darkness of the room, I could see that the layout meant house. The bed faced a door—an interior door, not a hotel room door. The bathroom looked too cookie-cutter residential with its white penny tile floor, basic vanity, and shower-tub combo.

It smelled clean, like the sheets and blankets covering me had been freshly laundered. I could see my bag in the corner of the room, along with my backpack and my belt bag.

The curtains on the wall next to the bed were closed, and there was no light streaming in through the cracks. It was dark out, but I knew it wasn’t that late. At least it didn’t feel like it was.

My phone was on the bedside table. I snagged it. 10:43 PM.

Wow. Okay. I was wrong. I’d slept a lot later than I’d thought.

The last thing I remembered, we were on the way to the pack house. So, I assumed this was it, which meant I was outside of the city, and everything should be five by five. But that bell didn’t toll for nothing.

Only one way to figure out what was going on.

I threw the covers off and got up. I was still dressed in my clothes from earlier, but my shoes were missing. I didn’t see them the floor anywhere. Weird.

I shoved my phone in my pocket and spent about a second looking for my shoes before deciding I didn’t need them. My socks would keep me warm enough. I wasn’t planning on going anywhere. I just needed to find Phoenix and the werewolves, preferably Tessa or Dastien, but honestly, any of them would be fine. Someone would know what was going on and why I’d been woken up.

I snagged my belt bag—just in case—tossing it over my head and across my body as I left the room.

I heard voices, but I couldn’t make out their words. From their tone, they were having fun. Which meant there should be nothing to worry about.

Except, I still felt the bell toll echoing through my soul, urging me to get up, get ready, fight.

It’d never been wrong before.

I moved down the hallway, following the sounds of the voices, until I reached the top of a set of stairs.

I thought about texting, but I could hear Phoenix’s voice. He was saying something, and someone—Tessa—laughed.

The doorbell rang, and I froze.

Everything in me screamed for me to run, which made no sense. It was just a stupid doorbell.

Except I’d been woken up by someone who wanted me ready to fight.

Oh, no.

“I’ll get it,” Max said, and something inside me raged.

Oh, no. I had a feeling I knew what was about to happen, but it was early for them. Which made no sense. But I knew better than most that evil didn’t always play by the rules.

Footsteps grew louder, moving toward the door.

“No,” I whispered, and I started running down the stairs. “ No ,” I yelled, finally finding my full voice. “No one open that door!”

The stairs had a landing and turned a corner, ending in the entryway. Off to the left was a formal dining room with a big table. A bunch of the pack surrounded the table, which was covered in maps.

A few of the werewolves turned to me, and then I saw Phoenix. He opened his mouth to say something, but the doorbell rang again.

Max was already reaching out with his hand on the knob.

“Stop, Max! Don’t open it! Those are demons!” I jumped down the last four steps, and my feet slid on the hardwood floor as I landed, and I crashed into Max.

He hit the door, which was a good thing. He couldn’t open it now.

Max shot a look over his shoulder like I’d lost my mind. “No, it’s not. They’re just a couple of kids, Sam.” He stepped back, forcing to move back, too. “They must be lost. I have to help them.”

I went around Max and shoved my way between him and the door. “No. We’re not opening the door.”

“Have you lost your mind, Samantha?” He was nose to nose with me, eyes flashing bright. “Move.”

“No.” I turned, putting my back to him.

The top half of the door had frosted glass panels, and I could see two, short beings on the other side of the door. One a little taller than the other. Even though I couldn’t see the faces, I knew if he answered it, there was going to be a big fight.

I didn’t want to fight those things. Not again.

“What the hell, Samantha?” Max started to pick me up, but a force of power rolled through the house.

“Don’t touch her.” Dastien’s command rolled through the pack bonds.

Max let go instantly.

“Hello?” a high-pitched voice said as it slammed its hand on the door. It sounded like a little girl, maybe four or five. She was crying, sobbing. But it was a lie.

“We need help.” The doorknob jiggled. “Please, ma’am. We’re so lost. Do you know where my mommy is?”

“We need help,” said the little boy, who started banging on the door, too. “Will you please let us in? I need to find my mommy.”

“Everyone can hear them just as well as I can,” Max said. “What is your problem?”

I turned, spreading my arms wide. “Absolutely not. I do not invite demons into any houses. Ever.” I glanced to the room full of werewolves. Everyone seemed to be confused, watching us with horror.

“Are you nuts? Those aren’t demons. Those are helpless children .” Max started for me.

“Stop.” I held up my hand. “Don’t you dare come at me again.” Challenging an alpha when he was already on edge was stupid, but he had no clue how stupid he was being.

Dang it. I hated when I looked like the crazy person. I looked at Phoenix. “Help me.” My gaze went to Dastien. “Someone help me now . I can’t fight Max and the demons on the other side of this door. Get Max away from me so I can focus.”

Phoenix snapped out of it first, and then Dastien. Each of them grabbed an arm and pulled Max away.

I studied the werewolves. “You guys asked me to come here for a reason. You have to trust me to do my job.” I turned to the door and locked the deadbolt. “Absolutely no one is to open this door for any reason.”

I faced them again, and they were still looking at me like I was insane. Well, not Phoenix, Dastien or Tessa. But everyone else.

I was getting really annoyed. The demons were begging for help and crying and banging on the door now, and the werewolves were still looking at me like I was the bad guy here. “Stop looking at me like I’m the bad guy. They’re not kids. They’re demons .”

I got a bunch of blank looks.

Oh, for the love . “I know it’s hard to ignore what you’re seeing, but you have to trust me. Stop thinking the worst of me when you already know you’re in over your head here. I’m trying to help you .” Most of the werewolves still looked like they were taking their cue from Max, which made sense. Even if it was getting under my skin.

Time to prove it. Again.

I faced the door and looked at the demons through the glass. “We’re not doing this your way. Show yourselves. ” I pushed the words through both the mortal and the spiritual realm.

“ Only those with eyes that see will know who we are. ” Their words hissed along both realms.

“ I have eyes that see and ears that hear,” I said along both realms. I could feel the room silent and still behind me. “ In the name of Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, who is my King, reveal yourselves now. ”

I took a step away from the door.

The figures stepped back and hissed. Even though I couldn’t make out their faces through the frosted glass, I knew what I’d see. Solid, inky black eyes—the kind of darkness that breeds only death and terror.

The demon children started banging on the door and screaming all kinds of awful things through both realms. Things that didn’t need to be repeated. Ever .

“What the hell is happening? This doesn’t make sense. Those were kids. They’re kids.” Max muttered under his breath. He tried to break free from from Dastien and Phoenix to get closer.

I held out my hand to stop him from trying. “Listen, guys. I told you they were demons. By definition, demons are deceptive.” I turned to Max. “You asked me to come, risk my life when I’m already not fully recovered from my last fight, and then you won’t listen to me? I’m wondering why I’m here.” I scanned the room again.

A few of them looked away. Some looked confused. But I needed them all to understand that if they didn’t get it, I couldn’t work with them.

“I don’t want to have to prove myself to you when we go on patrol tonight. You didn’t believe me outside of the yellow house. You saw one of your own being controlled by a demon, and I saw your faces. Some of you still didn’t believe me until it was over. It’s nighttime now. We’re going to go out there and patrol soon, so I need this to be the last time I have to show you what’s really there for you to listen to me. I can’t always take the time. When I say something is demonic, you have to trust me and do what I say, and even if what you’re seeing or hearing doesn’t make sense with what I’m saying.”

“I’m sorry. I…” Max looked down, not meeting my gaze.

“I get it. I’m different. I can see things you can’t. That’s why I’m here. But seriously, Max. I don’t want anyone patrolling with me who doesn’t get this. If I can’t count on you to listen to me in the safety of this house, then I really can’t trust you out there.”

I looked at Dastien, and he gave me a nod. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I should’ve acted faster. This is on me. I’m the Alpha here, and I know you. I trust you with everything I have. I will make sure that everyone with you is on the same page.”

“Thanks.” I tried to reel in my anger because so many of the guys here were new to me, but Max wasn’t. And he was the one that had fought me the most.

“For the record, for anyone new to working with me, you don’t invite evil inside. Even if it’s not your home. Sometimes the invitation to come inside sticks with you, not the location. You don’t want one of those demons following you home.” I took a breath. Something niggled in the back of my brain. Something I was forgetting. I had to?—

“Wait.” I glanced at my watch. “It’s early for them. I don’t get how…”

I needed to talk to them.

I took off running through the house.