Page 21 of The Bell’s Toll (Wanderlust Emporium Presents, Season One)
chapter thirteen
Unknown
T he candles are lit. Four were placed in the corners of the room.
Drawn on the floor at my feet is a trident symbol with a circle around it and the Greek letters for delta and eta at the top and bottom of the circle.
The angel explained exactly how it should look.
Feeling confident that I’ve done everything right, I take the knife beside me and run it across my palm.
Flinching at the bite of pain, I turn my hand over, palm down, allowing the blood to fall onto the symbol. Closing my eyes, I say the three words the angel told me to say.
“I summon you.”
A wind blows through my room moving my hair around my shoulders, causing me to open my eyes.
The lights flicker before going completely out.
Even the candles die. I’m surrounded by silence and darkness.
The only sound in the room is my labored breathing.
The only light came from the moon outside my bedroom window.
For a fleeting moment, I second guess my decision. Was this worth it? Did I really want this as badly as I thought? Then I think about him. What’s been done to him. How angry he is because of it. All of this is for him.
Feeling confident in my decision, I lift my chin and wait. Suddenly, the candles in the corners of the room flicker back to life, giving the room a warm unnatural glow. It feels like fifty candles are lit instead of four.
“You are either a very bold human, or a very stupid one.”
I spin around to meet the intruder in my room. His dark hair and black eyes stand out. His nose is a bit big for his face, but it looks good on him.
“Are you….”
He holds up a hand and stops me. “Don’t ever call my name out.” He darn near snarls at me.
I swallow my fear. The angel told me I have nothing to worry about with this demon.
Lifting my chin, I look him in the eyes. “I have summoned you. You answered, now I want a favor.”
He stares at me and then chuckles. He rubs his chin while placing his free hand in his pocket.
“I won’t lie; you have me intrigued. What is it you want, human? True love? A new job? Bigger breasts?”
“A death mark.”
His eyes widen, and he stops pacing. I can tell I caught him by surprise.
“Do you know what you’re asking me? A death mark can’t be reversed. You would sentence someone to the cruelest fate ever.”
Again, those doubts play in my head. But I remember what the angel said. The only way to truly get what I want is to get rid of Nasiah. She is the problem. She’s always been the problem. Once she is gone and it is discovered, my life will go back to normal.
“Yes, I know,” I say confidently.
He shakes his head. “Who do you want to die?” He doesn’t sound all that convinced.
“Nasiah Williams.”
His gaze narrows. “And why the fuck should I mark her? What’s in it for me?”
I grin. “The angel told me you’d ask that question.”
“Angel?” he asks wearily. His brows bunch together.
“Yes. She came to me and told me how to summon you.”
He runs his tongue over his bottom lip. “And did she tell you how to answer that question?”
“She said to tell you that Nasiah has a soul-tie to Raziel.”
A smile so wide spreads over the demon’s face. The smile turns into a boisterous laugh. He walks up to me and extends his hand.
“You have a deal, human.” Before I place my hand in his, he pulls back slightly. “Once she has been marked you cannot take it back. The only way to end a death mark is to eliminate either the one that called for the mark or the one that placed it. Do you understand what’s at stake?”
Nodding, I reach out and place my hand in his. I have given this all the thought in the world. He shakes it with a grin.
Searing pain shoots up my arm. When I look down at my wrist, there is a symbol there. The same one that I drew on the floor with the trident and the Greek letters. As fast as they appear on my wrist, they fade.
When I look back up, the demon is gone, and the lights are back on. I stand in the middle of my bedroom feeling confident. I was finally getting what I wanted for once.