One For Sorrow: The Veil Series, #5.5 Read Online Free Page A

Envy had tried to drown me on several occasions. He could turn into water-vapor. But his subject, Carol-Anne had been a water demon, and as far as I knew, she couldn’t turn herself into a puddle. Maybe that meant Saul was more powerful than I‘d hoped.
    “When did you figure out what you were seeing wasn’t real?” I checked my gun and cellphone. All present and correct. Saul had released our minds for now.
    “Demons don’t do fist-bumps.”
    I grinned. “This one does.” Ryder had my back, and now Saul had no chance. “Let’s bag us a demon who fancies himself a prince.”
    “Does he know who you are?” Ryder followed me out the door toward the next flight of stairs.
    “Yeah, but he thinks if he wears Akil’s face, I won’t hurt him.”
    It took Ryder only a few steps to ask, “Will you?”
    We didn’t talk about Akil. I didn’t talk about Akil. There was little point. Nothing I said would make any difference. Lacy got it. Stefan, too. They knew I’d focused on moving forward. But they were there, if—when I needed them. That was all I’d ever needed, someone who understood. Now I had four friends who understood in their own unique ways, and I counted myself lucky every damn day.
    “If he wore my face, you sure wouldn’t have any problem taking him down.”
    I threw a glance over my shoulder and saw Ryder working his jaw. He walked stiffly too. I might have added a bit of unnecessary force to my earlier right hooks.
    “I’ve been practicing with Stefan.” I removing my cell from my pocket and shined the flashlight up the stairs. “He knows exactly where you leave yourself wide open.”
    Ryder clicked his tongue. “The rush on entry. I should’a known. That’s his move.” He pressed his back against the wall and eyed the layers of shadows flickering along the landing.
    I could have done with Stefan at my back too. He’d have sauntered through this house, unfazed by the mindfuck demon, sprinkling some sharp-as-ice quips as he went. He made it look easy. Life. Freedom. Living . He loved it. Thrived off it. He made me forget the worst of things and remember the best. I’d love him for that alone. But then there was his smile, a smile that had endured through the pain, the horror, and the heartache. When it was just the two of us, his smile took on a sly, knowing angle, and mischief brightened his blue eyes. He was still the light to my dark.
    “Focus, firecracker, or our demon will rip that happy place right out of your head.”
    I wiped the smile off my face and started up the steps, testing their strength under my boots. “He’s not as powerful as Asmodeus.”
    “Is that hope or fact talkin’?” When I didn’t answer, Ryder grumbled. “Thought so.”
    “ Saul is not a prince.”
    “Yeah, well, you sure as shit aren’t destruction on two legs anymore either, so let’s just get this done.”
    “We could just burn this place down.” I climbed higher, reaching the landing to angle the flashlight around the corner. A little itch started in my fingertips at the thought of freeing the fire.
    “We need to confirm he’s dead. He could slip out a pipe, or through a dr—”
    In between steps, the stairs gave out. My stomach lurched as the world seemed to jolt upward. My right arm slammed onto a remaining step, jarring me to a dangling halt. Behind me, Ryder wasn’t so lucky, but he was alive. I could tell by the string of curses echoing in the dark below.
    “Ryder?”
    “I’m good.” He groaned, and something clattered, more of the stairs collapsing.
    I swung my left arm up and heaved myself out of the hole. I’d lost my phone, and couldn’t see much beyond blurred darkness. Summoning the demon half of me sharpened my vision. I peered through eyes designed for netherworld air and down into the gap where the stairs had been. Ryder stood hunched against some sort of countertop. A kitchen maybe. Or workshop. I couldn’t quite tell. “Can you see a way out?”
    He waved a hand in