Forbidden Read Online Free Page B

so control was key. Well, control and sharp weapons.
    “For starters,” Dante answered confidently, his handsome Italian face grinning, “the pastor has sealed his fate; his sin is unforgivable. And as for me, let’s just say I’ve got a feeling about it.”
    There was a grunt of disapproval from the recesses of the cavelike room.
    Wolfgang, the size of your garden-variety gladiator, had been pacing in the shadows, anxious and bored. He was cursed with the Demon of Impatience and it was like living with warring personalities—bipolar opposites constantly at each other’s throat. When he maintained control, he was bored; when he was bored, he got anxious to destroy something. In short, Wolfgang was always anxious and bored.
    Long black hair fell across his rugged face, and solid black eyes stared without blinking. “That’s what you said last time, in Salem, where you persuaded all those people to think their wives and daughters were witches. How many souls did we lose? Oh, wait—all of them! And we’ve been grounded ever since because you had a feeling we should go there.”
    Dante folded his arms and gave Wolfgang a smug look. He wouldn’t be provoked today. He had full control of his demon, Persuasion, and wouldn’t use it to manipulate Wolfgang, mainly because the accusation was true. Their last assignment had ended horribly. Dante had tracked his lover’s reincarnated soul to a sweet young woman in Salem, Massachusetts. But she was unfairly accused of being a witch and hanged to death just minutes before Dante and his pack arrived. Her soul was safely out of his reach in Heaven. Again.
    It was the third time in three decades that he had located her soul only to lose it by mere moments. Salem was the tipping point, and Dante’s rage knew no boundaries. The townspeople of Salem thought his lover had been a witch, so he gave them witches, in spades. He unleashed his demon and persuaded the townspeople to turn on one another, a full-fledged witch hunt that resulted in the torture and death of countless innocent souls.
    Dante had made them pay and took the consequences with no regrets. Now hewas back, with a plan.
    The door to the antechamber opened and a tall skeletal frame shrouded in a black cloak beckoned Dante with a pale bone finger. Dante recognized the creature as one of The Order’s mute servants. The Demon Knights affectionately referred to them as Marrow Men. They were made entirely of brittle bones, the leftovers from heaps of skinned corpses found in the Death Bunkers. One had to be careful not to touch them or they would collapse at your feet and you would lose your escort. Since no one could appear before The Order without an escort, it was best to protect your servant.
    Dante flashed a smile to his friends. “The time has come.”
    “Yeah, well, don’t get pissy if they refuse,” Vaughn warned. “I’m not in the mood to play scavenger hunt for your body parts.” He grinned and then hollered at the servant. “Hey, Marrow, how about a quick arm wrestle?”
    The mute servant slowly raised his long, bony middle finger, and Vaughn burst out laughing.
    Dante followed the servant out and along the corridor. As usual, the walkway was covered with white powder from the numerous servants’ shuffling. They were constantly grinding down their feet to nubs and eventually had to replace them. Dante was shifting restlessly behind the slow-moving servant, eager to get going. As they rounded a corner, they collided with Santiago, a newly Taken soul who hadn’t grown accustomed to the protocol. He bumped into Marrow and broke off the servant’s hand. It clattered to the floor at Dante’s feet. Dante gasped at the near miss. Any harder and the kid would have toppled Marrow and Dante would have been forced to wait even longer for another escort.
    “Oh, sorry,” Santiago muttered vaguely.
    Dante grabbed him by the neck and hurled him down the corridor. “Out of my way!” he yelled and then retrieved