Blackwater Springs

Chapter Thirty-Three

1

"You're not going anywhere," Alan said as he jerked Audrey hard enough to pull a handful of hair out by the roots.

Audrey tottered on the edge of the step. Her pendant pulsed in a steady rhythm, matching the pace of her heartbeat. Audrey had been so distracted, she'd forgotten the necklace; it would have came in handy before. The demon and Evie stared at each other, neither of them blinking. It looked as if they were having some sort of unspoken exchange. She clutched Evie's hand for dear life.

"I'll make you a deal," he said aloud, never breaking eye contact. "I'll give you the girl in exchange for Bradley."

What? Audrey's breath caught in her throat. What's so special about him?

He's the last soul needed, Evie's voice whispered in Audrey's head. Once he has Brad, or any soul not from the Springs, it'll be satisfied for another decade.

Not from Blackwater Springs? Audrey thought.

She didn't get a chance to hear Evie's answer. In one fluid motion, the demon jerked Audrey's hand from Evie's. Audrey tumbled down the steps. She heard Evie gasp, heard the thing laugh, followed by the sound of the door slamming. She looked up in time to see the demon flash from the top of the stairs to the bottom in a blur.

"Well, well," he said, making little clicking noises with his tongue. "Looks like I got you all to myself."

His eyes bored into hers. Audrey whimpered, and sat up.

"Don't be afraid. Cooperate and I can give you everything you never had. Money, love, a child? All nothing to me. You can have anything you've ever wanted, and all I have to do is snap my fingers."

He's lying. Evie's voice wasn't as clear before, but Audrey chalked that up to the distance between them now. That's what it is. Listen to me, Audrey. This thing is lying. I can hear what he's saying through your thoughts. Don't listen to him. He's trying to get you to agree with him. Once you're on his side, he'll strip you of you Mark, then he'll kill you. It's what happened to the waitress, to Della. Don't let him take your Sight! I'll be back to help you as soon as I get Brad locked in his truck. Stall him, but don't let him talk you into anything.

"Together, you and I could run this town. You'd be forever young, forever beautiful. What woman doesn't want that?" He nodded, and in the same breath, she had a gilded mirror in her hand.

The reflection in it was and wasn't her own. This woman had the same facial structure, the same color eyes and hair, but her skin was perfect. Her hair hung in perfect auburn waves, and her lashes were long and full.

"Is this what you want? To be the envy of every man and woman alive? You would be, you know."

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," Audrey quoted. Her voice was steady, a surprise for her. She didn't feel half as strong as she sounded.

"So no beauty, then? How about money? You could have more money than Bill Gates and Donald Trump put together. So much you'd never be able to spend it all in your lifetime." He nodded, and in an instant, Audrey was in a pool of gold coins, all embossed with Bradley's -the demon's, she reminded herself- likeness.

She ran her hand through the nearest pile of coins. How many were here? A million? Two? It was impossible to tell. Audrey blinked, and the coins were gone.

"No, I know exactly what you want, Audrey Matthews." He squatted so he was eye-level with her. "I know what you want more than anything in the world." He stroked her face, and she flinched at the touch. "You want to be a mother." He nodded.

Audrey didn't remember cradling her arms, but when she looked down, they were wrapped around a small bundle in a pink blanket. Her breathing hitched, and her eyes sung with tears that threatened to spill over.

"Go on, say hello to your daughter. That's want you would have had, you know. A girl." His tone was friendly, conversational; a big difference from not even a half hour before.

The bundle wriggled, but didn't make a sound. Audrey peeled back the cotton blanket as slow as possible, not sure what she was going to find under it. She held her breath as she removed the last barrier, and gasped.

A pair of brilliant blue eyes, mirror images of her own, stared up at her in surprise.

2

"Sophia," Audrey whispered. Tears poured down her cheeks as she held the newborn. It felt right, to have a baby in her arms.

"Look at you," the demon said. "You were made for motherhood."

The baby in her arms cooed, and Audrey offered her finger. Her eyes brimmed with more tears when the little girl grabbed hold of it and cooed again.

Don't...not...seem...there.... Evie's voice interrupted the moment. Audrey tuned her out; besides, it sounded like they had a bad connection.

"So what do you say? Rule with me?"

Audrey heard the demon's voice, but was too wrapped up watching her baby - her baby. She turned the words over in her mind, savoring them. She didn't even notice that the pendant was almost bouncing off her bare chest. She stroked the baby's cheek with one finger.

"I need an answer." The demon's voice was threatening now.

Audrey ignored him, choosing to coddle her baby instead. She bent her head, rubbing her cheek against the smooth skin. She lifted her head so she could kiss her baby, but her arms were empty. She looked at the demon.

It shrugged its shoulders, as if to say, "Hey, I gave you a chance."

"Where's Sophia? Where's my baby?" she demanded.

"She's not yours. Not yet. There's the small matter of payment..."

"What do you want?" Whatever the price, it was worth it.

"I told you. I want you."

"But you already-"

"Have you listened to nothing I've said? I don't want to fuck you, Audrey. I want you to rule with me. I can keep this form, if you prefer. Bradley would never love you the way you want. He only wants your body. Once you stop fucking him, he'll be off in search of his next easy piece."

"That's not true." Was it?

He shrugged again. "Believe what you want, but it's true and you know it. Think about my offer. This way you can have the man you want, the family you want. You, me, and Sophia."

Don't listen to him, Evie's voice rang in her mind, clearer than before. Audrey pushed it out of her mind.

"Okay. I'll do it."