Free Don't Fear the Reaper by Michelle Muto Page B

world.
    “Wasn’t like I didn’t warn them.” He stalked straight past the security guard at the desk. “Wasn’t like I had a choice, either. You’ll see.”
    I had to sprint to keep alongside him. “What do you mean you didn’t have a choice? Not that I particularly care for those asshats back there, but I didn’t see anyone bending your arm behind your back.”
    He rounded on me. “Cheap talk for someone who killed herself because she didn’t think she had a choice! Worse for someone who’d love to fry her sister’s killer. You wanted to see a few parlor tricks? Fine. There’s plenty more.”
    I sucked at rebuttals. He was right. Worse, I was afraid to push him too far. I recalled the way those people had looked at me outside. Right now, I needed Daniel on my side to stay safe. And I needed him if I was going to get even with my sister’s killer.
    He stopped, took a deep breath and leaned against the wall, hitting his head hard enough to put a hole in the plaster. Remarkably, it stayed intact. His eyes were closed, and I could tell he was struggling to control himself again. But instead of anger, I thought it was frustration this time.
    “You have no idea what’s going on here, Sunshine. I’m a demon. I don’t have much of a choice when confronted. And neither will you.”
    The muscles in his jaw worked as he struggled to put his temper back in check.
    I understood more about Daniel in those few minutes than I had the entire twelve hours of my non existence. Like me, he was hurting. I moved closer, no longer completely terrified of the monster contained under the surface—the monster that Daniel probably didn’t like any better than the earthbounds standing outside. Metal Girl and her friends had a point. He wasn’t as bad-ass as he thought. At least, if there was a chance I was going to be like him, I hoped that was true. Because, for what I wanted to do to Pete, I was more monster than Daniel.
    “What happened, Daniel? Wrong place at the wrong time? Or did something happen with your family, too?”
    “Don’t ever talk to me about my family, all right? Don’t go there.” His voice had an odd quiver to it.
    I stepped back, stunned and somewhat hurt at his sudden outburst. “Sorry.”
    Still, how awful being a demon must be for him—an eternity of never being able to control his anger. Never being able to do anything to defend himself other than by the most gruesome of methods. Maybe he honestly didn’t have much of a choice.
    Daniel laughed. “Funny, isn’t it? How we never saw the consequences to our actions that brought us here.”
    “Yeah,” I said in complete agreement. But how could we have foreseen this, this afterlife ? “Yeah. Real funny.”
    He steadied his eyes on mine. “Now that you know what I am, what I’m like, do you have sympathy for me?”
    There wasn’t any hatred or anger in his tone. His face was no longer hard and set. The soulless eyes I’d seen outside weren’t there. Now, they were soft and brown, although the pupils were dilated. I swallowed hard. “I don’t think you’re what you make yourself out to be.”
    “Do you want another demonstration? I can show you what demons really look like.”
    “Daniel, that’s not necessary.”
    “Do you feel sorry for me, Keely? Do you?”
    Deep inside, how could I not? He was a demon. Yet, what I’d seen outside wasn’t likely the Daniel who’d once been human. My instincts said that whatever he’d done, he wasn’t any more demon material than I was, and that scared me the most.
    I nodded.
    “Well, don’t !” He shoved away from the wall and stalked off. “Soon, you’ll be just like me.”
     
     
     
     
     

CHAPTER NINE
     
     
    “Daniel!” He was not going to walk away and leave me here. Not here. Not alone.
    “Leave it alone, Keely. Just leave it? Okay?”
    It wasn’t like him to not call me Sunshine. He was hurt, or pissed, and I had no idea why. I shouldn’t have cared, but I did. He was