Free Darker Days by Jus Accardo Page A

that.”
    Shadow demons, like my dad, had strength and speed, but their big claim to fame was shadowing. It was their trademark move and made them excellent employees for higher ranking demons, put to work as assassins and thieves. They had the ability to blend in—to become one with the shadows—and travel between them. Virtually undetectable, my dad could take you out before you even knew he was there. I’d slept with my lights on for an entire year when I was six because of a story Dad told me detailing a job he’d done once. That had been the last time Mom let him pop in to put me to sleep.
    “Stop.” I grabbed Dad’s arm and pulled back. It was like trying to move a mountain, well, up a mountain.
    “There is a Sin in the room with my family.” His voice was calm, but I knew better. I hadn’t spent much time with my dad, but I knew that tone. I’d heard it a thousand times from a thousand different demons. Threatening. Dangerous. It was the last sound you heard just before your world went splat.
    “There’s a Sin in the room because you opened the box,” I said calmly. Hah. Take that, logic.
    He turned to me, expression softening. “I didn’t open the box on purpose.”
    “So what happened exactly?”
    “We got word it was stolen and about to change hands. Valefar, my boss, sent me to stop the trade. There was a woman—I didn’t see her face. I chased her for the box, easily overpowering her. Too easily.”
    “Too easily?” Mom came up beside him and rested a hand against his shoulder.
    Dad nodded. “She all but surrendered the box—and then she tripped me.”
    “She tripped you? As far as attack methods go, that one is a little middle school if you ask me.”
    Understanding creased Mom’s features. “She wanted you to open the box.”
    Again, Dad nodded. “I believe so. I tried to stop it from opening, but it was too late.”
    “Why would you want to stop the box from being opened?” Lukas asked. He was watching Dad from across the room with a mixture of fear and awe. “You’re an instrument of Satan. Bred to spread evil.”
    We stared at him.
    Dad scoffed, offended. Arms folded and nose turned up, he said, “Ignorant human. You are a perfect example of why your species is inferior.”
    Mom cleared her throat, and Dad amended with a wink, “Most of the species.”
    Lukas looked confused. I patted him on the shoulder and shook my head. His view might be a little archaic, but it really wasn’t any different from the rest of the world’s. “The whole heaven-hell-angel-demon thing? So not what you think. I’ll explain later.”
    “I’m not sure I want to know,” Lukas said, sinking back onto the couch. He ran a hand over his face and sighed. The poor guy was having a rough few days. “They’ll be looking for you. They need you to keep their freedom. There’s nothing they won’t do to break their tie to the box.”
    “They’ll have to find me first.”
    Mom was pale, and I could see the worry in her eyes, but she was a tough cookie. A woman used to kicking ass and taking names. A little thing like this wouldn’t slow her down. “This changes things,” she said with a quick glance in Lukas’ direction. He met her gaze for a moment before she turned away.
    “Changes…?” And then I understood. Dad was the bastard that opened the box. The one we’d planned on switching Lukas with. “Craps,” I spat.
    On the couch, Lukas remained silent and unsurprised. He’d figured it out before I did.
    Dad leaned against the wall next to Mom’s desk. “Fill me in.”
    “Lukas was human—trapped in the box,” I said.
    Dad narrowed his eyes. “Human? How is that possible?”
    “A witch,” Mom supplied with a frown. She moved around to the other side of the desk and settled into her chair. “And as you know, something done in blood cannot be undone without the same.”
    “Ah.” Dad nodded. “Never been a fan of witches.”
    “We were planning to transfer the sin to whoever