Free Protect Her: Part 11 by Ivy Sinclair Page A

pair of perfectly polished black loafers. Bruno was always impeccably dressed. “Did you miss me, Paige?”
    The finger that curled beneath my chin smelled charred and foul. I had to fight the urge to gag as my eyes were lifted to the red orbs that burned in Bruno’s face. This was his true face, not the vessel that he had inhabited before. No, Bruno Proctor was here in his skin and bones. His face was mottled and red everywhere I looked. A monstrosity that had the barest resemblance to a person dressed in a designer pinstripe suit and tie.
    It was a reflex as I gagged. Bruno laughed. “Not your kind of party? Oh, pretty Paige. How I wished that I could see you again. Deliver unto you the kind of torture that you bestowed upon me.”
    Now that my eyes were up, I could see that we were in some kind of warehouse. The ground beneath us was sawdust. Everywhere around us, though, I saw shadows with burning eyes. We were in the middle of a demon’s nest. I hoped to hell that Riley would be able to pull off what he said he could do.
    “She’s yours for the taking,” Riley said. He appeared next to me. I felt the slightest pressure of his hand against my back. Was he pushing me forward or trying to allay my sudden anxiety? Because when faced with the real situation, I was feeling less confident about my decision to tag along.
    “Well, this is a surprise,” Bruno said. His hand lifted and tangled in my hair. I felt my insides cringe as his nose fell to the fresh blood on my collarbone, and I felt the slimy touch of his tongue on my skin. “She tastes as delicious as she looks.”  I spat in his face. But he did nothing but laugh. “It is good to see that she is as spirited as ever. I shall enjoy taking my time in killing her.”
    “Since you’ve already started the battle, what is the situation with the archangels?” Riley asked.
    “I think if it had been a lesser force, they would have overwhelmed us. You were wise to recruit so heavily,” Bruno said, but his eyes hadn’t left my face.
    “Then I must lead them in their charge,” Riley said. “Give control back to me.”
    Bruno finally shifted his attention to Riley. “Things are well in control. I have them on the run, and it is just a matter of time before they will be defeated.”
    “I want that to happen sooner rather than later,” Riley said. “Give control back to me so that I can finish this once and for all.”
    “If you expect me to do that, supply the necessary proof that you haven’t turned over a new leaf in the light,” Bruno sneered. I took the opportunity to shove the burlap sack into his chest. Hard.
    His arms automatically closed around it, and I felt the snap of force against the leash around my neck that took me to my knees.
    “Insolence!” Riley said. There was pain around my neck as if someone was physically squeezing it, and I tried to scratch at the invisible bond. It seemed like forever before it loosened, and my hands fell to the ground in front of me as I struggled to get the air back into my lungs. “The proof you require is in the bag,” Riley said.
    I couldn’t help myself from casting my gaze upward as Bruno carefully untied the strings of the sack. Then he upended it so that the object inside fell to the ground directly in front of me.
    Alice’s face and dead eyes stared back at me. Even though in my mind I knew it wasn’t real, I couldn’t stop the scream that escaped my lips. I buried my head in my lap and tried to block it all out. What was an act and what was real was blending together. I wasn’t sure anymore if I could keep a clear head.
    “I can’t believe you did it.” Bruno’s voice was amazed and shocked.
    “I told you I would.” Riley’s voice sounded supremely confident. Practically bored.
    “Then, of course, I acquiesce the control of the army to you, dark one,” Bruno said.
    It was as if I could hear a pin drop. The silence was deafening. I cowered in my small space in the world not sure of what