Free Ascension of Evil (Battle for Souls Book 3) by Ciara Knight

wins.”
    Gabby took a tentative step toward him. “You do care. If Hell wins, the gates of Heaven will be sealed, and you’ll never see her again.”
    “Lies. Besides, I have no heart left. No memories of her. Only nightmares and hate for the one who murdered her. Now, I’ll take the only one left on Earth he cares about.” Forras grabbed her by the hair and dragged her into the stairwell.
    Gabby kicked his shin and grasped the metal door handle. “No, Forras. You need to listen to me.” She bucked back and flailed until she dropped to the floor, all the while trying to keep her powers in check. She couldn’t risk frying him. She needed him. The cool rubber coating of the landing gave her traction, and she shuffled backward on her hands and feet.
    “You thought you could convince me to fight for your side? For the side that took her away from me?” A hint of pain etched in the deepening lines on his scrunched nose.
    “You do care. I can see it.”
    “I’m a full demon. I care about nothing but serving my master.”
    Walls shook and ceiling tiles rattled. Gabby scrambled to her feet, only to stumble. Was Satan here, waiting to take her to the underworld? Had she made a grave mistake leaving the others behind?
    She grabbed the side of a bank of lockers and pushed off down the hall. With Forras close behind, she ran toward the exit doors. Pumping her arms, she willed her wings to release. They pushed against muscle and skin, but no sting radiated down her shoulder blades.
    He rammed into her back and they crashed to the cool tile, her chin slamming against the hard floor. It split open and smeared blood across the white surface. She twisted around and kicked him in the jaw, but he grabbed her foot and yanked her back to him.
    “You think you’re so special.”
    The walls shook again. The glass panes in the doors a hundred feet away cracked. The vibrations entered her body, invading her nerves, and her limbs thrashed about.
    He let go and backed away. Shaking his head, he morphed into the demon form she’d not seen for almost a year. Four stumps jetted from his forehead where horns used to be, the claw she’d severed still missing. “No!” he yelled toward the ceiling. “You promised I’d get to kill her.”
    Electricity shot from her toes, up her legs and spine, stopping at her eyes. Softness smeared over her skin like silky body lotion. Love and compassion filled her heart as her belly and hips spread slightly. Her legs and arms elongated, but she felt no pain. Pale golden light enveloped her body. The sense that someone was knocking at her consciousness unnerved her. Fear from the last time she’d let a presence possess her warned her to be cautious. The scars from those demonic tentacles still burned her soul, but it could be Grace and the others trying to communicate. What if something had gone wrong?
    She opened her mind and a soft, angelic whisper greeted her. Let him see me .
    Gabby waited for the trick to unfold and Satan to claim her, but only a sense of peace and happiness filled her. The light brightened, enveloping her.
    Forras punched the golden yellow. Sparks shot out. He fell, his head clanking against a locker.
    Whatever or whoever had entered her body meant to protect, not harm her. She relaxed and let the voice drift from her mind, through her body, to her soul. The light settled and faded. Her consciousness joined another, blending in her body.
    Forras sat there, shaking his head. “No, it can’t be.” He appeared different—human, caring almost. The glass doors of the trophy case, housing the many awards Forras had won in football and wrestling during his high school years, reflected a girl with dark hair, thin shoulders, and a willowy body.
    The presence inside her forced her attention back to Forras. The harsh angles of his face softened and her body relaxed, like it normally would when she was near Alexander. She reached out and touched his hand. Her heart jolted with the contact,