Chapter 45

"Avarice, envy, pride,

The fatal sparks, have set the hearts of all

On Fire."

-Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy

Emma blinked a few times, then opened her mouth but didn't say anything. The uncomfortable silence stretched for ages and I started to think that maybe she wasn't ready to handle what the world had in store for her. I concentrated on her thoughts, and she seemed very confused. I didn't know what to make of it. Ricky was born in hell, so he was slightly less receptive to a human's way of living.

"Demons?" Emma repeated, narrowing her eyes at me. "I remember it now-they were doing strange, unexplained things, and then you showed up. The light ... they were struck with the lightning bolt."

She seemed nervous, her voice uneven. Ricky shifted on the chair and my pulse was speeding away. We both needed to take it easy, because we were freaking her out and that wasn't supposed to happen.