Read The Human Side (The Demon Side Series) for Free Online Page B

up anger, rage, jealousy, and hate, I delivered blow after blow to his perfect face until Gabriel interfered.
    “Ra! That’s enough! He’s done.” Gabriel shoved me toward the front door, forcing me to release Tristan from my grasp. Mr. Perfect collapsed on the floor in a daze. With a tug, Gabriel tried to pull me across the threshold, but my Demon hadn’t been satisfied. Jerking away from Gabriel, I returned to where Tristan lay moaning.
    “Stay away from her!” I roared before giving him a full force kick to the head. With that, my Demon side had a twinge of gratification. Walking outside, I found Gabriel watching something down the street. Amy walked somberly toward us with her arms folded across her chest.
    “She needs some time alone right now.” Amy rolled her eyes at me before turning her attention to Gabriel. Peering down the street, I saw Etta’s silhouette moving away from us.
    I took off at a full run after her. Amy yelled at me, but I ignored her cries. I couldn’t let Etta be, even if I wanted to. I promised John I would keep a close eye on her.
    I closed the distance between us, and she heard me coming. With a quick glance behind her, she kicked off her high heels and took off running. On a foot chase through the neighborhood, I found myself running next to the bank of the Potomac River just a few houses down from John’s. The fear he would hear her before I made my way to her sent a burst of energy through me.
    Knowing she wouldn’t stop until she lost me, I reached for her and ended up knocking us both over on the sandy bank of the river. The sand slipped under her feet as she tried scrambling up. Not wanting to have to catch up to her again, I grabbed her ankle and jerked her toward me.
    “Help! Help!” she screamed as blood dripped from her mouth. Tristan’s blow had split her bottom lip wide open. With my luck, her call for help would be answered, and I would be blamed for her injuries. Yanking her back on top of me by the lacing of her corset, I covered her mouth with my hand. Holding on to her flailing body became more and more difficult as she started nipping at my hand with her teeth.
    “Stop it. I only want to talk. I’m not going to hurt you.” My attempt to relax her seemed to fire her up more. Her struggles were beginning to aggravate me. Needing to calm the situation, I flipped over, putting her under me.
    “Etta, please stop. I swear, I am not going to hurt you,” I pleaded. By the grace of God, her body relaxed more than it had since my arrival. As I held Etta in my arms, I felt the racing of her heart slow to a normal pace.
    The moment brought me to the memory of us in the attic when I revealed my past crimes against humanity. As Abihail once saw past the young, hot-headed Arch, Etta saw beyond the Demon I became. Although I didn’t know it at the time, from that moment my heart would be forever hers. Holding her now, feeling the same intense need and desire, solidified my love for her.
    “Can I take my hand off now?” With her stifled yes and a nod of her head, I removed my hand from her mouth.
    “Get off of me!”
    “Are you going to run off again?”
    “What do you think?”
    “I think you will. So you’re staying right here until we talk.”
    “Then say what you got to say.”
    “Etta, I’m sorry. I was only trying to look out for you.”
    “Apology not accepted. I can look after myself.”
    “Is that so? You call dressing like a whore, running around with older men, and drinking looking after yourself?”
    “Screw you!” Etta spat in my face.
    “What happened to you? You used to be so…different.” I asked more to myself, releasing her as I wiped her blood and spit off of my face. I expected her to run after she jumped to her feet. Instead, she stood over me as I fought back the tears welling up inside me.
    “How would you know what I used to be like?”
    I didn’t think she had been listening. I wanted to come clean and get it over with, but telling