At their strongest, however, demons could do things such as possess others and steal souls. Some demons were relatively harmless in that their only abilities were to cause nightmares and read thoughts.

She winced as the reaper proceeded to do just that by telekinetically sending Franklin crashing into the ceiling once again. Fuck him up, Levi!” he hollered along with the rest of the crowd.

“I don’t know what Franklin was thinking when he agreed to this fight. “Levi will easily end this,” stated Ciaran. The only outward indication of such a thing would be that the person’s eyes would turn totally black. An inner demon could surface, enabling it to then talk and take control. Whereas shifters shared their soul with an animal, demons shared theirs with a conscienceless dark predator that lacked empathy, was unable to emotionally connect, and had a strong sense of entitlement. Much like shifters, all demons – no matter the breed – had a dualism to the soul. Levi’s eyes bled to black, which was a tell-tale sign that his inner demon was in control. He just lifted his contender by the throat and flung him across the dome. Harper watched in morbid fascination as the losing contender dealt the reaper, Levi, a series of blows that barely managed to register on the reaper’s radar.

Even if Khloë won the duel, she was still liable to be badly hurt by the end of it. That was why she wasn’t joyful at the idea that her other cousin, Khloë, was due to enter the combat circle any minute now. Some had died during or after duels, despite demons having an accelerated healing rate. Fighters were always guaranteed to leave a duel with injuries, broken bones, or even internal bleeding.

Moreover, it was a place where they could blow off steam and didn’t have to pretend to be anything other than what they were. Considering their kind was impulsive, plagued by restlessness, had instant gratification problems, and were prone to pursue cheap thrills to chase off their oppressive boredom, the Underground was every demon’s version of heaven. There were restaurants, bars, nightclubs, casinos, hotels, and amusement rides, among many things. The subterranean location was like the Las Vegas strip on steroids. “It’s awesome.” He was referring to the reaper that, like many demons, often dueled for money in the Underground. “That guy doesn’t show an ounce of mercy,” commented her cousin, Ciaran. His opponent looked on with a blank expression, seemingly unmoved. From her seat in the large dome, Harper Wallis winced along with the other spectators as one of the contenders in the combat circle collided with the ceiling.

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