Chapter 19 Kate
KATE
“Trevor is dead.”
I didn’t soften it. These kids had signed up to hunt demons, and they deserved to be treated like the warriors they were training to become.
The words hit the room like a slap, all the students and staff gaping at me like they couldn’t understand a word I was saying. Like it couldn’t be true.
I wished it weren’t. But it was real. It was so very, very real.
I heard a quick sob as Sophie’s breath caught, and I saw Ana reaching for her hand, tears running down her cheeks. Beside them, Ren went pale as a ghost. I wanted to cry, too. To sink down and hug my knees to my chest. But I couldn’t. Not now. Not yet.
“He was murdered,” I continued, forcing my voice to sound strong. “His body was found in the basement, laid out on a portal hidden beneath this house.”
“A portal?” Mindy’s voice came out reedy and thin. “Like...a door? To where?”
“To Hell,” Eric said. “Or close enough.” He moved to stand beside me, his presence steadying. “The demon responsible is called Samarek. He’s ancient. Powerful. And he’s been planning this for a very long time.”
I watched their faces as the information landed. Their eyes showed fear even as their hands fisted and their bodies tightened. They wanted payback.
Good. So did I.
Sophie had drawn her knees up, making herself small, but her hands were fisted. Ren’s jaw was tight, his hands clenched on his thighs. Ana sat very still, the way people do when they’re trying not to shake apart.
Mindy had tears streaming silently down her cheeks. She didn’t bother wiping them away.
In the corner of the couch, Zane hugged himself, but was otherwise absolutely still. He looked like a soft wind could break him. As if he didn’t want to believe me and didn’t have a clue how to carry the weight of it all.
“How?” The question came from Ana. She sat rigid beside Ren, her hand locked so tightly in his that her knuckles had gone white. “How did he die?”
I hesitated. They needed to know, but the details were brutal.
“His throat was cut,” Eric said, sparing me. “His blood fed the portal. Made it stronger.”
Ana made a small, wounded sound as Sophie bit her lower lip and the others fidgeted.
“That’s why he was down there?” Ren asked. “Someone...someone took him down there to kill him?”
“We don’t know,” I said honestly. “Not yet. There were ritual marks on his hands—demonic marks that are tied to a demon called Samarek.”
I watched their faces as I said the demon’s name, but none showed any sign of recognition. “We don’t know if he made the marks himself to call the demon, or if the demon marked him before sacrificing him.”
“Trevor wouldn’t—” Sophie started, then stopped. Her face crumpled. “He was so angry all the time. But he wasn’t...he wouldn’t...”
Zane lifted his head. His eyes were red-rimmed, and when he spoke, his voice cracked. “He saved Timmy. At the party. When the demons attacked, Trevor grabbed Timmy and got him inside. He wasn’t the way he came off. Not really.”
“No,” I agreed softly. “He wasn’t.”
Another silence. Longer this time and broken only by Ana and Sophie’s soft sobs.
“So what do we do?” The question came from Ren. His voice wobbled, but he lifted his chin. “How do we stop it?”
“All of the staff is working on that. Forza knows what’s happening. We’re expecting backup, but I won’t lie to you—things may move faster than help can arrive.”
“We’re helping, too, right?” Sophie’s voice shook, but there was steel underneath the fear. “Trevor wouldn’t have summoned a demon on purpose. Someone must have tricked him. And we’re not going to let them get away with it.”
One by one, the others nodded. Mindy wiped her face with her sleeve and sat up straighter. Ren unclenched his fists. Ana put her arm around Sophie and pulled her close.
Zane just stared at the floor, his jaw working like he was fighting to hold himself together.
“This is the job,” I said. “But fear can get you killed, so if anyone wants to walk away now, there’ll be no judgment. No shame. You newbies aren’t trained for something like this. Not yet.”
For a moment, there was total silence. Then little Sophie stood, her chin lifted.
“I’m staying,” she said. “He would have fought for us, and I’m going to fight for him.”
“Me, too,” said Ren, then Ana, too, adding a curt, “duh,” to punctuate her statement.
One by one, they all stood until only Zane was still seated. Then he stood, too, and something in his expression made my heart ache. Such grief there. Such guilt. The look of someone who wished they could have done something, anything, to change what had happened.
“Trevor could be an ass,” he said. “But he didn’t deserve what he got. I’m staying.”
I nodded, hoping they could all see how full my heart was with pride.
I was about to dive back into instructions when one more voice chimed in.
“I’m staying, too,” Eliza said from the doorway, looking breathless from hurrying.
“Or, I guess, I’m coming back.” She met my eyes and shrugged.
“My friend’s got a houseful of family helping her cope.
After Mindy texted, I figured I should come back and help the family I have. ”
I nodded, brushing away a tear, then drew a breath and looked out at all their faces.
“Here’s what happens next,” I said, my voice rough with emotion.
“Everyone’s in research mode—Eric will brief you on Forza’s past interactions with Samarek and assign you specific areas to research.
Combat training continues, but we’re stepping it up.
And nobody—I mean nobody—goes near the basement.
Not the door, not the stairs, not even that hallway.
The portal is contained for now, but it’s hungry.
It wants to be fed. Don’t give it the chance. ”
I turned to look at Fran. “You can go, or you and Elena can stay here, and we’ll reinforce your room. Either way, Timmy stays.”
I hated saying that—I wanted to send my baby far away where he could stay safe while all this went down. But Samarek wanted to claim his own, and it was his power that had healed me all those years ago. And like a scary mob boss, he just might take my kid as payment.
Until Samarek was killed or contained, that meant that Timmy was vulnerable in the world.
“We’re staying,” she said. “This is our home now, too, and I’ll do what I can. Even if that means keeping me and the kids locked in a room so you guys can kick demon ass.”
I couldn’t help my grin. “That sounds about right.”
I gave her a hug, then took a moment to breathe, trying to get organized. That’s when I saw Stuart leaning against the wall. His eyes found mine, but I didn’t have a clue what he was thinking.
“And one more thing.” I waited until I had everyone’s attention. “Watch each other’s backs. If you see anything suspicious—anything at all—you come to Eric or me immediately. Understood?”
More nods, though these were slower. Warier. I hated putting that seed of doubt in their minds, but they needed to be careful. We all did.
“Meeting’s over. Eddie, Laura—get them started. I want to know what we’re dealing with before sunset.”
The students rose slowly, reluctantly, like they weren’t quite ready to leave the safety of the group. Mindy had her arm around Sophie. Ren and Ana walked close together, shoulders almost touching. Eliza fell into step beside them, her expression grim and protective.
Allie lingered, catching my eye with a question in her gaze. I shook my head slightly. Later. She nodded once, then let Jared guide her out of the common room, his hand steady on the small of her back.
The room emptied.
Almost.
Zane had stood with the others, had moved toward the door with them. But now he stood just inside the threshold, watching the last of his classmates disappear down the hall, his hands shoved deep in his pockets.
When the footsteps faded, he turned back to face us. His face was ashen.
“I need to talk to you,” he said. His voice was barely above a whisper. “Both of you. Please.”
I exchanged a glance with Eric. His shoulders rose slightly, just as clueless as I was.
“All right,” I said, then shut the door.
“What’s on your mind?”
He didn’t answer me right away. His hands were trembling—actually trembling—and he shoved them in his pockets to hide it.
The movement was so achingly young that my chest tightened.
This wasn’t the confident, charming boy who’d walked into Forza West with easy jokes and a practiced smile. This was a terrified teenager.
“It’s okay,” Eric said. “Whatever it is, the hardest part is always the first word.”
Zane nodded. “I—it’s just—I don’t know how to say this.” His voice cracked on the last word. “I’ve been trying to figure out the words and there aren’t any good ones.”
Eric and I exchanged a glance. I had no idea where this was going, but every instinct I’d honed over the years screamed that I wasn’t going to like it.
“Just say it,” Eric said. His voice was gentle but firm. “Whatever it is, just get it out.”
Zane took a breath. Held it. Let it out slowly, like a man standing on a ledge trying to talk himself into jumping.
“Samarek is my father.”
The words detonated in the quiet room.
I stared at him. More accurately, I gaped at him.
My brain stuttered, trying and failing to process what I’d just heard.
Samarek. The demon who’d been hunting my family.
The ancient evil trying to claw his way through the portal in our basement.
And this kid. This student we’d welcomed into our school, fed at our table, trusted with our children—
He was its son?
Eric had gone completely still in his chair. The kind of stillness that preceded violence.
Eddie was on his feet. “Son of a—”
“Eddie.” Eric’s voice cut through like a blade. “Let him talk.”
“Let him talk? He just admitted he’s the spawn of the thing trying to destroy us!”