Chapter 12 #3
Forcing myself to take a slow, steady breath, I look around.
Several tables are folded against one wall.
I drop my mental shields completely and try to narrow in on the demon’s energy.
I turn just as he pops out from underneath one of the tables and hurls something toward us.
I throw out my hand on instinct. Except I accidentally pull the energy ball with me.
It slams into the demon’s chest. Fiery light consumes his entire body. Xavier doesn’t waste a second. He speeds over and drives the knife into the demon’s chest. The demon lets out a high-pitched screech. But he stays standing.
“Try the head!” I shout. By the time Xavier pulls the knife free, the energy surrounding the demon has extinguished itself. He disappears from view again. “He moved!” I watch the demon dart to the side. “To your right!”
Xavier slashes through the air. The tip of the knife barely catches the demon’s forehead.
“Like a foot in front of you!”
The demon has figured out our strategy now. I summon another ball of energy so I can see. The dim construction lights in here aren’t giving us nearly enough visibility. Devon speeds forward beside Xavier, his knife held out in front of him.
“He’s in the corner!”
Devon rushes over. He drives the knife forward. This time, he actually pins the demon’s hand against the wall. Black blood runs down his wrist. And judging by everyone’s faces, something has changed. They can see the blood outlining the demon’s hand.
“You got his hand! Don’t let go!”
The demon swings his free arm and clocks Devon across the face. Devon jerks backward, not so much from pain as surprise at being hit by something he can’t see. The demon drops low, ripping his hand free and tearing the knife through his own flesh.
“He got out! He’s on the ground!”
Xavier rushes forward, stabbing blindly toward the floor over and over.
If anyone walked in on us right now, we would look absolutely insane.
I summon every bit of magical strength I can and channel it toward the demon, trying to take telekinetic hold of him.
The second I connect with him, confusion slams into me.
I sway. Leo grabs my shoulder before I fall. I grunt with effort, feeling like I’m trying to hold up something impossibly heavy as I maintain my grip on the demon.
“He’s right there,” I force out, straining from the effort.
Xavier speeds over. I can’t tell exactly what he’s following, but I think he’s watching the trail of blood.
Then, with one precise movement, he brings the dagger down.
The blade sinks into the demon’s back. A horrible screech echoes through the entire building. Then the demon goes limp.
“Holy shit,” Leo says, lowering his knife in surprise. “I can see it.” Whatever hold the demon had on me disappears instantly. I shake my head, clearing away the dizziness and confusion. “That is one ugly motherfucker.”
Xavier pulls the knife from the demon’s back and stabs him several more times. Then he straightens and nudges the body with his foot.
“Are we sure it’s dead?”
“Keep stabbing him,” I suggest with a shrug. “For good measure.” Xavier drives the knife into the back of the demon’s skull. When he pulls it free, thick black blood splatters across his face.
“Fuck” I breathe. I lift a hand to rub my forehead, forgetting I’m wearing a ridiculous amount of makeup. At this point, I don’t care if I smear it across my entire face.
At least for once, I’m not the one covered in blood.
We gather around the demon, and Xavier uses his foot to roll him onto his back. At first glance, he looks almost human. But there’s something undeniably otherworldly about him.
“What are we gonna do with the body?” Devon asks.
“Normally,” Leo begins, “we burn whatever’s left.”
“That seems like a really good way to get caught,” Devon points out.
“No body, no crime,” I say, making a face. “Technically, if they tested these remains, they wouldn’t come back as human anyway. The best a lab could probably determine is that it’s some sort of bizarre animal hybrid.”
“Oh. Yeah. I guess that makes sense.”
“Leave this to me,” Xavier says with a sigh, wiping the knife on his pants. He looks at me.
“You all right?”
“I’m fine. I mean, talk about the blind leading the blind, right?” I glance down at the dead demon. “Okay. One down. Possibly, like, eleven to go.”
“Hey,” Leo says. “Let’s just celebrate this little win tonight. I think we could all use it.”
“Yeah.”
He’s right. Leo texts the others to let them know we killed the demon while Xavier and Devon wrap the body in plastic they find among the construction supplies. We shove it into a closet and head back the way we came. For one brief second, I’m naive enough to let myself believe the danger is over.
The second we step outside, that illusion disappears.
Sirens cut through the night. Two police cars are waiting for us. Several officers stand with their guns drawn. Governor Richards is behind one of them, practically using the officer’s body armor as a shield. He points straight at Xavier.
“Arrest him!”