“I’ll figure something out.
“I just figured it out for you,” he says calmly. “I promised to keep you safe and I will by any means necessary.”
“Death isn’t a means you should take.”
“Death would be welcome if you were no longer here.”
“Don’t say that. Don’t make me everything.” Tears fill my eyes. “If something happens to me, you have to go on.”
“What would be the point?” He takes my hand and brings it to his chest. “I thought my heart died the day I did. With you, I feel alive.” Fingers tightening around mine, he steps closer. “I love you, Florence.”
“Xavier,” I breathe, breath hitching in my chest because this sounds too much like a goodbye. “I love you too. So we’re not doing this.”
The Ley line sparks and the demonic hand print on my arm starts to burn as if it’s on fire.
“Ah!” I shriek, grabbing my arm, but it makes it worse. Going on impulse, Xavier pulls the dagger from the trunk of the tree and stabs it in the ground, sending the blade into the Ley line. A bright spark of energy erupts, lighting up the forest for half a second before going dark.
“What the hell was that?” Devon asks, coming back to us. I’m temporarily blinded again from the flash and I squeeze my eyes shut before opening them again.
“The Ley line. The demon is pulling from it,” I tell him.
“Which is why we need to go with my plan,” Xavier says. “Now.”
“Absolutely the fuck not,” I say and look at Devon for backup. “He wants to let the demon possess him so I can stab him in the heart and hope to kill the demon.”
“It won’t kill me,” Xavier says.
“How do you know?”
“The dagger isn’t made out of wood.”
“It’s enchanted with a vanquishing potion right now,” I add.
Devon holds up a hand. “Won’t the demon control him?”
“Yeah, that’s what they do when they possess you. And you’re not just some human puppet, you’re a seven-hundred-year-old-vampirepuppet.”
Xavier laces his fingers through mine, giving my hand a squeeze before letting go. “You said demons go after the weak because it’s easier. I’m not weak.”
“That doesn’t mean you can perform a self-exorcism,” I counter.
“I know,” he says. “And I know I can’t promise to fight against the control forever. We don’t need forever. Just a minute.”
“How do we know this would work?” Devon asks.
“Thank you,” I say, motioning to him. “This is a horrible plan.”
“I mean, how do we know the demon will even possess him?” he clarifies, looking at me apologetically. “Isn’t it listening to us right now?”
“I don’t know,” I say honestly.
“Bind it to me,” Xavier says as the idea comes to him. He steps closer, talking softly. “The last time I stabbed it, it went solid for a few seconds. That’s all we need.”
“I don’t want to do this,” I say. “Please don’t make me do this.”
“We have to,” Xavier presses and takes my forearm in his large hand, showing Devon the hand print. “It’s marked her. It won’t stop until it’s dead, Wren. You know this!”
He’s right and there’s no amount of distance you can put between yourself and a demon who can jump dimensions. Still, I shake my head, staring up into Xavier’s blue eyes.
