But there’s no time to dwell on this; more demons are closing in. I snatch the gun strapped to my thigh, whisper the incantation, and fire, the one closest to the unconscious girl. The demon vanishes in a puff of sulfur smoke. I drop to her side, heart pounding. What the hell is she doing out here, alone, this close to a portal?
Nalaka arrives moments after clearing the surroundings, followed by Sakura, eyes sharp and alert.
“Are you okay?” Nalaka asks.
“I think so,” my voice is tight.
“You know her? I saw you running straight here.”
“Yeah, she’s my best friend. Sakura, can you help her?” Sakura nods, already scanning her.
“We need to move somewhere safer. This was a small pack; there might be more out there.” Nalaka states, making me cast a nervous glance at the dark woods surrounding us.
“How many more are out there?”
“Well, if you’re asking for the exact number of those things,” Wyll says, strolling up with Kai trailing behind, his signature frown deeper than ever, “I’d say it’ll either be too many or just enough to make our lives a living hell. But hey, at least we’re not bored, right?” His dry humour cuts through the tension like a knife, but it doesn’t exactly ease the knot tightening in my stomach. Wyll scoops up Vanessa as if she weighs nothing and heads toward the portal
“Okay, big guy,” I mutter under my breath, half amused, half annoyed. Of course, he catches it and winks from beneath his cowboy hat. Just as I start to follow, a thought hits me like a slap.
“Wait! What about the elixir?” I blurt out, stopping in my tracks. “She’s not Elgarian, don’t mundanes need that to cross over?” The group snaps to attention, all eyes turning to Sakura, the expert.
“No need,” she says dreamily. “Your friend’s a witch.”
“No, she’s not,” I quickly shoot back.
I know Van better than anyone.
Sakura’s eyes widen, a flicker of offence in her voice. “Oh, but she is! Witches have a way of sensing one another, like a secret song in the blood, or a whisper carried in the breeze. That’s why we have covens.”
I bite back my pride. I clearly don’t know everything about Van, just like she doesn’t know everything about me. We all have our secrets after all.
“Sorry, I’m just surprised,” I admit, more softly.
Sakura lets out a breath, the tension easing from her shoulders as she falls back into her usual, slightly off-kilter stance.“It’s alright. Let’s go. I have healing duties, and we can’t waste any time. If one of you is infected, I need to act fast.”
With that, we make sure that no other civilians are in the area before we slip out of the woods. The weight of what’s coming settles around us as we make our way toward the manor.
39
Kai
COLLATERAL DAMAGE
The ride’sway too short to settle the storm inside me. Avilyna’s more pissed off than usual, and that makes two of us. Back there, I was scared; she came way too close to not making it. Demons swarming us, some nightmare I couldn’t wake from, déjà vu slammed into me. I’m used to running on pure adrenaline when shit hits the fan. Hell, most days I crave it. But there’s no room for hesitation or screw-ups. Thank Kvirr that Caleb was there, the only voice of reason when Wyll and I were about to lose it chasing bloodlust.
And that fear?
It’s not new, it’s the fire that drives me. Control born from never wanting to feel powerless again. I fucking hate it when memories that are better left buried come back to life.
I’m the last to step into the manor, and there she is. The angelic face the stars carved out, destined to be my downfall.
“What the hell was that?” I close the distance in one step, my presence boxing her in, and she has no choice but to look at me.
“What?” Avilyna snaps, calm as ice. “Saving my best friend? That’s what normal people do. But I wouldn’t expect you to understandloyalty, you don’t even know what the word means.”Her voice cuts me deep, enjoying the torment that bleeds from it, knowing exactly where to aim.
“Careful,” I growl, my tone dropping low, venom seeping from the slice. “You really don’t want me as an enemy.”
“Oh, right. Because having you as an ally is so much better.” She turns her head, eyes flashing. “So far, you’re nailing the whole ‘protective hero’ vibe.”
