Drew noticed that every muscle in Zach’s back had gone tense and he was practically vibrating with potential violence. “And I told you, neither of you will lay a hand on him,” Zach reiterated. “Now fuck off back to where you came from before this gets any worse for you than it already is.”
Beelzebub shook his head, making a condescendingtsknoise. “My dear, dear Zachariel, how naive of you. This isn’t asocialcall; we’ve been summoned! Your precious Drew can send us back anytime he desires.” He glanced behind Zach to Drew, who couldn’t quite maintain eye contact with the demon’s red eyes. “So go on then, precious one. Send us back.” He paused and cocked his head to one side. “Oh, wait! I’m guessing if youcould have,youwould haveby now.” He held a hand up to his face in theatrical surprise and turned to Asmodeus. “Oh dear! I don’t think he can!”
Asmodeus grinned again, his forked tongue peeking out between his teeth. “Seems like. That’s a real shame. Guess we’re welcome after all.”
“Yes, we’re not goinganywherein a hurry,”Beelzebub added.
Zach made the low growling noise again, and the hairs on the back of Drew’s neck stood up. “He might not be able tosendyou back to Hell,” he told them. “But that doesn’t mean I can’tkillyou. The proper death . . . the one there’s no coming back from.”
Drew didn’t understand, but it was a threat the two demons didn’t take lightly.
“Now, now, Zachariel,” Beelzebub cautioned. “That threat applies to you as well.”
Zach dropped into a crouch and snarled, “Bring it!” before leaping towards them.
Drew stumbled back as the two demons and one angel began to brawl, falling this way and that across the small kitchen, smashing into the table and bench top, sending plates and dishes smashing to the floor. For a moment it looked like Zach had the upper hand, but Drew knew that being outnumbered as he was, it wouldn’t last long. Zach had never divulged what would happen if he got seriously hurt, but from the sounds of it he could die just as easily as a human could . . . without the afterlife waiting for him. A chill seeped into Drew’s blood at the mere thought of losing Zach, and he knew he had to do something,anything, to help.
Trying to focus and find his centre like Kensington had taught him, Drew searched for the spark of power which resided inside him. He’d been able to tap into it to do small things during his training so far, but he knew there was a vast amount of power lurking within. He just needed to reach inside and draw on it.
The fear he felt helped . . . the desperate need to help Zach, to keep him safe. Suddenly, Drew was overcome with an almost blinding rush of power. He took a deep breath, trying to control the magic which surged through him as he looked at the fight happening mere feet away, dismissing Zach and focusing on the two demons. He had no spell, no incantation to recite, and no handy phrase in Latin to use, but he concentrated all of his willpower on what he wanted to happen, hoping it would be enough, thatit would act as a guide for his magic. “BEGONE!” he thundered, causing the walls to shake and more dishes to rattle off the bench and smash upon the floor. There was a bright flash, and then with a loudcrack,the two demons were gone and only he and Zach remained.
A beam of blinding light appeared in the centre of the kitchen, and when it disappeared Kensington was there in its place in his long forest-green robes. He looked around the room, taking in Drew’s shaken appearance and Zach’s bloody nose, and arched one of his brows. “What on earth happened here?” he asked.
Worship
“Drew could have been hurt!” Zach snapped at Kensington, brushing aside the ice pack Drew was holding out to him. “Where the hell were you?”
Kensington had righted one of the kitchen chairs and was sitting in it, looking scarily at home amidst the wreckage of the kitchen. “Ihadbeen dealing with another matter,” he said archly. “I actually have ajobto do, you know. I don’t exist solely to babysit Mr Phillips.”
“Hey!” Drew protested.
“He could have been hurt!” Zach reiterated, pacing the room in his agitation.
“Zach, I’m fine,” Drew assured him. “It’s okay.”
Zach sighed and finally stilled, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I know. It’s just, it could have gone very differently.”
“At least they seem to be gone for good,” Kensington said.
“Did I . . . did Ikillthem?” Drew asked, not sure if he wanted to know the answer. Demons or not, he didn’t really want murder on his hands.
“It’s hard to say,” Kensington said. “There’s no trace of their energy remaining here at all, but that could just be because you banished them and sealed off any chance of them returning.”
“Trust me, Drew, the universe is a better place if you did,” Zach said. “No one’s gonna miss them.”
That really didn’t make Drew feel any better. He resisted the sudden urge to cry, but he couldn’t stop the tears from welling in his eyes.
Zach must have seen it because all the anger and tension drained from him at once and he hurried across the kitchen to Drew, and took him gently by the arms. “Hey, sweetness, it’s okay.”
“But I might have killed them,” Drew said, his voice trembling.
“Fuck, I’m sorry, Drew. I’m so sorry you were put in this situation because of me.” He pulled Drew to his chest and wrapped his arms around him, and Drew buried his face against Zach’s shirt.
“It’s my fault, not yours,” Drew told him. “It wasmewho stupidly thought I could make dinner. If I’d just listened to you and ordered in, this would never have happened.”
Kensington stood up and laid a hand on Drew’s shoulder. “Honestly, Drew, there’s no proof that youdidkill them. You may very well have simply banished them. Don’t be too hard on yourself.”
Drew nodded but didn’t look up.
