Shit. I left my weapon in the living room.
Maybe I didn’t need it. Maybe it was just a wild animal. It wasn’t uncommon for city raccoons to open windows with their hand-like paws and crawl inside, searching for food.
As quietly as possible, I turned the doorknob and glimpsed through the sliver into the living room, praying to see a hungry little bandit.
I sucked in a breath.
It was not a raccoon.
It was a demon.
The thing had rough skin in a hideous shade of purple. Dark horns spiralled out of its head, and its fingers ended in talons. It skulked around on two legs, but was low to the ground and fell to all fours to sniff the carpet. Its long, narrow nostrils twitched intently. I realized with a pang of dread that it was scenting the spot where Chase and I had sex.
I grimaced. The demon was memorizing our scents to hunt us down.
This was bad.
I silently shut the door and tried to calm down.
Focus. This isn’t the first demon you’ve dealt with, and it won’t be the last.
But without my weapon, I was vulnerable.
And so was Chase.
My heart lurched. I couldn’t let him get hurt. After all my failures, that was one outcome I absolutely would not allow.
I glanced at Chase, still asleep in bed. I wanted him to stay that way. I’d grab my bow, slay the damned thing, then crawl back into bed. If I couldn’t even defeat a single weak demon by myself, what good was I as an exorcist?
But even I couldn’t kill a demon with my bare hands. I needed my bow.
Gritting my teeth, I creaked the door open a few centimetres. My gaze snapped to my bow. It was by the front door. I needed to sneak past the demon to grab it.
But the demon was no longer sniffing the carpet. It had skulked into the kitchen and climbed onto the counter. Itgrunted like a pig until it came to the box of donuts, then started wolfing them down.
I seized my chance. My heart pounded as I sneaked out from behind the door and crept along the far wall to the front entrance. I knew better than to turn my back on a demon, so I kept my eyes glued to the wretched thing as I felt for my weapon. When my fingers brushed against the familiar wood, relief surged through me.
But whether it was due to anxiety, or doubt, or the fact that I’d just woken up, my fingers fumbled. The bow slipped out of my fingertips and landed with athudagainst the laminate tiles by the front door.
The demon snapped its ugly face towards me. Donut crumbs sprayed from its mouth as it hissed.
I tore my gaze from the demon for a mere second—just long enough to grab my bow properly—but the demon moved faster. It was already halfway to the door, and its rows of serrated teeth were bared and ready to rip me to shreds.
Standing up would take too long. I had to fire from this indecent position on the floor.
Except when I reached for an arrow, I realized I’d forgotten my quiver.
Dread turned my insides to liquid. My bow comprised only half of my weapon, and I’d fucking forgotten the other half.
The demon shrieked as it launched itself at me. I had no time to think. I swung the flat side of my bow hard, smacking the thing in the head. The momentum threw it sideways and it skidded across the carpet with an angry squeal.
I had two precious seconds to get my shit together before it lunged at me again. Normally I kept my bow and quiver bundled together with a leather strap, but the buckle must’ve come undone. I’d been so focused on getting along with Chase since I moved in that actually fighting demons hadn’t crossed my mind.I’d neglected to be prepared at all times. This was a terrifying wake-up call.
My quiver was hung up on the key rack. I swore under my breath as I snatched it, threw it over my back, and readied an arrow. The demon was already on its feet. Spit and donut crumbs dribbled down its jaw as it ran in my direction.
A practiced calm washed over me as I lined up my prey in my sight. It was just a lesser demon. One good shot in the eye with a holy arrow should be enough to send it back to the Hell it spawned from.
But if I missed the kill, I’d only piss it off—and an angry demon was the worst kind.
