“Okay,” I breathed, pressing my lips together. “But I need you to not freak out. Because if you freak out, I’m going to freak out. And that might land me in the hospital again.”
“Alright.” Leaning forward, he placed his firm hands on my shoulders and levelled his eyes at me. “I’m not going to freak out. Just tell me what’s happened.”
My eyelids fluttered shut. “So, I fell asleep. At least I thought I did. And then I had a dream...one where the demon awoke inside me, wandered around outside, and thought very violent things. I, um, wanted to murder a taxi driver. Then, I fell down and blacked out. But there must be some other explanation for the dirt, right? That can’t haveactuallyhappened.” I flipped open my eyes and speared his gaze. “You have the best hearing in the world. You would have heard me leave. Right?”
“I’m not infallible, Eva. I was so focused on listening for enemy wings, I could have missed you walking out that door.” His jaw flickered. With a purse of his lips, he leaned in and took a sniff. Instantly, he stiffened. “I don’t know how it’s happened, but I can smell the streets on you. That wasn’t a dream.”
15
Caim
“There are few things worse than bloody newborn demons,” Bael muttered as we crouched on a rooftop overlooking the downtown ferries that carried passengers to the Statue of Liberty and beyond. A chilly wind whipped around us, bringing with it the fishy scent of the river. Stolas and Valac had taken the building adjacent to ours, searching for any sign of the Cult of Lilith.
So far, the only evidence they’d even been here was the flashing police lights and the ambulances racing away with the wounded.
And the potent scent of fresh blood on the air.
“What are we going to do with them once we catch them?” He grasped the edge of the rooftop ledge and frowned. “Lock them up in the dungeon cages?”
“We’ll have to destroy them, Bael,” I said, closing my eyes in resignation. “If we locked them up, what then? Keep them trapped in there for eternity? They’re immortal. Eventually, they’d find a way to escape. It might not be tomorrow or a year from now. But one day. And at that point, their rage and hunger would be unquenchable.”
Bael sighed. “This isn’t the kind of thing I like to do.”
“I know,” I said quietly. “It’s not what I like doing either, but we have no other choice. We made a vow to protect humanity. And so that’s what we’ll do.”
“We made a vow to protect them from bloodthirsty vampires or rogue werewolves. Many of these cult members will have been manipulated into doing this. They’re victims of Andrea and Charlie as much as Eva is.”
Valac suddenly landed on the roof, his black wings melting into the night. “Stolas caught the scent of something on the wind. The demons have headed north, back up toward Hell’s Kitchen.”
I swore under my breath and pushed the wings from my back in a fluid motion that was so familiar, it was just like pulling a shirt over my head. “Come on. They might be going after Eva.”
I’d worried this might happen. Eva was the key to expanding their newborn demon cult. If they got ahold of her, they’d use up her blood to create more and more and more. They’d take as much as they could until there was nothing left of her.
The four of us raced into the skies, rushing straight back to Hell’s Kitchen where Phenex stood watch over Eva and her friends. He was one of the strongest fighters we had. And whatever power he lacked, he made up for it in pure, unyielding rage. Mixed in with a healthy dose of give-no-fucks. If the cult attacked, he’d rip them to shreds before he let them lay a finger on Eva.
But I still couldn’t stop the fear that rattled my heart.
As we rushed through the clouds, I picked up the cult’s trail. Their scent led north, but...it led much further east than Hell’s Kitchen. Relief shuddered through me as I made a motion toward the others. They nodded in return. They’d picked up the same thing I had. The cult was headed to Midtown.
But then the dread soon returned, a heavy anchor on my shoulders. If the cult was heading to Midtown, they might be planning another attack. The bustling streets were packed full of tourists, especially at this time of day. They’d be wandering around Times Square, snapping photos, and pointing up at the twinkling billboards.
We couldn’t let them attack those crowded streets. Hundreds could die.
The four of us slowed as we reached the edge of Times Square, and the scent suddenly died. We stayed deep within the clouds, staring down at the throngs. The last thing we wanted was a panicked crowd when they saw a bunch of demons flying around on black wings. That would do far more harm than good.
“The scent died,” Stolas said with a frown. “What do you think that means?”
“It’s strange. If they landed, we’d still be able to track their scent to the ground.” Wings thundering behind me, I gazed around. No sign of our enemy on the horizon, though they could be hiding in the clouds just like us. “They can’t have gone far.”
“I bet it’s another witch trick,” Bael said. “They must have realized we were following them, and so they masked their scent somehow.”
Valac frowned. “I’ve never heard of a spell like that.”
“Witches can do things we aren’t aware of, I’m afraid,” Stolas replied. “They don’t want us to know the extent of their powers. It’s why they’re so protective of their grimoires.”
“Well, we know what Andrea looks like, at least,” I said. “Let’s find somewhere to land and then split up to search the streets for any sign of them.”
“And what if they haven’t actually landed here?” Bael asked. “What if they’re on their way to attack another part of the city?”
