A low growl forces my attention to the hallway. Ludovic’s fist slams into Omen’s cheek, and I mutter a curse. I was so focused on hiding my own shit, I forgot to warn him. When the demon rears back again, Omen lifts his arm to deflect it.
“Where the fuck have you been?” Ludo snarls, and I slide around Omen, plastering a grin on my face.
“Ludo! Just the demon I wanted to see. We’ve got a problem with the gauntlet.” We don’t. “Triton says the fireballs keep going haywire.” He hasn’t, but it’s a common enough complaint.“Omen’s going to help us out.” Definitely won’t. Ludo won’t go searching down there, though.“Hope you don’t mind. You can talk to Triton if you do.” Here’s hoping Triton is veryfar away with the newbies.“I’m sure he’ll tell you to fuck off, but you can try.”
I clap him on the back just to piss him off a little more, then grab Omen’s arm and march us through the crowd that’s gathered. Once we’re far enough away, I pull him to a stop.
“You’d better rank up if you don’t want Ludo on your ass.” It’s the only way he’s going to get away with keeping his little witch.
“I’m not ranking up. I like where I am,” he mumbles.
“Yeah, sure. You justlovethe paperwork and the shit Ludo throws at us, and the portal duties, and the night watches, and?—”
He snarls and flames dance along his fingers. “Okay, I get it. I hate my job. Except if I level up, I’ll be…”
Alone. He’ll be alone. And so will I. Not being on the same rank wouldn’t be that big of a deal, except they’d throw Omen somewhere else. Somewhere far away from here. Unless he took over Ludo’s job. He’d get to keep his witch, though.
“You know…if you level up, you’d outrank Ludo. Definite perk.”
“And I wouldn’t be able to go back to the human dimension,” he whispers.
There it is.“Yeah, but she’s here now. Maybe?—”
“I’m not having this conversation,” he growls, his face shuttering.
I nod, though I don’t fully understand. A shockwave hits me just then, ricocheting around my body, and I curl my hands into fists. I grit my teeth as I try to finish this conversation before I lose it.
“You should definitely have a talk with your witch.”
“No. I’m not having this conversation at all. I’m not ranking up. I’m not trapping her here. I’m not keeping her.”
He stalks off and I shake my head. “You can’t make decisions for her. You don’t get to dictate her future, Omen.”
He waves, then disappears into the void. Hopefully he’s going to talk to Clara instead of ignoring the situation. Another shock hits me and I swallow a grunt. A thread tugs in my gut.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” I groan as I’m whisked away once more.
“Oh, no. No, no, no. You’re not allowed here. You’re supposed to be banished, never to return,” I cry as purple smoke billows around me. Lightning flickers within the fog, revealing a dark form.
Despite the theatrics, I know it’s that damn demon. Actually,becauseof the theatrics, I’m certain it’s him. There was a gleam in his eyes the first time we met. He’s a troublemaker. I can feel it in my bones. My bones that are still trying to figure out whether they want to be solid or liquid, but that’s neither here nor there.
“Sorry to disappoint, spitfire,” he wheezes as the smoke clears, then drops to his knees.
“Are you bowing or are you hurt?”
A groan is his only response. His forehead almost touches the floor, and I freeze. I don’t know how to help a demon. Hell, I barely know how to heal a human, much less someone like him. I’m not equipped for this. It’s not like they taught us at school.Even when we had those ridiculous classes, they didn’t focus on healing so much as protection.
I rush forward as he tips to his side, unsure if I should touch him or let him fall. When he was here before, I swear I got shocked when he picked me up. He’s crackling like a campfire in the middle of summer, burning from the inside out. If he bursts into flames in the middle of my living room, I’m going to be pissed.
I can imagine the 911 call now.Yes, there’s a demon who detonated in my living room and now the house is on fire. Can you send someone before he burns my sister’s house down?
“Do not combust. Just…stay here,” I say as if he could stop himself. Maybe he can. As he so helpfully pointed out, I don’t know a lick about demons.
I rush to the kitchen and end up emptying an entire cupboard searching for a plastic pitcher. It’s stuffed all the way in the back, of course. Even with the water on full blast, it still takes forever to fill. I bounce from one foot to another, urging it on.
Glancing around the space, I scan for my fire blanket. Percy bought me one for solstice one year after she almost burned down her living room. Apparently her fireplace wasn’t a fireplace. I’d say I was surprised, but it’s par for the course for her. That year, everyone she knew got a fire blanket. I just can’t remember where I stuck it.
Water splashes on my shirt and bare legs. I stutter to a stop, slopping more onto the floor. In the middle of everything, I forgot I’m not wearing pants. Or shorts. And this shirt isn’t particularly long. Another groan from the living room has me rushing to Dimitri.
