Page 15

I decided to order some food and check in with Celeste, and then I returned to my room for a shower.

I’ve spent the last few hours rereading the books I brought from home. My eyelids are begging to close, but my mind is wide awake. I flip my phone over to read the time. Almost midnight.

With a groan, I roll out of bed and flick on the kettle so I can brew some sleep tonic. Not that it seems to help, but I have to fall asleep eventually.

I’m in the same room on the second floor that I stayed in last weekend. It looks into another back alley. It’s quieter than the one the inn’s entrance is on, which has an array of boutique stores and Nikita’s bakery. I’m searching through my bag for the herb mix I made when I get distracted by a voice coming through the open window.

A woman walks alone, talking into her phone. “Maybe I should come home.” She sighs. “I always run into him. It makes it so hard to move on.”

I push my magic forward, letting it stretch like arms that reach out for hers. Her energy is filled with melancholy that I soothe with strength and confidence. I keep the energy circling her until she steps out of reach, satisfied when I feel the shift in her mood before I let go.

It’s nice to be able to help someone.

I smile to myself, turning away from the window when I catch a shadow moving in the alleyway. A man steps away from the wall and starts following the woman. He’s dressed in all black, shirt buttoned to the neck, and a blue band cuffed around his bicep with a symbol stitched above. Demon.

Abandoning my tea, I load daggers and potions into my belt, then fasten it to my waist, pull on my shoes, grab my room key and race out the door. The bar is still fairly packed as I pass through to the main exit, determined to catch the woman before it’s too late. I run down the alley then take the first right. They can’t be more than a minute ahead of me, but a lot can happen in that time.

The end of the alley is approaching, and I still haven’t come across them. I push my legs harder, sprinting and panting until I burst out the end, coming onto a main road.

A few groups of people mill about, probably on their way home after enjoying the cozy nightlife Hemlock offers. I sigh in relief when I spot the woman up ahead, talking to some friends. But where did the demon go?

My eyes go to the shadows, the typical places they lurk. A figure moves in the alley across the road. I hurry to catch up to him, pulling a dagger from the holster once I reach the other side.

The quiet hum of the bars and restaurants has faded. All I can hear now are my footsteps and the adrenaline rushing through my ears.

The figure keeps moving ahead. I see a flash of the blue band on his sleeve when he moves under a streak of moonlight. He takes a turn, disappearing out of sight. I push into a sprint, hurtling around the corner and—

“Looking for trouble?”

Oh, shit.

I lunge at the demon with my dagger. He pushes my hand away, but I lean into the momentum and lift my leg into a roundhouse kick. Shifting my weight to my other leg, I spin, then strike him with a hook kick behind his head and a jab to the face. His head snaps back, and I wrap my arm around his throat and lift both legs to the brick wall, running in an arch until I’m on the demon’s back.

He reaches one arm back, gripping my hair as my back slams into another wall behind us. I cry out, fighting to keep one arm locked at his neck while I search for the vanquishing potion latched to my belt. My hands fumble when the demon rears forward then hurls himself back, slamming me against the wall again. The vial slips from my fingers then smashes to the ground.

I reach for a dagger instead as he pulls on my hair, exposing my neck so that long, taloned fingers made of oozing smoke cut off my air supply. I’m forced to drop my hold on him, fighting to loosen the grip he has on me. I cough and gasp as the pressure tightens then he pulls me off his back. My feet hover above the ground as I’m lifted in front of him, staring into sickly, yellow eyes.

With a dagger still clutched in my hand, I reach out, attempting to slash his throat, but he’s holding me too far out of reach.

My sister’s going to be so mad. I promised I wouldn’t leave the inn after dark. What am I going to tell her? If I don’t die, that is.

The demon’s eyes go impossibly wide. Dark shadows creep over his shoulders then circle his neck. His hold on me starts to waver until my feet hit the ground. I lunge forward, thrusting the dagger under his chin. His eyes flicker neon blue before he shatters to ash and disappears.

“You’re welcome. Again.” My head whips to the side where Nix stands a few feet away. A shadowy limb recedes into his body, and he stares at me with a cocky grin. It looks all the more devious as the silver of his nose ring glints in the moonlight. “You can’t honestly tell me you had him that time. I definitely saved you.”

We both know it, but it still sucks to admit out loud. “Thank you,” I grumble, then turn, heading back down the alley for the inn.

“Had any more visions?” I jump when Nix appears by my side.

“No.” My eyes flick from the path ahead to Nix. He’s wearing a blue denim jacket over a gray hoodie, black jeans, and black sneakers. “Why don’t you dress like a demon?”

“I like to stand out,” he says simply, continuing to follow me. I wish he’d go away. He’s distracting me, and I can’t remember the way back to the inn.

“Really?” I snort, turning left when we reach a crossroad. “Most demons lurk in the shadows.”

“Ahh yes, like my fallen friend. See how well that worked out for him.”

“It could still work out that way for you,” I say.