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Then she muttered something in her native language and rapped the staff twice on the jiangshi’s demon head. He snapped out of his stupor with a growl. Rebellion lit his gaze until he saw Conn. Then both arms came up to cover his face as he screamed.

That was a good call on my part. Even a fake demon knew to fear the demon king.

“Time to tell him how it is,” I said.

Mulan lifted her staff and held it while she spoke to her brother-in-law. His arms gradually fell away from his demon body.

Mulan paused and waited for his answer to a question she asked.

He answered her without words. His demon form disappeared and he changed back into his old man human form. To say he appeared fragile was an understatement. Ya could tell he was fairly skeletal under his robes.

Once the jiangshi gave up his demon form, so did Conn. Thankfully, Conn fetched the jiangshi’s cane and handed it over. It seemed to be all that was keeping the jiangshi from falling.

Mulan’s sister chose that moment to start wailing as she pleaded with Mulan to let them all go. I was proud of the Wu Shaman for being strong enough to refuse them. I was even prouder of the jiangshi saying something stern enough to shut his wife up, which it promptly did.

He and Mulan exchanged more words. Both were calmer, but her language sounded like yelling to me even when voices weren’t raised.

Finally, Mulan turned to face me.“He accepts our plan is necessary to save his life but fears my sister will no longer want him once his power is gone. I do not understand what any man sees in spoiled child like her. Love is truly blind.”

I put my hand in my pocket and fingered the disk I’d made. Zenos and I had no way of knowing what the angel power woulddo to him. But I think it was a safe bet that he’d learn to control it.

“Why would his power be gone? He’ll have some power. Right?”

Mulan thought about it and then shrugged. “I do not know what he will have. Do you?”

“No clue,” I said, blowing out a breath. “But if I had to make a guess, I think he’ll have more power than ever before. However, the power he has will only allow itself to be used for good. The power Zenos collected is power enough to turn a supervillain into a superhero.”

We both turned to look at him. His gaze bounced between us but he didn’t seem terribly afraid. Maybe Conn posed a worse threat than we did.

Mulan shrugged again. “I cannot let him stay like this. I cannot let him possess them. Hateful or not, they are my family.”

I reached out to her and put a hand on her arm. “Ya’re the best of daughters, Mulan. Never let them tell ya differently. What ya’re doing will save them all.”

“Or kill them,” she said.

“Well, no plan is perfect,” I said with a small, wicked smile.

“Conn is right. You sound like Zenos now.”

“If ya don’t like how I talk, try to keep it to yerself. Ya don’t have to openly insult me in front of the guardians. I have feelings, ya know.”

I could have sworn I heard Zenos laughing in my head. I definitely heard Mulan giggle at my outrage. My grin was small. “So are we doing this?”

Mulan nodded. “No matter what happens, I am grateful for your help.”

“Good. We’ll hug later,” I said, smiling now. “Activate the talisman. Let’s get this shit show over with.”

Mulan handed me the disk she’d made. I put it in my hand and held it out. She chanted until all her tiny turtle shells hung suspended in the air around her staff. Even the symbols on it glowed. The louder Mulan chanted the more the disk twitched in my hand.

When her eyes changed from chocolate brown to blood red like Conn’s demon ones, I admit I got a little freaked out. My reaction was nothing compared to Mulan’s sister screaming. But that ended as quickly as it began. Someone encased her family in a magick bubble.

After Mulan’s eyes returned to normal, the disk vibrated in my palm. I walked to the jiangshi and showed it to him. He swallowed hard and ripped open his robe with one ancient hand. I nodded to him and used my palm to hold Mulan’s talisman against his skin.

Then I chanted to add my power to Mulan’s. I kept my hand on his flesh no matter how many Chinese swear words he spat at me. The talisman sank beneath his skin.

When I stepped away from the jiangshi, he transformed into an even more skeletal version of himself as I watched. He was the epitome of death and represented every fear a human could have about it.

“His jiangshi power is gone. My sister is no longer possessed,” Mulan said.