Page 11 of Demon Touched (The Demon Syndicate #2)

Dex

D ex couldn’t fucking see anything.

All he could smell was blood and fire and the sound of her hitting the floor sent him into a panic.

He grabbed Nova, the stupid fucking laptop, and then wrapped his illusion around them both. Dex didn’t bother going through the hole in the back and blasted through the front where her bike was. Another blast of power and the motorcycle exploded.

Launching into the sky, he sent a huge wave of his demon magic at the tattoo shop and flew to her place as fast as he could. Nova would have what she needed there. She would feel safer.

Dex looked down at her in his arms and went faster .

Her face was so pale.

Fucking fuck .

Why hadn’t he checked his phone sooner? Why had he assumed the message wouldn’t be life or death?

Tucking his wings, he arrowed through her open window, landing with a slide. Dex set her and the laptop down, and then ripped off the shirt where the majority of the blood seemed to be coming from.

What the hell was this?

He placed his palm over the knife wound and gritted his teeth, ignoring the web-like burns that started from the wound and splintered outward like she’d been struck by fire or maybe even lightning magic.

Slowly the wound healed, but there was something wrong – something inside of her that was resisting him.

Dex gritted his teeth and forced the wound to close. When he removed his hand it still looked rough and raw.

Why wasn’t it healing like her throat had?

Placing a hand on her forehead, he checked to make sure her soul had no intention of going anywhere. Satisfied, he warded her apartment. Nothing but an angel or a demon could get inside now, and not without him knowing about it.

Gently he placed her on the bed and wrapped her in a blanket.

When she woke up, she was going to ask him a million questions and he needed to make sure he had the answers.

Dex jumped out her window and headed back to the tattoo shop.

The fire had already spread to the other buildings.

A simple spell and the license plate and VIN were erased from her bike. It took nothing to walk into every building and rip the recording data from their security systems.

That should be everything.

Sirens got closer and closer, but they weren’t in his territory, and no one but Agmos and Nova could see through his illusion. Dex was nothing but a ghost.

He flew back to the apartment and circled, sending out more power to make sure nothing was out of place. He’d left and come back in less than ten minutes which had to be a new record.

Tucking his wings, he landed and vanished them.

At least Nova was still breathing. He checked the wound again and grimaced.

Why did it look like this? How long would it take her to wake up?

Dex hated not knowing. The only thing keeping him from sliding into his angel side was the simple fact that he could scent her.

The bleeding had stopped, and she seemed okay for the most part.

Without any warning, she lurched forward, sitting up straight and scaring the absolute shit out of him. “Where’s the laptop?”

“Over there.” Dex eyed her and decided she needed something to eat. He got up and checked her fridge, but there was nothing in there, not even condiments. What the fuck did she even eat?

Pulling out his phone, he picked up the laptop and handed it to her. Something warm and easy to digest would probably be the best choice. Dex ordered from his favorite pho place and rushed the order.

“An explanation would be great.” He crossed his arms over his chest and glared down at her, still furious she’d scared the shit out of him.

Again.

He was even more angry the two minutes he’d waited to read her message could have cost Nova her life.

“That was the witch who tattooed the Black Lotus.”

Nova winced as she opened the laptop and Dex snatched it from her.

“You can do this later. I couldn’t completely heal you.”

She looked up at him then, and he could see the moment understanding hit her. Nova looked down and checked the wound, fingers probing the marks that spidered outward like cracks in glass.

“What happened?” If she didn’t answer soon, he was going to lose it.

“She tried to steal my magic,” Nova murmured, pressing her hand to the wound. “She cut me open and shoved her hand inside to steal my magic.”

He needed to sit down. Dex put the laptop on her nightstand and sat on the edge of the bed, trying to regain his bearings.

There were witches stealing magic now?

“I was just there to talk to her and see if I could figure out who else might be working with her. Said I wanted to get another runic tattoo, so she checked out what I already had.” Nova stood up so fast he moved to steady her on instinct alone.

“You should rest,” he told her, inspecting her from head to toe for more injuries, but there was nothing. Her power was barely flickering though and the pallid tone to her skin was concerning. “I still don’t know why I can’t heal the wound.”

Nova looked up at him and he could see tears shimmering in her eyes. She was still covered in blood and Dex didn’t know what to do. He felt stupid and helpless .

“Would you like me to help you get cleaned up?” he asked as gently as he could.

She nodded and leaned into him. “The witch said the piece on my back was a binding spell.”

Dex froze. “A binding spell for what?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t even know it was there.”

That couldn’t be good. “I don’t know very much about witch magic.”

Dex picked her up gently and carried her into the sparse bathroom. This place was fucking bare and it pissed him off. He should have taken her to his place instead.

“A shower will help it heal faster.” Turning on the water he held her close, grateful she wasn’t fighting him. All he needed was to feel her heart beating against his chest a little while longer. Then he could let her go. “I have food on the way.”

“I’m sorry you have to take care of me so much,” she muttered.

“Don’t ever be afraid to ask me for help,” he snapped. Dex gritted his teeth, knowing how he sounded thanks to the fear that rose up inside him at the thought that one day she might not reach out. “I will drop everything for you, every time.”

Her arms tightened around his neck and Dex set her on the sink.

“I shouldn’t have gone in there like that,” Nova said. “I made a mistake and it could ruin my entire investigation.”

“Why did you?” Dex ran his fingers through her hair, letting her scent soothe his soul.

“Honestly I thought it would be pretty straight forward. I thought I could get the info I needed without breaking in. Witches use magic to protect their places of business and homes. I didn’t want to trip it up or get struck with magic I couldn’t fight against. I wasn’t expecting her to sense my power. ”

Dex wondered if the witch had sensed what he could – what simmered deep inside Nova. That would explain why she would have wanted it.

“You do have a lot of power at your disposal, but it’s dormant,” he said, taking a step back to set her on her feet.

“What?”

Did she not even realize it was there?

“I don’t know how to explain it.” Dex took off his own shirt and kicked off his shoes. “You have witch magic and then something deeper. I only ever felt it flicker to life once, when you almost blew my head off.”

“What are you doing?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Taking a shower?”

Nova’s eyes were as wide as saucers and he grinned when he realized she was staring at his nipple piercings.

“I can shower by myself,” she managed, ripping her gaze away.

Dex turned her around and pulled out a knife. He sliced through the sports bra so it wouldn’t pull at her wound when she took it off. “I won’t make it weird. I promise.”

She laughed and pulled the bra off carefully. “I’m pretty sure that’s going to be impossible.”

Without looking, he turned and checked the water. Controlling his instincts was going to be easier than she thought. Dex wasn’t going to do shit until she was healed and he had a lifetime of practice.

He took off his pants but left his boxer briefs on. “Do you need my help?”

“Yes.”

Dex took a deep breath and ignored how much he hated that small voice. It didn’t suit her at all.

“You should call your mom,” he told her as he stripped off her boots and clothes like he would for anyone on his team who’d gotten injured. “Or the witch who did the tattoo in the first place.”

“Actually…” Nova trailed off and let him help her into the shower. “I was going to ask if you could take me home.”

Dex stared down at her in shock. “What?” Was she leaving leaving?

“I don’t want the council to know about this,” she admitted as she held her hands up to the warm water. “I have to figure out what it is and a phone conversation wouldn’t tell me what I need to know.”

Nova shivered and he realized he was still standing there like an idiot. Dex stepped in and closed the glass door, grabbing one of the clean washcloths. Gently he washed the blood from her body as he considered.

Was that something he could get away with? It wasn’t unusual for him to leave the city when he was hunting for a partner and no one ever asked him for details.

“It would just be for a day,” she murmured. “You could drop me off and then get me later, but I figured if you were really as fast as you say you are…”

He rolled his eyes. She was fucking with him on purpose now. “You don’t have to try and goad me into proving you wrong,” he teased. “I should be able to, I just need to make sure my day off is covered like it usually is.”

“How often do you take time off?” Nova took the washcloth from him but didn’t turn around to face him.

Dex kept his eyes on the showerhead. “Once or twice a week. Depends on what’s going on.”

“Are you going to tell your uncle?” The scent of her anxiety made his jaw clench.

“It’s none of his business.” Dex had no plans to bring Nova to Agmos’s attention any sooner than required. “And he’s more like my adopted dad or whatever. We’re not blood related.”

“Oh.”

He could tell she wanted to ask more but neither of them was ready for that conversation.