Page 15 of Demon Touched (The Demon Syndicate #2)

Dex

H e should have known she was going to just blurt it out, but he didn’t expect the reaction it got.

Her mother collapsed into one of the chairs and the rifle was suddenly pointed at him.

Dex eyed the barrel of the gun, not really worried about a bullet to the face. Then Nova stepped in front of him, aiming the barrel at her chest instead.

Growling, he wrapped an arm around her waist and turned, grabbing the rifle and yanking it out of Glenn’s hands. “Don’t make me regret bringing her here,” he warned, snapping the fucking thing in half.

He tossed the two pieces on the ground and then focused on Nova, taking off her coat. Before anyone could protest, he had her shirt up, inspecting the mark that wouldn’t go away. It was bruised, but she hadn’t opened it while fighting with her father.

A fucking miracle.

Dropping her shirt, he nodded once in satisfaction.

Nova had told him what she’d been through as a hunter last night, but he hadn’t fully understood until he’d seen her own father shoot at her.

The only thing that had held him back was his promise.

Dex had no idea what he’d just gotten himself into, but there was a deep satisfaction at knowing just how good she was – at seeing it right after she’d nearly bled to death.

“Are you done?” Nova asked, eyebrows raised like he was the one being ridiculous.

He glared and crossed his arms over his chest.

“I came here because not knowing what was on my back nearly got me killed last night,” Nova told her parents, turning that fury on them.

She lifted her shirt up to show off the black fractals and he moved aside but kept his body between her and Glenn.

“A witch tried to steal my power because of it. Would anyone care to explain?”

Glenn only had eyes for Dex, which he actually appreciated. Her dad knew who the real threat in the room was, and despite his promise, Dex wouldn’t leave this bastard unscathed if he pushed him.

“Didn’t I say we should have told her before she went on her first mission alone?” Glenn gritted out.

All of them turned to the small witch who looked just like Nova.

The way witches aged made them appear as though they could be sisters, but her mom’s hair was blonde instead of purple and her dad was the one with the blue eyes.

“How did you find out?” her mother asked, face pale.

“There was a witch who tattoos enchantments in Seattle. I went to see her.” Nova crossed her arms over her chest and waited.

They all waited and Dex rolled his shoulders back as he fought the urge to fight. Despite this being her home, it didn’t feel safe.

“Can I see what she did to you?” Adelaide asked. “Maybe I can help.”

Nova glanced at Dex once and he shrugged. If she wanted to tell her mom who healed her, then he’d trust her judgement.

“Tell me why there’s a binding spell first,” Nova said. “Forgive me if I don’t trust you right now.”

Dex clenched his teeth, wishing she’d tone down her anger just a little. It was making him feel defensive – like he needed to protect her, or maybe her mother…it was hard to figure out which one when Nova was the most dangerous person in this room other than him.

“Do you remember when you got it?” her mother asked as she wrung her hands.

“Not long after Gianna.” Nova took a step forward and pressed her shoulder into his arm.

Her touch settled him instantly and Dex took a deep breath, wondering how she always knew when he was feeling…volatile.

Like last night.

She’d wanted to push him—he’d seen it in her eyes. It was the same desperation he felt around her, but she’d pulled back. For him.

“Right, you weren’t even six when it was done,” Adelaide said softly. “You were so young that I had to sedate you, but the tattoo wasn’t just to focus your magic.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to talk about this right now,” her father snapped.

Dex whipped his gaze to the other man, making sure he could see the white fire he couldn’t manage to hide. Watching the hunter step back in shock was satisfying.

“I trust him,” Nova said. “More than I trust you right now.”

The way she glared at her father made Dex glad she’d never looked at him with that level of fury.

Wrapping an arm around her waist, he kept his back to her parents, not trusting his control just yet. And Nova allowed him to hold her, even in front of her parents, which settled him even more.

Dex didn’t give a shit if her father tried to kill him. He could blast through the ceiling and fly out of here before anything truly horrific happened.

“Nova, please,” her father said. “It’s not safe.”

“I’ve never been safe thanks to this.” Pulling off the beanie, she tucked her hair behind her ear. “So, just explain.”

“As a witch, you’ve always been rather limited,” her mother said quietly. “You didn’t develop magical skills as much as you did the hunter gifts, but you’re the strongest hunter in our family, and it’s not because you possess magic. That’s all you, sweetie.”

They stood there in the foyer, tense and anxious. No one except her mother even breathed.

“I don’t know how it happened exactly, because your witch side was so frail.” Adelaide ran her hands over her face. “But I assume it’s because your body is capable of supporting both bloodlines. It’s not like the rest of us.”

Dex had a bad feeling about this.

Agmos had said something very similar to him about ten years ago, and it was why he’d kept himself isolated – never really connecting to anyone until Nova came along.

“When the demon tried to kill you, something inside was triggered. From what I can tell, he used magic to try and take you, but instead of it affecting you, it was absorbed by your magic, and then marked your eye at the entry point. It’s how you vaporized the demon after—after…”

Adelaide got choked up and Dex tightened his grip on Nova, knowing how much it had to be hurting her too even if he couldn’t sense any of her emotions.

“After what happened to Gianna, you killed a demon, sweetie. With magic. Do you have any idea how impossible that is?”

Dex pulled her in closer. He’d felt it – that power. It could kill him , and that was supposed to be impossible.

“That doesn’t explain why there’s a binding spell on my back,” Nova said. It was so cold and emotionless he had to look away.

This wasn’t going to end well.

“You have nightmares,” her mother explained. “Those nightmares trigger the power. I had them bind the power you stole until we could figure out a way to deal with it. Those demons were looking for a witch hunter and if they found out you had demon magic too…I couldn’t lose another child.”

Nova finally looked at Dex.

“It’s not bound,” he said. “Not fully.”

The silence was deafening.

“What do you mean?” Adelaide whispered in horror.

“I almost killed him,” Nova admitted, shifting her weight from one foot to another. “Accidentally.”

“She did warn us it might not work forever,” Glenn admitted. “Demon magic isn’t the same as witch magic and demons tend to mature later in life. We had no idea what would happen, but I wanted to tell you.”

“And yet, you didn’t.”

Dex flinched at the ice in her tone.

“Girl, you think a dumb hunter and a healer knew how to handle demon magic?” Glenn snapped. “Do you think we knew how to help you without bringing the council down on us? The last thing I wanted was for them to try and take you away or kill you too.”

“You’re not dumb, Dad.” Nova sighed and ran her fingers through her hair, taking a step away from Dex.

His hand dropped to his side and he didn’t try to close the distance. Nova had to be overwhelmed. Fuck , he was stunned, and this wasn’t even about him.

“There’s an unlocking rune,” Adelaide said as she stood. “All you have to do is use it, and the power is yours. I don’t know how to train you in demon magic though. I’m just a witch.”

Dex gritted his teeth and popped his neck.

Was the universe doing this on purpose? Was this why Nova had come into his life? Could he really be the only demon who could train her?

“Can I take a look?” her mother asked.

Nova studied her parents for a long time before she finally gave her permission.

Dex moved so he could watch out of the corner of his eyes.

Adelaide lifted the shirt and studied the marks carefully, poking and prodding. Maybe as a witch with healing magic she could do more than he could.

“You said this happened last night?” The tone was suddenly professional and no nonsense.

“Yes, Dex tried to heal it, but it was resisting.”

“If she stole your magic through here, then this is a magical burn. That he was able to heal this much is a miracle.”

All three of them looked at him, and Dex raised an eyebrow at Nova. What now?

She shrugged. It’s up to you.

Dex looked at her father then and wondered why he was even considering this. He didn’t know these people, and there was nothing except death that could keep them from talking.

Glenn crossed his arms over his chest with a glare on his face, but Dex was getting the impression that this was just the natural state of his face. “You healed her?”

“Twice,” Nova murmured, her hand going to her throat.

The glittery scar was visible if you knew what to look for and Dex hated that he couldn’t erase it completely. Her suicide attempt was something he still had nightmares about.

“This is a death wound,” Adelaide whispered. “How…”

“My father was an angel—seraphim,” Dex told them, not bothering to hide his eyes anymore. “And my mother was a demon.”