Page 25 of Demon Touched (The Demon Syndicate #2)

Dex

“ H ere’s the spell.” Sam handed over a box and Dex took it without really seeing it.

Everything felt…strange. Like he was back in that place he’d been before he’d ever met Nova.

Was this some weird defense mechanism? Dex had always had control over it before, but now he just…couldn’t plug his brain back in.

He pushed the box of supplies back to the witch. “I’ll pay you double if you set it up. Stay within the borders and I’ll send a team to guard you.”

Sam studied him, but Dex couldn’t focus on anything. All he could see was the writhing mass of bodies dancing behind them, and the way the strobe light went from green to blue to purple.

Nova’s eye glowed with this inner fire he couldn’t explain.

Witches didn’t have a second form – they didn’t have something else the same way shifters, demons, angels, and hellhounds did…something that made their eyes glow to show the monster underneath human skin.

Hunters and witches seemed to be the only ones who didn’t have that, but every once in a while, the super powerful witches’ eyes would glow with the color of their magic. It was just so rare that most had forgotten about it.

As for the hunters…well, they’d been designed for stealth.

I’d let him torture me.

Dex drank half the bottle of vodka, trying not to remember what John or Rachel had looked like after Agmos had finished with them. He tried not to remember the way they’d turned their backs on him, or how easily a friend could be paid off if they promised never to see him again.

I’d even do it with a smile on my face.

He believed her too.

Dex didn’t think Agmos could turn her against him. He didn’t think the demon had any fucking idea what he’d be inviting into his home. Nova was…

Demon-touched .

The second she stepped foot in the same room as Agmos, he would become the hunted.

She just had this way about her that lured people in, even in her hunter gear. Then she moved like water, carving through the earth with vicious patience.

But he didn’t think he could watch it again. He didn’t think he could let Agmos put a fucking hand on her.

Which was his problem. Not hers.

You assume I wouldn’t like it. Maybe I would.

Knowing her, she would. His angel side was probably something she could relate to, in her own way, but could she really keep her promise? Could she kill him?

Only if she unbound that magic.

The key to her apartment was heavy in his pocket.

“I’ll do it if you tell me what’s wrong,” Sam said as they crossed their arms over their chest with that knowing look most witches had. “Did she not like the picture?”

He’d almost forgotten about that. The meeting in the café felt like a million years ago.

Dex looked at the witch with their colorful hair, long nails, and the choker around their neck. “Nothing’s wrong,” he told them.

“Then I guess I can’t help you.” Sam stood and gathered their purse, striding toward the exit.

For fuck’s sake.

Dex grabbed the spell kit and followed after them. “Come with me.”

Sam obeyed without question, heeled boots clicking behind Dex even when they went through the back. He took off his long coat and wrapped it around the witch before handing them a helmet.

“I’ll take you myself, and while we wait for the team to show up, I’ll tell you.”

But what the fuck was he even going to say to this witch that wouldn’t sound psychotic?

All he knew was that he wanted this boundary up so he could hunt. Dex didn’t want to lose this potential ally either, and if he were honest with himself…a potential friend.

Nova was making him soft and it was going to get people killed.

Sam put the spell kit in their purse and then took the helmet. “Deal.”

Dex slipped his helmet on and climbed onto his bike. Why the witch would put up with him worried him even more. They were trying to befriend him, and that meant they thought Dex was approachable.

What the fuck was going on? Had he really changed that much in just a few weeks?

Sam climbed onto the back of his motorcycle and wrapped their arms around his waist. “I’ve never done this before, so don’t go too fast.”

Starting up the bike, he nodded once.

It would be better to start at the northeast quadrant and then work their way down south, that way they ended the night close to the largest cluster of businesses.

Weaving through traffic was a breeze, but he kept it slow and easy. The way Sam was holding onto him and the scent of fear was enough to keep him from speeding up.

Dex pulled up to the corner, studying the area with his magic and listening for anything that might be out here.

Turning off his bike, he waited another minute, and then sniffed the air.

He texted the on-call team the coordinates and slipped the phone back in his pocket. It should be safe enough for the witch to start. It wasn’t like Dex couldn’t handle anything that came at them while they waited.

“So, tell me.” Sam set the helmet down on the seat after Dex climbed off, leaning back like they had all the time in the world to listen to his bullshit.

“Technically, nothing is wrong,” Dex admitted as he loosened his weapons in their holsters. “She liked the picture and now we’re…together.”

Dating wasn’t what they were doing though and calling her his girlfriend didn’t feel right for some reason. Nova was his partner—or at least, that’s what he wanted her to be. They just had to navigate this part very carefully.

“Then what’s the problem, big guy?” Sam teased.

One look and Dex knew he hadn’t lost his touch. Sam’s face went white and he almost felt bad.

Almost.

“Agmos wants to meet her.”

It was a risk telling them anything at all about Nova. Sam wasn’t stupid and might even figure it out, but he didn’t really care anymore since she certainly didn’t.

Sam crossed one leg over the other, wrapping the coat tighter around their body. “The demon ruling over Grim Corp wants to meet your girl? Why?”

Dex eyed the shadows and wondered how she saw them. Was it the same as what he could see, or was it something like what the shadow witches could do? “Agmos is my adoptive father.”

“And this is bad because?”

“He doesn’t like when my loyalty might come into question.” Dex turned and inspected the other side, waiting for the response from the on-call team.

“Is her life in danger?” This witch knew how to ask the right questions, which should worry him, but Dex almost hoped they’d find out the truth.

“Kind of, but I’m not worried about her. She can take care of herself.” He sighed and ran his hand through his hair, feeling the itch for blood. The sooner this spell was up the better.

Dex needed to hunt.

“I don’t get it.” Sam climbed off the bike and rifled through their purse. “You sound like a little bitch.”

The snarl slipped out before he could get ahold of himself.

“Oooh, I bet she likes that,” Sam teased. “Get it together, man. If she can handle it then it’ll be fine.”

“I’m not worried about her handling Agmos,” Dex snapped. “I’m worried about her handling me.”

Only once had he lost total control enough for the angel side to take over. If that never happened again, it would be too soon.

“Are you stronger than Agmos?”

“And then some.”

“Explain.” Sam popped gum in their mouth and blew a bubble.

“I don’t trust you enough for that.” Dex studied them from head to toe and then strode toward the invisible line of their territory.

“But you trust me enough to offer me a permanent job.”

“No one in the Corp knows what I am,” Dex told them. “That mystery keeps them in line.”

That and the fact that he was too fast, too strong, and had way too much magic for them to ever question him.

“Okay fine, then why are you with her if you think she can’t handle this ‘mystery,’ hm?”

Dex didn’t answer and checked his watch. Only a few more minutes and they’d be here.

Should he take the risk?

“Because I can’t stay away from her, and at this point she’d gut me if I tried.”

“She sounds perfect for you.”

He glanced over his shoulder and gave the witch a look. “Can we get this show on the road or what?”

“Look, it’s none of my business, but clearly you have unresolved trauma.

” Sam pulled the kit out of their purse and walked over to him.

“And you’re letting it cloud the present.

Resolve it, or you’re going to lose the one thing in your life that seems to make you actually happy.

I’m a witch, I can see it in your face so don’t try to deny it. ”

Sam knelt on the ground and started pulling out the items, arranging them just so.

Witch magic was strange to watch but it was incredibly versatile despite its limitations.

“Unresolved trauma seems like a bit of a stretch,” Dex muttered as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“You’re afraid she won’t like what she sees when, and if, you ever let her see the ‘you’ you’re afraid of. Tell me I’m wrong.”

Dex glared as they started the spell. “That or I’ll kill her.”

Sam stopped what they were doing and looked at him over their shoulder. “Feral, are we?”

“That’s one way to put it, but even that’s too tame. This ‘mystery’ isn’t something I can control once it slips the leash.”

The witch shrugged and went back to the spell. “Does she know about it?”

“Yes.”

“Then she consented to whatever danger she might be in. So stop being a baby.”

Was it really that fucking simple?

Dex felt like an idiot, but a huge part of him just couldn’t stand the idea of her being in danger because of him. As her partner he should be able to have her back, protect her if she needed it, and control himself if he was the danger.

Maybe he should try to find someone to help him do that.

It would have to wait until the borders were open again, and Dex had no idea how to find another angel, or a fallen angel, who wouldn’t turn him in or try to kill him on the spot, but it was better than guessing or using trial and error if her life was on the line.

“It’s not exactly unresolved trauma,” Dex muttered, tilting his head as he heard the van pull up. “But there is something I need to take care of. Thanks, Sam.”

“Hey! Your jacket!”

“Keep it.” Dex got back on his bike and slipped his helmet on. “I’ll scout the borders. Call when you’re done.”

He texted the orders to the team and waited for them to get out before leaving.

Agmos was a demon and he’d taught Dex how to wield that side of him just as flawlessly as any weapon, but he’d always made excuses about the other half.

All that Dex knew about his angel was through the books he’d found in the study and those hadn’t been all that helpful.

The hell realm had more than a few fallen angels, but that meant crossing dimensions which would no doubt bring his presence to the attention of Lucifer.

Dex wasn’t sure what the prince of hell would do to him. Maybe nothing.

Angels didn’t always fall into hell though. There could be some on earth. All he had to do was find them.

If he could figure out how to control his angel side, then he could use the full extent of those powers without sliding into that emotionless abyss where all connection to his soul simply…disappeared.

Dex had to figure out how to be the partner Nova deserved. His angel side couldn’t be a threat to her, or this was never going to work.