Page 73 of One Bad Knight

In the present, Kat’s eyes rolled into the back of her head as the demon inside her crowed in glory, destroying her from the inside out. The entire study shook from its power.

Kat was right. I’d been trying to use my powers like a killer. I viewed my own abilities as the power of destruction, but I’d never viewed them as creation, though I secretly longed to.

What if for once I tried to gather my magic from a place of healing rather than destruction?

Instantly my hands lit up with warmth, and I felt something spark and flow inside my core, like a golden waterfall that was never-ending. Lifting my hands, I brought them up to Kat, and focused on healing the parts of Kat that were wounded.

The shaking in the room ceased.

Kat’s eyes snapped back to me, still engulfed in black. Her voice came out layered with that of the demons. “You cannot. You are the darkness like me. You will destroy her. Hurt the one person you love.”

I ignored the demon’s words and felt my way into Kat’s energy and focused all of my being on healing her. The demon had slipped into the cracks of her soul, where the pain had gathered.

“No, what are you doing?” The demon’s voice grew panicked.

Suddenly I was swept in an energy that was the most natural feeling in the world to me. And I realized how unconsciously I’d used that energy on Kat, healing her scrapes and wounds, and even pouring warmth into the cold broken bits of her soul when needed.

Kat’s head jerked back and forth as her body began to seize.

Wanda raced forward and grabbed her niece from behind, holding her up, trying to steady her. Bear ran into the room as well. He paced back and forth as if wanting to help but unsure what to do. Eventually he stood up and placed his paws on Kat’s chest, also helping steady her spasms.

Then I found it. The energy of the demon. It felt like a fractured wound. So, I did what felt natural, and I healed the energy.

The demon’s scream was entwined with Kat’s. Instead of the dark mass of energy shooting out of her body, I felt the demon’s darkness disappear as I transmuted it into light. I kept going until it had all but disappeared.

Kat slumped in Wanda’s arms. Her aunt laid her down on the floor. I rushed over to Kat’s side. Bear licked her face, then went to lie on her legs, looking up at her face with apparent anxiety. Wanda lifted one of Kat’s eyelids. Instead of blackness, her eyes were brown again.

“Is she going to be okay?” Wanda asked me, anxiety tight in her tone.

“I believe so.” Kat had to wake up and reassure the both of us.

Kat groaned. “Did I fall asleep in a bubble bath again?”

A grin broke out on Wanda’s face. “Guess she’s feeling okay.”

I barely heard her as Kat’s eyes fluttered open and looked up into mine. In a second, I had her in my arms, holding onto her tightly.

And then I did something I hadn’t done since I was eleven. A tear ran down my cheek, as I gripped her fiercely. “You’re mine and I’m never leaving again. I don’t care if I don’t deserve you.”

Wanda quietly got up and retreated, pulling out her phone to make a call.

Kat pulled back, brushing my tear away with her thumb. She wore a soft smile of wonder. “You are pure magic, my renegade angel.”

“I love you,” I said. Then I kissed her softly, as if she might break.

Kat cried as she clutched my face to hers. Her salty tears mingled with our lips. “I love you,” she said into my mouth. “I always have. I couldn’t stop loving you if I tried. Please don’t leave me again.”

“Never,” I said, punctuating the promise with a kiss. Then I said it over and over again, kissing her each time as well to imprint it on her.

Bear ran around us in a frenzy, licking my face and then Kat’s until we pulled Bear into the embrace. I realized I loved the mutt. Loving this big dog had been as easy as finding my true source of power. I marveled at how for the very first time in my life, things could be effortless. Once I let love in, it became the easiest thing in the world to do.

The sound of someone groaning broke our moment. Dave rubbed the back of his head, starting to sit up. Before I could get up and deal with him, a white tennis shoe stomped on his chest, forcing him back down. Wanda stood on his chest with one foot while she spoke into her phone. “Yes, I’d like to report a supernatural crime. You got a department for that yet? You do? Perfect. Send the cops. Tell them John Hart is dead and his sons need to be arrested.”

32

Kat

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked Gatsby. We snuggled on the massive sectional in my pink sweatpants and black tank top. I snuggled farther into both Gatsby’s hard, warm chest and the big faux fur blanket wrapped around us. The party ended with the shocking news of my uncle’s death, and they all witnessed the public arrest of my cousins.