Page 18
E IGHTEEN C AMILLE
The worst of my sickness seems to have passed a few days later. My energy still isn’t at one hundred percent, but I can’t keep spending all day in bed if I want it to improve—that goes for my health and my hunter skills.
After a shower, I throw on my comfiest sweats and shoot Harper a text to see if we can catch up. No more than five minutes later, my phone rings.
I answer it on speaker so I can finish making my cup of tea. I’m still slightly dehydrated, and my throat is a desert, so I’m downing as much liquid as I can.
“ Camiiiii ,” Harper sings into the phone. “How are you feeling?”
“Better,” I say, taking a sip of my tea to coat my throat. I set my mug on the coffee table, then pull a blanket off the back of the couch, draping it over my lap as I sink back into the cushions. “Things were…really shitty, to be honest. I’ve never felt that awful.”
“Geez, babe. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to take care of you.”
“It’s okay,” I’m quick to say. “Noah was actually really helpful.”
“He took care of you, then?”
I ignore the warmth that fills my face. “Um, yeah.”
“Weird tone,” she muses. “Did something happen?”
Blowing out a breath, I pluck at the blanket. “Not really. I just wasn’t expecting him to be so, I don’t know, caring? It was kind of nice to see that side of him, considering he’s annoying me most of the time or barking orders at me in training.”
“Right,” she murmurs.
“ Anyway ,” I say pointedly. “I didn’t want a call to talk about Noah.”
“Fair enough. Whatcha wanna talk about then?”
I chew my bottom lip, grasping for a way to explain what happened while I was in what I thought to be a fever dream. “Are you sitting down?”
“Uh, should I be?”
I cringe. “Probably.”
“Okay, you’re starting to freak me out.”
“This is a conversation I wish we could have in person, but I don’t think it can wait. I can’t keep it to myself, or it’s going to drive me crazy.”
“Uh-huh. Not making me feel any better over here. What’s going on?”
I take a deep breath, then blurt, “I saw Xander.”
Silence stretches between us.
“Harper?”
“I know,” she finally says. “He told me after he was there. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything to him about you being sick. I really didn’t think he’d get on a plane and go there.” With a sigh, she adds, “I guess I should have realized he would.”
“Don’t apologize. It was hard to see him but also, um, enlightening?” My pitch increases as if I’m posing it as a question.
“Care to explain that?”
I hesitate, unsure how to dive into the whole soulmate thing. The longer the line is quiet, the more I overthink it.
“Cami, the silence really isn’t helping me stay chill.”
“Sorry. I’m still processing this so I’m not entirely sure how to talk about it.” I take a deep breath, then swallow past the emotion threatening to clog my throat. “Xander is…or, um, was …my soulmate.”
Now she’s the silent one. Finally, she says, “What did you just say?”
“Yeah. Soulmates. Wild, right? I had no idea they were even real until I lost mine.”
“I never believed they were real, but I guess it makes sense for you two. And for people like my parents or Phoebe and Grayson.”
My lungs constrict at the thought of them—of Harper’s parents and our friends, all lost in the war against demons. “I think so, too. It’s at least part of what drew me to Xander and made it so impossible to walk away, even when I knew I should.”
Harper exhales heavily. “But he—”
“Doesn’t have a soul anymore,” I finish for her. “I know. Our bond broke when he killed Lucia.”
“When he…” She trails off, cursing under her breath. “I can get on a plane today. Just say the word, and I’ll ditch class and throw some shit in a duffel bag.”
“It’s okay,” I insist. “As much as I miss you, I just need to throw myself back into training and keep trying to move on.” Even as I say the words, part of me knows how impossible they are. There’s no moving on. Especially not when there’s so much unresolved with Xander.
“You don’t expect me to believe that, do you?”
I sigh. “I’m still trying to get myself to believe it.”
“Are you going to tell Noah?”
My eyes widen. “I don’t know.” Why would I? None of it affects my training, so I’m not sure there’s any reason to tell him I had and lost my soulmate. I’m trying not to think about it—and failing miserably. “He hates Xander so deeply, and telling him about my celestial connection to him won’t help that.” Considering the mere thought of talking to Noah about anything involving Xander is kicking my pulse up, that’s something I’m definitely going to avoid.
“That makes sense.”
“And it took everything to keep him from killing Xander while I was sick,” I add, cringing at the memory.
“Wait a minute. Noah knew Xander was there with you?”
“Oh. Um, yeah. After they puffed their chests at each other, they took care of me together.”
“Holy shit,” she says. “Talk about a hot fever dream.”
“Not helping,” I mutter. “Plus, ew . Your half-brother, remember?”
She groans. “Still trying to forget.”
I lean back into the couch cushions. “Right. So, by that I take it you don’t want to talk about how things are going between the two of you?”
“Thank you for asking. Seriously. But no.”
“Okay,” I say gently. “But you know whenever you want to talk about it, I will put aside whatever I feel about him and be there for you, just like you always are for me.”
“I know and I really appreciate that.”
I smile, though she can’t see it. “Of course.”
“I suppose you’re freaking about this whole soulmate thing, huh?”
I exhale a laugh, but it’s forced and shaky. “Pretty much. Because if I lost my soulmate, is that it for me? Do I only get one? Can I even be truly happy with someone else?”
The myriad of questions prompt a deep spiral into dark thoughts I’m wholly fighting to avoid. I didn’t learn about the existence of soulmates until I lost mine, and if that isn’t a monumentally cruel joke from the universe, nothing is.
Harper sighs. “Well, that answers my question of whether or not you believe in soulmates.”
I pause, closing my eyes and letting out a slow breath. “I do. I wish I didn’t, because maybe that would make this easier, but I do. And I have no idea what to do about that.”
“You do whatever you need to be okay. I have your back no matter what, you know that.”
“Thanks, Harper.”
“And I expect a daily check-in from here on out. Even if it’s just a quick text. Okay?”
“Of course,” I say. “But back to you. I don’t want this to just be about me.”
Harper laughs softly. “I would very much rather it be.”
I frown despite her not being able to see me. “What’s going on there? Should I be worried?”
“No need to worry. Promise.”
I reach for my mug, taking another drink of tea and hoping the peppermint will help settle the unease in my stomach. “Harper—”
“Look, I have to head out for training, but we’ll talk later. I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
With a sigh, I concede. “Thanks.” I’m not going to get Harper to talk about something she doesn’t want to. She’s even more stubborn than I am. “Talk soon. Love you.”
“Love you more,” she says before ending the call.
It takes another full day before Noah agrees to let me train again. Once he clears me, we head to Ballard early in the morning and go into the main building for a group class.
After warming up, I walk toward the middle of the room where the rest of the class is congregating.
“Hey, Camille,” Sierra says. Today she’s dressed in a matching soft pink workout set and black sneakers, her hair twisted into two French braids that fall just past her shoulders. She offers me a warm smile, putting me at ease instantly, and at that moment I realize why.
She reminds me of Phoebe.
“Hey,” I say in greeting and return her smile.
“We missed you in class the last few days.”
“Thanks,” I tell her, slightly caught off guard. When I decided to return to training, the last thing I expected to do was make friends. That said, I’m grateful for the kindness Sierra has shown me. She likely has no idea just how much.
“I have to confess something,” she says in a near-whisper as Noah walks around the perimeter of the room while the rest of the class finishes their warm-ups.
My brows shoot up my forehead. “Oh?”
“After we spoke the other day, I asked around about your family.”
I stare at her, my stomach sinking, then repeat, “Oh.”
Sierra’s expression falls. “I’m sorry! I didn’t think anything of it, but when you told me who your parents are, I couldn’t help myself.”
I nod slowly.
“Can I ask you something?”
I blow out a breath. “Sure, I guess.”
“What brought you back to the organization?” she asks in a gentle, almost hesitant voice.
“She was fucking the prince of hell,” a deep voice cuts in before I have a chance to respond, snagging my attention as a black-haired guy who can’t be much older than twenty squares up with me. “Sorry, I should have said, the king of hell.”
My eyes narrow as my muscles lock up. “Excuse me?” Who is this guy? He clearly knows who I am…I resent the tears burning my eyes and threatening to spill over. I want to fight back, but my fight or flight has kicked in and rendered me useless in the fight department. My lack of skills would likely be a detriment.
“You shouldn’t be here,” the guy sneers, his hazel eyes blazing with a wild mix of distrust and anger that has my gut twisting uncomfortably.
“What’s Cody talking about?” Sierra asks, concern etched into her previously soft features.
I turn my attention to her, hesitating before I say, “I was in a relationship with Xander Kane before I knew who he was.” And somewhat after —but they don’t need to know that.
She blinks in surprise, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth as her gaze shifts between me and Cody. “Oh, um, that’s—”
“Irrelevant to today’s exercise,” Noah cuts in, and I stiffen at the sound of his voice at my back. “You’re with me,” he snaps at Cody. “Let’s go.”
The smugness drops from the trainee’s face, replaced by a nervousness that makes my lips twitch. He walks away with Noah, and I exhale a low breath, waiting for Sierra to bail.
“He’s such a dick,” she says, readjusting her ponytail.
“Cody or Noah?” I ask with a faint grin.
Sierra chuckles, bumping her shoulder with mine.
With the class paired up, Noah uses Cody to demonstrate each drill, and I find likely too much enjoyment in watching the guy get his ass handed to him over and over in front of his peers.
I expected some of the trainees to be less than thrilled to share a class with me, but I can’t say I was prepared to handle a direct attack like Cody’s. That was probably naive of me.
I’m glad the rest of the session is uneventful. I focus on each drill, practicing my footwork and blocking as Sierra goes on the offensive, and then we switch positions.
By the time we wrap up, my limbs are noodles, and I feel as if my entire body is covered in a layer of sweat. While I’ve never looked forward to a shower more in my life, I also feel a sense of accomplishment. I caught Noah watching us a few times, and the pride in his expression spurred me on, making me feel as though I’ve made genuine progress despite the setback of getting sick.
“What are you doing later?” Sierra asks as we head out of the training room.
I swallow a mouthful of water from my bottle. “Not sure. What’s up?”
“A few of us are going to grab pizza at Two Boots in the East Village.” She shrugs on her jacket, zipping it up. “You should come.”
I chew the inside of my cheek, glancing sideways at her as we make our way to the entrance of the training facility. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.” She shoots me a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, Cody isn’t invited.”
Nodding, I say, “I don’t want to cause any issues.” I wasn’t expecting any social invites. I’m not here to make friends. Though if we’re going to keep doing group exercises, it might be a good idea to at least be friendly with the rest of the trainees.
Sierra waves away my concern. “It’s not a problem.” She keeps walking toward the front doors, pausing to look back when she realizes I’m not beside her. “Aren’t you coming?”
“I got a ride with Noah, actually. We live in the same building.”
“Oh, that’s convenient.”
I laugh. “Not the word I’d use, but sure.”
She walks back to me, pulling her phone out. “Here. Send yourself a text so we have each other’s numbers, and we can meet up tonight.”
I take it and send a quick message before handing it back.
“Awesome!” She slips her phone into her pocket and smiles at me again. “See you later.”
“See you later,” I echo before she walks away. I wander back to the training room to find Noah, pausing outside the door when his voice reaches me. It’s deep and harsh, and I press my lips together when I realize he’s talking to Cody.
“…I suggest you focus on the reason you’re here.”
“I am,” Cody insists. “That doesn’t change the fact that she shouldn’t be. How do we know she isn’t a spy for the demons?”
“That’s not your concern.”
“Evidently it’s not yours, either.”
“Watch it,” Noah snaps. “You disrupt another class of mine, and you’re out. Do I make myself perfectly clear?”
There’s a stretch of silence before a low, very reluctant, “Yes.”
Tension unfurls in my chest at Noah standing up for me. I’m not entirely sure why he felt the need—I can take care of myself just fine—but I can’t ignore the piece of me that is grateful for it.
I feel weirdly… protected .
Heavy footfall makes me quickly shift back from the doorway seconds before Cody storms through it, throwing a vicious scowl in my direction.
I have a crude retort on the tip of my tongue, but bite it back as Noah walks out, catching my gaze.
“He’s not worth it, Cam.”
“I know,” I force out, glancing after him despite myself.
Noah claps me on the shoulder, and I wince at the ache in my overexerted muscles. “Come on,” he says with a chuckle. “I’ll take you home.”
I stare at myself in the bathroom mirror after drying my hair and applying a bit of makeup. I’m not sure if I’m trying to talk myself into going tonight or trying to talk myself out of it. I don’t know who besides Sierra is going and I don’t bother asking, considering I don’t know anyone’s name anyway.
She texted to make sure I was coming, and I didn’t want to let her down by bailing. Especially when she’s the first potential friend I’ve made since reenrolling at Ballard Academy—because Noah most definitely doesn’t count.
As it gets closer to when I need to leave, I find myself pacing, tidying random things, even fluffing the couch cushions. I’m doing anything to keep busy enough to prevent my thoughts from sabotaging me into thinking tonight is a bad idea. These are new potential friends. I should be excited to hang out with them, and I am. But there’s also a voice of doubt that refuses to leave me alone, trying to convince me these people will never actually want to be friends with the girl who fell in love with the devil.
I stop in the middle of the kitchen, pressing my hand to my chest and swallowing past the sudden dryness in my throat. I fell for Xander before he became king—before I knew he was a demon. Even after the way we met, it didn’t take long for feelings to develop, and while I could easily over-analyze why it happened that way and drive myself crazy, it won’t change anything. And that makes the chasm in my chest feel bigger with every breath.
When I walk into Two Boots at the corner of Avenue A and East Third Street, I’m immediately overwhelmed by bright red booths, teal, mosaic-decorated walls, and the mouthwatering aroma of freshly-baked dough and of cheese. My stomach growls, reminding me I didn’t eat nearly enough for lunch after this morning’s vigorous workout.
“Camille!” Sierra’s friendly voice snags my attention from the glass case of pizzas, and I find her in a booth across the room with some of the other trainees from this morning, a few girls and a couple of guys.
I swallow my nerves and approach them, wiping the dampness from my palms on my pants and forcing what I hope appears to be a pleasant smile as I offer an awkward wave. “Hey, everyone.”
Sierra smiles at me before going around the table and introducing me to each person. No one immediately seems upset at my presence, and the guy Sierra called Paul slides out of the booth and offers me his seat, while he grabs a chair from a nearby table. He has soft brown eyes and matching floppy curls—definite teddy bear vibes, which really contradicts the whole demon hunter thing.
“Thanks,” I tell him with a more relaxed smile, then add to everyone, “I’m Cami.” I glance around the booth as they introduce themselves.
Sierra sits across from me, and beside her is a girl with chest-length, straight black hair and purple glasses named Zara. On her other side is Wyatt, a thick-muscled guy with sandy blond hair, tied back at the nape of his neck. He offers me his hand when I sit, and I reach across the table to shake it.
Sitting across from Wyatt is a girl who looks closer to my age named Florence. She leans forward to shoot me a grin and says, “Call me Ren.”
The last trainee is Brynne, who sits to my right. She’s a curvy redhead, though her hair is darker, a cherry red, whereas Sierra’s is more of a burnt orange.
With the introductions out of the way, we order a variety of pizzas to share. Wyatt all but demands a meat lover’s, while Zara politely orders a vegetarian, which seems to amuse him as he rests his arm along the top of the booth behind her. I’m not sure why I’m surprised to find a demon hunter who doesn’t eat meat, but I remind myself there are plenty of reasons for someone to choose that lifestyle. None of which affect me or my choice to devour slices from both kinds of pizza.
We chat about training as we stuff our faces with cheesy goodness, and I find it shockingly easy to feel as if I belong here. To pretend, at least. All my worrying from earlier feels insignificant now. I don’t think I’ve had so much fun since…the last date Xander and I had. The moment the thought crosses my mind, my stomach dips, and I press my lips together at the memory.
By the time our group walks out of Two Boots, it’s well after dark. Wyatt, Brynne, and I head down the sidewalk as I zip up my sweater against the chilly evening air. The others headed in the other direction toward the parking garage a few blocks away, while we opted for the subway. The street is quiet, save for the distant sirens, which are a constant in the city that I’ve quickly gotten accustomed to.
“I’m glad I came tonight,” I say in a casual tone. “It was really nice to meet you guys.”
Wyatt offers a wide grin and drops his arm around Brynne’s shoulders. “You say that like you’re surprised.”
Casting him a sideways glance, I laugh. It’s so genuine the sound is almost foreign, but it brings a pleasant warmth to my chest. “To be honest, I sort of am. Not everybody is super keen on me being around.”
Brynne frowns. “Yeah, I heard what Cody said.”
I clench my jaw, waiting for her to mention something about my relationship with Xander. About how awful and delusional I am for being with him when I was.
But she doesn’t. Instead she says, “I suppose I can understand where the reservations lie, but he didn’t need to be a dick about it.”
Wyatt snorts. “Pretty sure that’s his default personality.”
I only nod along, because what else am I supposed to do? I understand the others’ reservations, but there’s not much I can do about them. I can’t change who I am or what happened. As much as I wish I could.
“Anyway,” Brynne drawls. “We’ll see you at training tomorrow, right?”
“Absolutely. I—”
A deep, marrow-chilling growl cuts her off, and Wyatt throws himself in front of her seconds before a demon charges into my line of sight from behind a row of parked cars. My stomach drops as I get a flash of his appearance in the dim streetlight—olive-toned skin, short salt and pepper hair, and an unfortunate tweed suit jacket. In human years, I’d guess late forties. Of course he moves with a preternatural speed that’s impossible to track, so he’s mostly just a blur of beige.
Oh, for the love of —I reach for where a dagger should be before I realize I’m not actually a hunter, and those daggers we got to hold in training are safely stowed at the academy.
Wyatt rears back and catches the demon in the jaw. It makes a sickening crack, but the demon only cackles, amusement darkening his gaze. He makes no effort to put an end to this encounter quickly. He wants to play with his food , a warning voice whispers in the back of my mind, entirely unhelpful.
“Fuck,” Wyatt growls, reeling back and shaking out his hand. “Do either of you have—”
“No,” I snap, my heart thumping in my chest so hard I can feel each rapid beat in my throat. “We should go. Yeah, we should definitely run.”
Never run from a demon. They relish the chase.
“Cami, you know—”
“What else are we supposed to do?” I cut Wyatt off.
He continues facing off with the demon, who dances around as if he’s savoring the moment before he attacks and shreds us all to ribbons. And the knowledge that he very easily could makes my blood run cold.
My muscles lock up, making each movement jerky, and the ground beneath my feet feels harder somehow, as if I’m not wearing shoes. Fear does weird things to your perception, and I don’t have time to analyze why my body feels all out of whack right now.
I slowly make my way around the demon while his attention is snared on Wyatt. If I can tackle the monster from behind, maybe— just maybe —the three of us can take down this one demon. Damn, I wish I had more confidence in my abilities, but I really am the newest of newbies in this arena. “I don’t know how long you two have been training, but I’m definitely not prepared to go up against—”
The demon launches forward, swiping out with dirty, claw-like fingers, and Wyatt barely ducks in time to avoid a nasty gash across his throat. He kicks the demon’s legs out from under him, but before he can get his fingers around the demon’s throat, it head butts him in the face.
Wyatt yelps in pain as blood sprays from his nose and he falls backward, hitting the pavement. He holds his hand to his face as red leaks through his fingers and scrambles upright, but the color is drained from his face, and he sways on his feet.
The demon straightens, peering between Brynne and me, and my heart stops. He grins slowly, and I see death in his all-black eyes. No matter what I do, there’s a very good chance none of us are going to make it out of this alive.
Terror steals the air from my lungs as Brynne steps closer, her shoulder bumping against mine. We’re both breathing hard and fast but neither of us are running away. I think we both know the moment we turn our backs on this monster, we’re dead. My hands shake at my sides, and I ball them into fists. If this is it, I refuse to go down without a fight. And despite the fear clinging to my skin like a film, one fleeting thought brings me a semblance of comfort in the midst of it all.
I’m going to see my sister again .
A sharp whistle to the side captures the demon’s attention as well as the rest of ours. Wyatt mutters a breathy, “Thank fuck,” as relief floods through me at the sight of Noah crossing the lot toward us, wielding a dagger and a downright wicked grin.
Okay, I can kind of see the ‘hunter god’ thing as he gets closer, and now is not the time to be staring at him. Though, evidently, he’s not as concerned with this demon as the rest of us are. And considering he has a weapon that can destroy the monster, I suppose that’s fair.
The demon turns his back on us, cackling as he saunters toward Noah. I start moving without fully realizing what I’m doing. I throw my arm around the demon’s neck from behind, hauling him backward, then jump on him, using my full body weight to take him to the pavement, where I smack his head against it. A low growl rumbles through him as Noah closes the rest of the distance between us.
“A little help here?” I nearly snarl at him, struggling to keep the demon beneath me. I squeeze my thighs, using every ounce of strength I have to hold him down.
Noah’s voice is far too easygoing when he says, “I’m kind of curious to see where this goes.”
“Do not fuck with me right now, Daniels.”
“You seem to be doing just fine.”
“I swear to—”
The demon bucks me off, and I fall to the side, wincing as the pavement bites into my skin through my sweater. Noah sighs, and I scowl at him.
Within seconds, the demon is in my face, wrapping his fingers around my throat and squeezing until I gasp.
Everything happens so fast.
Noah yanks the demon off me, then steps closer, offering me the dagger. “Earn it, and you can keep it,” he says as he pulls another out of the inside pocket of his jacket. Wyatt and Brynne hang back, I guess figuring they’re not going to be much help without weapons.
I take the dagger as Noah moves with a lethal grace to swipe his outward, slashing the demon across the cheek. It hisses in pain, baring its mouthful of fangs, and charges at Noah, who dances out of the way. The two of them go head-to-head, both getting in some nasty blows. When Noah skids across the pavement and loses his bearings, the demon flashes in front of him, catching him by the throat and knocking the dagger out of his grip.
I’m moving forward before I can think about it, my grip sure and my target locked in. There isn’t a moment of hesitation in my muscles as I slam the dagger into the demon from behind. The obsidian blade slices too easily through skin and muscle as I hold my breath and grip the hilt so tightly my knuckles turn white.
A sickeningly guttural sound fills the air as he whirls around, and I yank the dagger out of his back only to slam it as hard as I can where I hope his heart is as nausea ripples through me. The demon’s all-black eyes go wide, nearly bugging out of his face, and then it turns to ash at my feet, the dagger clattering to the pavement as I stand there gasping for breath.
Wyatt and Brynne holler their praise from behind me, but I barely hear them over the rushing of blood in my ears. The pressure in my chest tightens to a near unbearable amount, and I shake my head as my sight starts to get fuzzy. Nausea floods in now and I hurry across the lot, slipping between two buildings to keep myself out of view just before I empty the contents of my stomach onto the ground.
My throat burns when I swallow, and I suck in a sharp breath as someone gathers the hair from around my face, holding it back. I relax slightly the moment Noah’s scent reaches me but I still shove him away, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.
“I’m fine,” I grit out.
He lets out a harsh laugh. “Right. Forgive the fuck out of me for trying to make sure you’re okay. What an ass I am.”
My stomach drops, and I stand there staring at his chest as my heart pounds in mine. I exhale a shaky breath. “I’m sorry, okay? I’m not used to you taking care of me.” The absolute last thing I want is to look weak in front of Noah. I don’t even want to think about what’s going through his head at me getting sick after killing a demon.
He steps in closer, dipping his chin and lowering his voice. “There is no shame in this. The moment taking a life becomes easy is when I’m going to start worrying about you.”
I lean against the cool brick exterior, tipping my head back to look at him. “I get to keep the dagger though, right?”
The corner of his mouth kicks up, and he reaches into his back pocket, retrieving it. “I should tell you no, considering you ran off without it, but here.” He hands it to me, and I slide it into my sweater pocket.
“Come on. Let’s go home.”
Let’s go home .
The words land oddly in my chest, trapping the air in my lungs for too long before I can force out, “Where’s your car?”
“Just a few blocks over.”
I nod slowly. “Why? I mean, what were you doing out here?”
His expression doesn’t change. “Patrolling.”
Arching a brow, I say, “Right. You just so happened to be patrolling where I was hanging out.”
“Something you want to ask me?”
Warmth spreads through my cheeks despite the cool night air. “You’re keeping tabs on me.”
“Is that a question?” His tone is laced with an irritating mix of amusement and condescension, and I roll my eyes.
“I guess it’s a good thing you were here,” I mutter.
“Sure, but you did pretty well yourself.” His eyes lighten with something akin to pride. “You’re going to be the talk of the class tomorrow.”
My eyes widen, and I immediately shake my head.
“Relax,” Noah says before I can speak. “I asked Wyatt and Brynne not to say anything before they took off.”
The rigid lock on my muscles lessens, and I nod. “I’m not trying to make a name for myself here, Noah.”
“I’m aware of that,” he says in a level tone. “Now, can we go, or do you want to keep hanging out in this alley that suddenly smells like vomit for some reason?”
I punch him in the shoulder. “Asshole.”
We don’t say much in the way of talking about what happened on the drive home, which I’m thankful for. Instead of leaving me in the elevator, Noah rides up to my floor and walks me right to my apartment.
“I’m here. I’m alive. You did your ever-so brave duty. You can go home now, thank you.”
He folds his arms across his chest, holding my gaze. “Do you want to talk about what happened?”
I frown, hesitating before I ask, “Tonight or the other day when you went all macho guy?”
“Why do I get the feeling your answer is the same for either?”
“Maybe you’re more perceptive than I give you credit for, Daniels.”
He nods, lips quirking. “Got it. Well, offer stands.” He starts to turn away, then pauses, looking at me again. “It doesn’t have to be me, but it should be someone.”
I nod as I pull my keys out and unlock the door, stepping inside.
“Cam?”
I turn back to Noah, my brows lifting in question.
“We need to report the demon attack to HQ, and I think you should be the one to do it. Call Rachel and explain what happened. I’m sure she’ll be pleased to hear it from you—considering it was your hunt.”
Panic strikes me at the speed of light. “Oh no.” I shake my head for extra measure. “Can’t you just say you did it? I really don’t want to make this a bigger thing.”
He slides his hands into his pockets. “I get it. But we have to handle it by the book.” His voice softens when he adds, “It’ll also help your reputation within the organization for people to know you’re taking things seriously.”
I hate the idea. More so, I hate that he’s right.
With a heavy sigh, I say, “Okay, I’ll call her.”
He shoots me a smile as he turns to walk back toward the elevator. “See you in the morning.”
I close and lock the door, then fall back against it, briefly closing my eyes as I let out a heavy sigh.
What a fucking day.
I pull my phone out to get the conversation with my mom over with, sighing when it goes to voicemail. She’s probably asleep already. Instead of leaving a message, I end the call and try Harper.
“ Helloooooo ,” she sings into the phone. “You’re up late.”
“Yeah…”
“What’s with the weird tone?” Concern fills her voice. “Did something happen?”
“Uh, well, I went out with some people from training tonight, which was fun, but when we left the restaurant, there was sort of a demon attack.”
“Sort of?”
I walk to the couch and drop onto it, propping a throw pillow under my head. “Okay, there was a demon attack, and I…killed the demon.”
There’s a stretch of silence on the line, and if I didn’t hear Harper breathing I’d think the call dropped.
“Fuck. That’s really intense,” she finally says. “I’m sorry, babe. Were you hurt?”
“No. I…I’m fine.”
“Are you though?”
“Not really,” I answer honestly.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“Not really.”
“I understand,” she says. “If you decide at any time that you do, I’m just a call away. I don’t care what time it is.”
“Thanks, Harper,” I say, my bottom lip trembling as my eyes burn. “You are the best friend I could ever ask for. I appreciate you so much.”
“Don’t worry, babe. I know. And right back at you. Get some rest, and we’ll talk tomorrow, okay?”
I sit up, swallowing past the lump in my throat. “Sounds good.”
We hang up, and I get off the couch, walking into my room. I leave my phone on the nightstand and slip into the bathroom to shower before bed.
The moment I step under the hot spray of water, I can’t hold back tears. They fall down my cheeks as my shoulders shake, and I choke when I try to stifle a sob. The pressure in my rib cage has me sliding down the shower tile wall until I’m sitting on the floor, pulling my knees to my chest.
I’m still crying when the water loses its warmth nearly an hour later. I’ve been so overwhelmed by everything since Xander killed Lucia three weeks ago, and it’s all I can do to let out the emotions I haven’t been able to deal with otherwise.
After I turn off the shower and get ready for bed, I send my mom a to-the-point message.
Hey, Mom. I don’t remember the official procedure for submitting information about a demon attack, so please consider this my report. I was with a group of other trainees tonight at Two Boots in the East Village and ran into a demon when we were leaving. Noah showed up and gave me a dagger which I used to kill the demon. No one got seriously hurt and I’m home now, just heading to bed. If you need any other information, let me know, but otherwise, I would really prefer not to discuss it. And please don’t tell Dad. I want to do that myself.
I switch my phone to silent and leave it face down on my bedside table. I figure I’ve given my mom the pertinent information and let her know I’m safe, so anything else can wait until my head doesn’t feel like scrambled eggs.
Sleep doesn’t come easily once I’m under the covers. I’m not sure how long I spend tossing and turning before I finally drift off.
When I open my eyes to find myself standing on the quiet sidewalk near Two Boots, my jaw clenches tightly as my gaze drops to the obsidian dagger in my hand.
Because living this nightmare wasn’t enough .
A deadly growl snaps my attention upward, and I narrow my eyes at the tweed-wearing demon I killed mere hours ago. His mouth is full of fangs and twisted into a sadistic grin, and his eyes are completely black.
Soulless.
He lunges for me, and I stumble back, gripping the dagger tighter as my pulse kicks up.
This isn’t real.
I’m dreaming.
It doesn’t matter. I’m not about to let this monster get the best of me.
He cackles maniacally. “You have no idea what you’re in for, princess.”
I grit my teeth against the nausea swirling in my gut and fight the urge to roll my eyes at the cliché line.
Thunder crashes overhead, and I suck in a breath. The demon uses that opportunity to advance once more, but I refuse to let myself lose focus, even as the skies open and rain pours down on me, chilling me to the core. As soon as he gets close enough, I aim for his rotted heart as I slam the dagger into his chest for the second time.
He snarls in pain, gasping for air as rainwater spills down his cheeks and blood as black as his eyes stains the front of his shirt. Except he doesn’t turn to ash like he should.
I blink quickly through the downpour, trying to focus my vision, my panic cresting as the demon before me changes.
A scream tears its way up my throat when the demon on the other end of my dagger is no longer the unknown one I killed.
It’s Xander.
Table of Contents
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- Page 18 (Reading here)
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