On the ride back to the apartment, I wondered what went wrong. My power worked on Zack, burned a hole right through him. Why didn’t it do the same to the other guy?
Now I’m going to be looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life.
Rufus brought the van to a stop outside the building. “I know it didn’t go like we hoped tonight, but at least we’re all still alive.”
I was sure he meant it to sound positive, but I didn’t feel like celebrating right now.
“Yeah. Look, if you guys can give me that potion, I’ll get out of your hair.”
Donavon looked at me. “What? You didn’t help us get the demon. Why would I give you the potion?”
“You promised.”
“No, I said we’d give you the potion if you helped us get the demon. He got away.”
“That’s not my fault. If you two…”
“Guys!” Rufus yelled. “Please stop.” He reached into the back of the van and handed me a small vial.
“Don’t give her that,” Donavon muttered.
“Anna, this will dampen your power for a few days. At least you can relax knowing no demons will be coming your way. When it wears off, and everyone calms down, we can all talk.”
I stared at the bottle. “I need a permanent solution.”
Donavon opened his mouth to protest, but Rufus cut him off. “We can discuss that in a couple of days.”
“Fine,” I muttered. At least I’d be safe for a while. But there was no way I was fighting anymore demons for them. I was done.
Taking the bottle, I climbed out and closed the door. It had been a long night.
Watching them drive away, I wondered why they were so obsessed with all of this. Killing demons every day was so dangerous and no life for anyone. I mean I knew that Donavon lost family, but did that make this some vengeance kick for him? What about Rufus? Was he along for the ride or did he have his own reasons?
Not my problem.
Glancing up and down the street, I shivered. I couldn’t stand out here all night.
Glad to be back home, I headed inside and down the hall to my door, wanting nothing more than to curl up in bed with Percival. As I put the key in the lock, I glanced down the hall toward Lola’s place. Light spilled out into the hallway, her door was open.
I bet she’s been waiting up for me.
Since I didn’t want to worry her, I headed to her door to let her know I was back. We could talk in the morning about anything else.
“Hey, Lo,” I called, pushing the door open.
I found her staring back at me, eyes wide in fear. The demon from the alley had his arm around her throat.
“Ah good, you’re here,” he said. “Now the fun can begin.”
Heart thudding in my chest, I tried to think what to do. I couldn’t use my power on him with Lola in between us.
“How did you find me?” I asked.
He grinned at me. “Followed a trail of magic. Then your scent led me to her. Is she your roommate? Girlfriend?”
“Best friend. Please let her go.”
“Why would I do that?” he asked, tightening his grip.
Lola whimpered. “Anna, what’s going on?”
“It’s going to be okay, Lo. Just stay calm.”
The demon could kill her in a heartbeat, I needed to do something. If I could get her out of the way, then maybe I could use my power to hit him again. Only this time I’d make sure to finish him off.
“Take me in her place. Please. We can go to my apartment, it’s just down the hall.”
The demon cocked his head to the side. “Why would I do that? See, I don’t like being hunted, witch. I will kill you, but first, I want to make you hurt.”
He twisted Lola’s head sharply to the side and a loud crack sounded. Her body dropped to the ground. A scream echoed around the room and it took me several seconds to realize it was coming from me.
“Now you,” he said.