front of me, tensed, readying himself for the attack,
another growl, deep and guttural, echoed from the deepest corners of the universe.
With a ferocious snarl, Artemis jumped out of nowhere and ripped through the guy as
he leapt forward. His physical body drifted forward, then landed with a hard thud,
skidding across the floor, while the demon shrieked and writhed beside it under the
attack of my guardian. Its teeth clamped down on Artemis’s neck. Its claws swiped
at her back. She let out a yelp, but kept at it, her head shaking the agonized demon,
her teeth tearing until a blackness, like a gaseous blood, seeped out, crept along
the floor, then dissipated just like the demon itself.
I spared a quick glance at my attacker. No doubt about it this time. The man was dead.
His eyes stared at nothing, fixed and lifeless.
Then Artemis turned toward me, lowered her head, bared her fangs, and let another
guttural growl rumble out of her chest. And I thought we were friends. But Reyes had
turned around as well, and damned if he didn’t do the same. I got that feeling of
insecurity, like when I had something stuck in my teeth. Only they were looking over
me, just past my head.
That’s when I felt the cold desolation of hatred at the back of my neck, and I knew
there was another one. I looked up and into the vacant eyes of the boy in the Slipknot
hoodie. He was much smaller than the Hulk, but his curious determination, and the
saliva dripping off his chin, was no less scary. Just as he pitched toward me, Artemis
shot across the floor and bolted straight through him like a dart. She tore the demon
out of him and proceeded to maul the thing to its smoky death.
The boy dropped the second the demon left him. He curled into a ball, and that’s when
recognition hit. It was the kid from my backseat. The kid I thought was dead. His
blond hair was matted and dirty. His blue eyes somehow darker. Had the demon occupying
his body sent his soul somewhere else? Maybe there wasn’t room for the both of them.
I blinked in startled realization until Reyes lifted me off the ground. Again. Being
manhandled by the son of Satan was getting old, but I was too weak to do much about
it. He started dragging me toward the door once more.
“Wait,” I said, fighting his hold. “Get the boy.”
“No.”
With a jolt of stubbornness, I twisted and jerked out of Reyes’s grip. He stopped
and glared.
“Fine. Glare, glower, scowl, I don’t care, but I am not leaving this warehouse without
that kid.” When Reyes crossed his arms over his chest, I continued. “He was possessed.
An innocent boy.”
Artemis leapt up to me then and barked playfully. I kneeled down and nuzzled against
her before looking up at Reyes again, thrilled that she hadn’t attacked him.
“Why would they choose a boy like that?”
“They have their reasons. The same reasons you need to leave.”
“Can he be possessed again? Will they come after him again?”
He looked back in thought. “It’s possible.”
I rushed over to the boy, knelt down to push his hair back from his dirty face. Artemis
came over and tried to lick it. When she realized she couldn’t, she hunched down beside
him. “How can we make sure they don’t?”
Reyes knelt, too, and checked the kid’s pulse. Artemis seemed completely uninterested
in him until he reached for the kid. “They can’t touch him on hallowed ground,” he
explained as Artemis scooted forward and licked his wrist.
“Really?” I asked, surprised by both the information and Artemis’s reaction to him.
I was worried that since he was the son of Satan, she’d try to rip out his jugular.
“You mean like churches and cemeteries?”
“Yes.” He offered her ears a quick rub, then turned the kid’s face up and lifted his
eyelids. “He’s in shock.”
“We have to get him to safety.” I put a hand on his forearm. “Please, Reyes.” Artemis
whined as
another growl, deep and guttural, echoed from the deepest corners of the universe.
With a ferocious snarl, Artemis jumped out of nowhere and ripped through the guy as
he leapt forward. His physical body drifted forward, then landed with a hard thud,
skidding across the floor, while the demon shrieked and writhed beside it under the
attack of my guardian. Its teeth clamped down on Artemis’s neck. Its claws swiped
at her back. She let out a yelp, but kept at it, her head shaking the agonized demon,
her teeth tearing until a blackness, like a gaseous blood, seeped out, crept along
the floor, then dissipated just like the demon itself.
I spared a quick glance at my attacker. No doubt about it this time. The man was dead.
His eyes stared at nothing, fixed and lifeless.
Then Artemis turned toward me, lowered her head, bared her fangs, and let another
guttural growl rumble out of her chest. And I thought we were friends. But Reyes had
turned around as well, and damned if he didn’t do the same. I got that feeling of
insecurity, like when I had something stuck in my teeth. Only they were looking over
me, just past my head.
That’s when I felt the cold desolation of hatred at the back of my neck, and I knew
there was another one. I looked up and into the vacant eyes of the boy in the Slipknot
hoodie. He was much smaller than the Hulk, but his curious determination, and the
saliva dripping off his chin, was no less scary. Just as he pitched toward me, Artemis
shot across the floor and bolted straight through him like a dart. She tore the demon
out of him and proceeded to maul the thing to its smoky death.
The boy dropped the second the demon left him. He curled into a ball, and that’s when
recognition hit. It was the kid from my backseat. The kid I thought was dead. His
blond hair was matted and dirty. His blue eyes somehow darker. Had the demon occupying
his body sent his soul somewhere else? Maybe there wasn’t room for the both of them.
I blinked in startled realization until Reyes lifted me off the ground. Again. Being
manhandled by the son of Satan was getting old, but I was too weak to do much about
it. He started dragging me toward the door once more.
“Wait,” I said, fighting his hold. “Get the boy.”
“No.”
With a jolt of stubbornness, I twisted and jerked out of Reyes’s grip. He stopped
and glared.
“Fine. Glare, glower, scowl, I don’t care, but I am not leaving this warehouse without
that kid.” When Reyes crossed his arms over his chest, I continued. “He was possessed.
An innocent boy.”
Artemis leapt up to me then and barked playfully. I kneeled down and nuzzled against
her before looking up at Reyes again, thrilled that she hadn’t attacked him.
“Why would they choose a boy like that?”
“They have their reasons. The same reasons you need to leave.”
“Can he be possessed again? Will they come after him again?”
He looked back in thought. “It’s possible.”
I rushed over to the boy, knelt down to push his hair back from his dirty face. Artemis
came over and tried to lick it. When she realized she couldn’t, she hunched down beside
him. “How can we make sure they don’t?”
Reyes knelt, too, and checked the kid’s pulse. Artemis seemed completely uninterested
in him until he reached for the kid. “They can’t touch him on hallowed ground,” he
explained as Artemis scooted forward and licked his wrist.
“Really?” I asked, surprised by both the information and Artemis’s reaction to him.
I was worried that since he was the son of Satan, she’d try to rip out his jugular.
“You mean like churches and cemeteries?”
“Yes.” He offered her ears a quick rub, then turned the kid’s face up and lifted his
eyelids. “He’s in shock.”
“We have to get him to safety.” I put a hand on his forearm. “Please, Reyes.” Artemis
whined as
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