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It entranced my gaze.
It piqued my curiosity.
Instead of wanting to bash the demon's head in with my bat, I was overcome by the desire to ask him questions; to hear his story and find out why he followed but never attacked. Even I didn't understand the sudden shift in my usually straightforward motives.
I froze mid-step, the grip on my bat impossibly tight. And then the two beside me slowed. Both glanced my direction before looking off towards the alley. But the figure wasn't there.Hewasn't there. He hadn't ghosted away, not like the others. This one moved differently. Even without blinking, he was there one minute and gone the next. Like a mirage.
Like I'd hallucinated the bastard.
"Something over there?" Aidan asked when I didn't move.
Staring, I addressed my friend slowly. "That demon."
"The one from the other night?"
Ty's entire demeanor changed. I liked to call it “Fight Mode Activated” because it was like flipping a switch. He was less of an asshole when he fought because his sole objective was to take down a demon and not annoy the shit out of me with his never-ending complaints. In fight mode, Ty fought the way I did.
"A demon? Did you sense it?" Ty asked, on guard.
I finally slid my gaze away from where the demon once stood and regarded the two men beside me. "I never feel this one."
Ty's expression darkened. "You're joking, right? You have to be fucking with me. You sense every demon we encounter."
I did. Always.
This demon was the first I hadn't felt, and I didn't know what it all meant. The only theory I could muster out of the fucked-up situation was he was older and stronger than any other demon I’d encountered, so his abilities meant I never sensed him.
Aidan didn't take his eyes off of me. "We're going back. I'm sending another team. It’s too risky to have you here."
"I told you she should've stayed back!" Ty argued, rage inflating his chest.
My bat ached to smack the asshole upside the head. Just a little love tap to reorganize his thoughts a bit. But I fought back the desire with another sickly-sweet smile.
"I vote the dead weight stays back next time," I clapped back, bat pointed at Ty. "In case you forgot, I'm stronger than you and a hell of a lot more qualified to be out here. If anyone should hang back, it's you."
"But you're a loose cannon and a liability!" Ty shouted, earning himself a scornful glare from Aidan. "Tell me I'm wrong. Tell me we're not already compromised by whatever demon's stalking her because she refuses to stay under the radar and listen to reason."
Aidan sighed deeply and rubbed circles into his temples. "Cheers, but this is neither the time nor place, Ty."
Satisfied, I lowered my bat and walked back the direction we’d come from. "I'll go home.Tonight. But sooner or later, I'll have to track down this asshole following me around."
Aidan chuckled low in his throat, though his eyes expressed a seriousness that didn't fit his laughter. "We'll do the necessary recon. Might have to raid the older generation archives to figure out what sort of demon we're dealing with."
Ty scoffed, finally letting his complaints rest. "You don't mean what I think you mean."
"It's necessary to take a little risk this time. Something tells me we're dealing with a demon far older than we've ever been put up against. Most of them don't bother doing the dirty work themselves. They send lesser demons in their place. Whatever this demon wants, it's bad for us."
Ty offered me an accusatory glare. "No surprise it's her fault we even have to deal with it."
My lips tilted up violently. "Do something about it then, Ty. Bet you won't."
Ty postured for a fight as his jaw clenched so hard it could crack bone. "I'm game."
A hand touched my shoulder, and I stole a glance at Aidan. His smile was gentle but full of subtle reprimand. "That's enough from both of you," he said, voice dropped low in warning. "Stand down."
Anyone else and I would’ve knocked them on their ass. But Aidan was different. Anything he said and did burrowed deep into my practically non-existent conscience and revived long-forgotten guilt.
I lifted my hands in surrender, bat dropped down in a show of good faith. "I got it. I won't do anything. Let's just go back and be done with this."
