Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 90630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
“You’re going after him?” Delphi grabs my hand.
“I am. You want to know who’s bringing drugs into the city? He might have our answer.”
All the wolves look at me, confused, but I don’t waste time. We already know a lot of deaths from possession are being covered up as overdoses, and I suppose that’s the most logical thing a medical examiner can come up with when they don’t know demons exist. Tossing my hair back, I follow after the demon, heels and pink, satin dress not slowing me down.
“Hey!” I shout after him when he bursts through the automatic doors going from the hotel lobby to the street. I jump over a suitcase and dodge around the doorman, not giving up the chase. The demon turns, eyes inked over, and throws out his hand, like he’s trying to hit me with a ball of energy, but nothing happens.
Looking panicked, he changes course and zigzags around a woman pushing a dog in a stroller, going right toward the edge of the sidewalk so he can run into the street.
“Oh, not again,” I say to myself. Magic sizzles around my fingers, but this time a different kind of instinct comes over. Instead of conjuring a bright ball of energy that will burn like a taser, I push the energy from my hand and it hits him like an invisible wall, throwing him sideways telekinetically.
He stumbles and trips, crashing into a handicapped parking sign on the sidewalk. I catch up and grab his arm, twisting it behind his back. Demons don’t react to pain, but if the human they’re possessing is still alive, they will very much feel everything if we can get an exorcism done. I hook my foot behind his knee and sweep. He drops hard to the sidewalk.
Instead of fighting me, the demon goes limp and the man’s eyes lull back as his head flops to the side. He slumps quickly to the ground, and the sheer weight of his body pulls his arm out of my grip. Realizing he’s unresponsive, I step back, not trusting that the demon won’t pop back into action and either try and get away or try to hurt me.
“Hey,” I repeat, going on the off chance the man took over pushing the demon to the back of his mind and regaining temporary control. Then his body shudders. Thick black sludge leaks from his eyes, sizzling in the air and evaporates into a dark vapor. The smell of sulfur surrounds us.
My mouth falls open in surprise. “What the fuck?” I mutter to myself and crouch down, shaking the man. His skin is warm to the touch and he looks otherwise healthy. While I don’t know the extent of the internal damage done by the demon, by the looks of it, I don’t think he’s been possessed for long.
“Are you okay?” I ask, giving the guy another shake. My purse is still inside where I left it in the booth so I’m going to have to ask someone else to call 911, which probably is a good idea. I’d rather not my name spoken within the police department twice in one day.
Delphi and James come rushing down the street, sliding to a stop just feet from us.
“Is he dead?” James asks.
“No, I don’t think so at least,” I answer and Delphi drops down, tipping her head.
“His heart is beating really fast.”
People start to gather, and a man says he’s calling for help. I get to my feet and start to take a few steps back when a woman who says she’s a nurse hurries over. I look around, scanning the face of everyone passing by. Why does it have to be such a nice fucking night out? The street is too busy. The demon could have jumped into anyone.
“Holy shit,” Delphi exclaims. “You went after that demon with the confidence of a barefoot, tweaked out Florida man confronting a gator on the freeway.”
“You’re like a real life Van Helsing,” James brings his hands to his face and shakes his head, eyes wide as he stares at the unconscious man on the sidewalk. “Only you’re married to a vampire instead of hunting them. It’s funny, really, how they don’t make vampire hunter shows anymore since vampires came out of the coffin. Sorry, I talk when I’m nervous.”
I raise one shoulder in a shrug. “There are worse habits than talking.”
The man on the phone with the emergency dispatcher turns and looks for me. And that’s my cue to go.
“Come on,” I say and motion for Delphi and James to follow me back into the restaurant. The doorman of the hotel looks at me incredulously.
“How did you…” he starts, looking at my feet, needing to make sure he saw what he saw, which is a seemingly normal woman in three-inch heels jumping over a suitcase and then proceeding to tackle a full grown man to the ground.