Page 8 of Darkness Defined

“My thoughts exactly.” Oliver’s eyes narrowed as his attention returned to me. “You’re nothing special. You’re just some overgrown toe rag no one wanted, and a coward to boot.”

My anger grew as the insults hit me, pulsing like a living thing, eager to escape and tear him apart.

“Scared little chicken shit is what you are.”

The world went black.

Where other people saw red, I saw darkness, pure and all-consuming; it was everywhere; it was everything. The first time it had happened, I’d freaked. It had only lasted a moment, but it had been enough to leave me shaking and terrified. That had been a long time ago, and I wasn’t the same scared little kid. My focus zeroed in on Oliver. He thought he was tough shit because his hands were made of fire, but he’d have to catch me first. I didn’t wait to see if the others would listen to his high-handed command. I rushed him where he was too busy gloating to realize I’d moved.

“What the fu-” Oliver started in disbelief.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rufus flying towards me. He almost sideswiped me, but instead ran into Khima on the other side, who I hadn’t even realized was approaching.

Pay attention. This is no time to lose track of people.

Oliver braced himself for impact, the flames on his hands growing into large spheres that encircled his fists. At the last second, I changed my course, heading for Scylla instead. She’d already proved she didn’t have to touch me to hurt me. If I even had a chance of taking down Oliver, she’d have to go as well.

Scylla’s eyes lit with panicked rage when she finally saw me coming. Before she could react, I was behind her. She seemed genuinely startled, but it was too late. I grabbed her by the arm and flung her back. She soared across the courtyard to slam into the wall back by the door.

For a moment, I almost lost my concentration. I’d never thrown anyone that far before. Then Rufus was bearing down on me again, those unnerving teeth ready to tear me apart. I searched the ground for something to put between me and his mouth of razors.

Then I spied it. In the dark, it looked like only a shadow, but it was definitely club-shaped and that worked for me. It was cool to the touch as I wrapped my fingers around it and fell into a batter’s stance. Once Rufus was in range, I swung with all I had. As the miraculous club slammed into his mouth, confusion exploded across his face.

Time stretched as the momentum of his assault met the force of my swing. Then he, too, went flying. I didn’t see where he landed. Oliver’s head swiveled around like he couldn’t believe what was happening while Khima tried to get back to her feet. In the distance, it sounded like Scylla was also recovering. I was running out of time.

I renewed my run for Oliver, my feet pounding on the pavement. He looked far less confident now. Shame it never occurred to him he couldn’t see anything with all that fire in his face. Ironic really.

Abruptly, my steps slowed as if I was trudging through molasses instead of open air. That had to be Scylla. I pushed through, determined to finish Oliver before she could finish recovering.

I should’ve hit her harder.

The resistance vanished as suddenly as it appeared and I sped through. Oliver was thoroughly alarmed now and searching among his fallen friends for help.

Who’s the chicken shit now?

When it was clear no help would come, he squared off, his flames growing to outrageous heights. With the fire blinding him, there was no way he could see I wasn’t running up the middle anymore. I smiled to myself. This had almost been fun. They’d lasted a lot longer than most.

I couldn’t even see Oliver anymore amidst the orange and red plumes, but it didn’t matter. A few more feet and this whole thing would be over.

Without warning, the two of us rose off the ground like giant hands had picked us up. I struggled to no avail against the unseen hold. Oliver shouted and his flames went out. The night instantly plunged back into darkness.

I blinked several times to eliminate the afterimage from his inferno. When my vision finally cleared, there were two figures by the door we’d come out of who knew how long ago. As they stepped forward, I saw one was Smith, and the other was a woman.

For a second, I thought she might be another menacing Mary Ann, but something told me she didn’t belong at Superno House any more than I did. Whoever she was, she was definitely the reason I was hanging six feet off the ground, unable to move a finger. And she was just like me.

“Smith, what part of ‘don’t let the demons fight’ sounds complicated to you? It’s basic preservation.” Her words dripped with sarcasm and the barest hint of a Southern accent. “The place may be warded, but all it would take is one curious pedestrian.”

“We only sent the missive yesterday when we realized we couldn’t identify his race. You weren’t supposed to be here for another month,” Smith protested.

“I’m a Shadow Demon, Smith. Try to remember that. Not some snot-nosed brat you can tread all over. When I asked for your cooperation, I had no idea I was resigning myself to work with an incompetent, self-righteous, pompous, son of a…” Her tirade snapped off and she took a deep breath. “Let’s try this again. Does he know?”

“Know what?”

“For Nyx’s sake, Smith. Does he know what he is?” she asked, the essence of put-upon exasperation.

Smith darted an anxious glance toward me and wrung his hands. “According to him, no. I suspected he might be lying, but he seemed genuinely shocked by everything here. Honestly, I don’t think he knew about supernaturals at all before this afternoon.”

“And yet, he single-handedly took out an Ick Demon, a Sprite, a Spiculo, and a Fire Demon. Impressive.” She gave me an appraising look while I tried to parse out what the hell she was talking about. “Do you mind?” She gestured to the air in front of her.