Page 31 of Unbound

“Okay. I can meet you there,” she says. “I’m still downtown. A bunch of us went to grab food after the pack meeting.” I shift my gaze toward Xavier. I know he wants to get as much information out of Delphi as Larkin wants her to get out of me. The relationship between the wolves and vampires has been precarious at best for the last century or so, and if it weren’t for Larkin’s questionable yet seemingly blind faith in me, I think things would’ve blown up between them weeks ago.

“Citizens can watch from the hall,” I tell her. “I’ll meet you out front as soon as we’re done.”

“Okay. Sounds good,” she says and we end the call. Xavier and I are dropped off around the back of City Hall. We meet with Governor Richards, and he and Xavier exchange a few quiet words while I hang back, waiting for the rest of the family to arrive.

Everything else flows like normal.

We’re seated off to the side with Governor Richards’s family while Xavier and the governor take their places near the podium, answering questions and speaking to the public.

The nerves along my side prickle, and I sit up straighter, inhaling as a cloud of negative energy fills the air.

“Everything okay?” Antonio asks.

“You don’t feel that?”

“Feel what?”

“Demonic energy.”

We’re seated off to the side but still clearly visible to everyone in the crowd. Xavier is in the center of the stage, talking into the microphone. Governor Richards stands next to him with a practiced look of concern on his face.

I try not to be obvious, but knowing I can sense something means I can’t ignore it. I lean forward, scanning the crowd. Then I let out an audible gasp when I see it.

Chaos demon.

Chapter

Eleven

He appears almost human, with messy, long gray hair and a face like wrinkled leather. He’s wearing a brown tunic with matching linen pants. I don’t understand why nobody else is reacting. He looks seriously out of place as he walks down the row of reporters.

“Holy shit,” I whisper.

Theo, several feet away, looks over at me and gives me the side-eye.

“Keep it together,” he says through gritted teeth.

“I would,” I say back, smiling as the crowd claps and cheers at something Xavier just said, “but the demon is here.”

“What?” Antonio exclaims. I’m thankful for the crowd’s reaction because his voice gets lost in the noise.

“You can’t see it?” I ask, still smiling as I clap. “It’s standing in the middle of the room.”

“I don’t see anything,” Leo says.

“I don’t either,” Mabel replies. “Are you sure it’s here?”

“Positive.” And now the demon is looking straight at me. He laughs, then starts walking toward the stage. I spring to my feet, my hands flying out defensively.

“What the hell are you doing?” Theo growls, reaching for me.

But it’s too late. He pulls me back down right as the demon rushes over to Governor Richards. It stops behind him and whispers something in his ear. Nobody reacts. Not even Xavier.

Am I the only one who can see the demon?

Governor Richards stiffens. Then, without warning, he grabs the microphone from the stand and starts whacking himself in the face with it. I stand there horrified, transfixed, watching everything unfold. The demon laughs and runs back into the crowd, disappearing into the sea of reporters. Xavier takes the microphone away from Governor Richards, who immediately starts smacking himself in the face with his own hands. Xavier easily subdues him and holds him spellbound.

“Calm down,” he commands.