Page 39 of Unbound

Xavier rushes forward, stabbing blindly toward the floor over and over. If anyone walked in on us right now, we would look absolutely insane. I summon every bit of magical strength I can and channel it toward the demon, trying to take telekinetic hold of him. The second I connect with him, confusion slams into me.

I sway. Leo grabs my shoulder before I fall. I grunt with effort, feeling like I’m trying to hold up something impossibly heavy as I maintain my grip on the demon.

“He’s right there,” I force out, straining from the effort. Xavier speeds over. I can’t tell exactly what he’s following, but I think he’s watching the trail of blood. Then, with one precise movement, he brings the dagger down. The blade sinks into the demon’s back. A horrible screech echoes through the entire building. Then the demon goes limp.

“Holy shit,” Leo says, lowering his knife in surprise. “I can see it.” Whatever hold the demon had on me disappears instantly. I shake my head, clearing away the dizziness and confusion. “That is one ugly motherfucker.”

Xavier pulls the knife from the demon’s back and stabs him several more times. Then he straightens and nudges the body with his foot.

“Are we sure it’s dead?”

“Keep stabbing him,” I suggest with a shrug. “For good measure.” Xavier drives the knife into the back of the demon’s skull. When he pulls it free, thick black blood splatters across his face.

“Fuck” I breathe. I lift a hand to rub my forehead, forgetting I’m wearing a ridiculous amount of makeup. At this point, I don’t care if I smear it across my entire face.

At least for once, I’m not the one covered in blood.

We gather around the demon, and Xavier uses his foot to roll him onto his back. At first glance, he looks almost human. But there’s something undeniably otherworldly about him.

“What are we gonna do with the body?” Devon asks.

“Normally,” Leo begins, “we burn whatever’s left.”

“That seems like a really good way to get caught,” Devon points out.

“No body, no crime,” I say, making a face. “Technically, if they tested these remains, they wouldn’t come back as human anyway. The best a lab could probably determine is that it’s some sort of bizarre animal hybrid.”

“Oh. Yeah. I guess that makes sense.”

“Leave this to me,” Xavier says with a sigh, wiping the knife on his pants. He looks at me.

“You all right?”

“I’m fine. I mean, talk about the blind leading the blind, right?” I glance down at the dead demon. “Okay. One down. Possibly, like, eleven to go.”

“Hey,” Leo says. “Let’s just celebrate this little win tonight. I think we could all use it.”

“Yeah.”

He’s right. Leo texts the others to let them know we killed the demon while Xavier and Devon wrap the body in plastic they find among the construction supplies. We shove it into a closet and head back the way we came. For one brief second, I’m naive enough to let myself believe the danger is over.

The second we step outside, that illusion disappears.

Sirens cut through the night. Two police cars are waiting for us. Several officers stand with their guns drawn. Governor Richards is behind one of them, practically using the officer’s body armor as a shield. He points straight at Xavier.

“Arrest him!”

Chapter

Thirteen

Ifreeze. For the first time tonight, genuine terror roots me to the spot. I have no idea how we’re getting out of this. There’s a body inside the building behind us that looks human enough to create some serious questions.

And Xavier held someone spellbound on live television. That’s illegal. His entire campaign was built around the idea that he was a vampire the public could trust. And tonight, he demonstrated the exact thing everyone feared he was capable of doing. Worse, it exposed his age.

The documentation he filled out had been deliberately vague, exactly like that reporter accused him of not long ago. If anyone realizes he lied, it could cost him everything.

“I’ll handle this,” Xavier says. He steps forward, slowly raising his hands.