Page 6 of Firefly

She stopped at the door to Simon’s room and knocked.

In the silence that followed, she huffed out a breath and knocked louder.

“Don’t ignore me, Simon.”

When there was still no response, she pushed the door open, letting it swing wide.

The room was dark, his bed neatly made. A single sheet of paper lay in the corner where his writing desk sat.

Rebecca,

How can I explain?

The words were crossed out. Below them, he had started again.

Where can I start to tell you everything that has befallen me?

Those words were crossed out, too. After a few more scratched-out sentences, she scanned the page to the last words.

Please forgive me.

Chapter 5

Simon

Simon leaned into the shadows, listening. After more than a year of hunting, he knew where to find them. They scoured back alleys and dens of iniquity. Hovered outside brothel windows and near gambling clubs. Where the darkest denizens dwelled, that was where you would find demons.

A cool wisp of smoke leaned into his back, making his lip curl.

“Would you mind giving me space?” he growled.

Astaroth slid back, floating on a dank breeze. He wasn’t close enough to touch Simon, but his presence drowned out the other demons in the area.

“I can’t hunt if you’re hovering.”

Astaroth sighed dramatically and moved back several feet, giving Simon room to let his senses go to work.

The sound of fists pounding into flesh in a nearby gaming house, money clinking into a palm as bets were exchanged, and catcalls from the nearby brothel window melded into the cacophony of sounds drifting on the breeze.

A soft sniffle caught his attention, and he stilled. While he tended to fidget when idle, something predatory overtook his senses when prey was near.

His limbs went taut, every muscle coiling in preparation.

The sniffle came again, followed by a small moan, and the smell of sulfur grew stronger.

He sprang into action, moving at a speed even a demon couldn’t outrun. In moments, he was on the dark thing, canines lengthening as he tore through the partially corporeal form, finding the sweet essence below.

The demon gave a startled cry before she thrashed wildly, attempting to shake him off. He sucked harder, draining her, and in moments she dissolved into nothing, leaving only a woman lying crouched against the wall.

She looked up, terror in her dark eyes.

“It’s alright. You’re safe now,” he said, holding out a hand. She flinched back, and he knew without looking that Astaroth had arrived. “He can’t harm you while I’m here.”

She cast her gaze over his shoulder at the insidious creature at his back.

He turned, showing Astaroth his teeth, and the demon backed up, hissing. He stalked toward him, backing them out of the alley.

Astaroth raised both hands, his form dissolving around the edges. “Sssimon, Alesssander will be dissspleased if I tell him of your heroicsss.”

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