Page 7 of Firefly

Simon smiled, letting his sharp teeth glint in the lamplight. “Not if I drain you first.”

Astaroth went translucent, only his face and arms still visible. “I would be back eventually.”

Simon’s smile widened. “I never tire of imagining ways to end you.”

Astaroth dissolved into the shadow along the wall. “Sssave her, but don’t think I won’t tell Alesssander.”

Simon turned, not waiting for the demon to say more, and rushed back to the woman leaning into the wall, holding her side. He wrapped an arm around her waist gently and pulled her up.

She stiffened under his touch but didn’t pull away.

They moved through the darkened street in silence. Although her gait was slow, the limp heavily pronounced, she never said a word, resolute in her determination, until they reached a cracked, wooden door.

What began as shaking hands quickly morphed into tremors that racked her small frame.

Simon’s mood darkened. He’d thought the demon had been the one to injure her in that dark alley, but her terror after all she had endured spoke of a different kind of monster. He glanced down, truly looking at her.

She was little more than a girl, sixteen at most, and her clothes hung off her frame.

His grip tightened, and the tremors racking her body intensified.

He loosened his hold, working to get his emotions under control. He would get her to safety and return to deal with the monster.

“Do you trust me?” he whispered, knowing she had no reason to trust anyone in her life. She bit her lip and nodded. “Good.”

It was all he said before he scooped her into her arms and darted into the night.

He stopped outside the Convent of the Sacred Heart and set the girl down beside him. She leaned into him, peering up at the gray spires stretching toward the inky sky. Her tremors had subsided, but she was breathing hard, her pulse thrumming in her veins.

The allure of that pulsing heartbeat was strong, reminding him of the taste of human blood. The way their essence felt rushing through him. Even those who had been infected by demon rot held such immense life.

Where demon essence curbed his craving for hours or, at best, a few days, a human’s blood sated his desire for weeks. It felt different going down.

He swallowed against the thought, leaning away from the girl.

She slouched into him, unsteady on her feet.

“You’ll be safe here. The nuns who run this convent will look after you,” he said, giving her a gentle push forward.

She stumbled, catching herself before she fell, and took one step up the stone path before glancing back at him.

He nodded encouragingly, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

She knocked on the door, wrapping her arms tightly around herself. The door creaked, soft light spilling out. When she looked back, he was gone.

Chapter 6

Simon

Simon would be punished for helping the girl and draining the demon rather than bringing it back to Alexander, but it was a small price to pay if it chipped at his blackened soul. It was a typical night for him. These many months, he’d saved countless poor souls from demons of all kinds, but he always ended the night with a catch.

He would drag the demon back to Alexander, and Alexander would begin the work of extracting its essence to prolong his own life.

He always sent Simon away for that part, explaining they were meant for Rebecca—to save her. But she was weaker each time he saw her, while Alexander only seemed to grow more youthful and vibrant.

Simon had learned the truth on a night when Alexander had been too caught up in his casting to notice the creature lurking in the corner, watching. He had tried everything to escape the hold Alexander had on him after that, but nothing worked.

The spells binding him were ironclad.

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