Page 26 of The Secret Life of a Witch

“Really?” He seems surprised.

“I had a hunch I’d need it,” I explain, slipping my hand into my pocket.

He waits for me to embellish. When I don’t, he turns and leads us into the warehouse. Hunter stays close behind me as we make our way down a narrow hallway lined with electric lanterns and framed skull paintings.

“Are you sure you can trust this guy?” Hunter whispers, his mouth so close that his lips kiss my earlobe.

I bite down on my bottom lip to suppress a moan threatening to escape. “Yes, I’m pretty sure.”

“Pretty sure?” he questions. “That doesn’t sound very convincing.”

“Pretty sure, if close to one hundred percent sure.”

My gaze wanders to the flickering chandeliers hanging from the low ceiling. Power shortage? It could be from the storm. However, there are a few other things that suck energy away from objects. One being a demon.

I screech to a halt as I reach the end of the hallway, warning flags popping up everywhere. And for a good reason.

Standing in the center of the rounded room is a guy with dark hair, piercings ornamenting his face, and glowing red eyes.

My heart hammers in my chest.

The demon from the park.

EVALEE

Hunter’s fingers circle my upper arms as he prepares to yank me back behind him when Evan sticks out his hand.

“You don’t need to freak out. I promise he can’t hurt you.” He approaches the demon with zero caution and lifts his hand as if to pat the demon. Instead, his hand knocks against an invisible force. The air ripples like water and the demon’s eyes flame as he nips at the air. “It’s locked in an invisible cage,” Evan explains, dropping his hand to his side. “I assure you that it can’t escape.”

Hunter makes no move to release me from his death grip. “Sure, it is. That’s why it attacked us in the park today.”

Evan’s forehead creases. “That impossible. I’ve been here all day, and I can assure you that the demon hasn’t left the cage.”

“He’s not lying,” I tell Hunter while eyeing the demon. “Either it escaped without you knowing, or there’s a demon running around that looks exactly like this one.”

The demon targets his gaze on me and lowers onto all fours, snarling.

Evan stays in Confusion Land for a handful of seconds before realization crosses his face. “Oh, he’s mirroring. Interesting.”He circles the cage, and the demon turns, his red eyes tracking Evan’s every move. “I didn’t know you could do that. Clever.”

“What’s mirroring?” I ask, stepping forward, but Hunter digs his fingers into my arm as he tows me back.

“No way. You’re not going any closer until we figure out what’s going on.”

“Yes, boss,” I mumble, obeying and staying put.

“It’s when a demon can manipulate his appearance to look like the last demon someone saw.” Evan stops circling the cage, keeping his gaze glued to the rabid demon. “To me, he looks like an ugly, little troll. To you, he looks like the last demon you laid eyes on.”

Huh? So, he’s not the demon in the park, but just making himself look like him.

“Well, hedefinitelydoesn’t look like an ugly, little troll to me,” I say automatically, picturing the sexy but extremely annoying demon that cursed me earlier.

Hunter coughs from behind me. “Get a grip over yourself. That guy in the park was ademon.”

“I know that,” I tell him, my cheeks warming. “That doesn’t mean he was ugly.”

Hunter sighs audibly while Evan appears confusedly amused.

“Anyway …” I clear my throat and change the subject. “Why do you even have a demon?”

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