Page 54 of Fallen Demon

I gaped at Levi’s feverish demon form. I had been alone last night. Or had I? Had Levi been close the entire time? And when mountain lions got too close to me while I slept, he killed them all?

My heart tugged.

I took off my jacket, held on to it, released my wings, and took to the skies.

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I soared high,so I could see as far as the forest allowed me. But there was only green everywhere I looked.

I had to fly around a little, until finally, I spotted a town in the distance, along the Red River's bank to the south. I flew low and directly to it. When I was close, I dove into the trees.

I landed outside of town, in a wooded area, and I put on my jacket to hide the holes in my shirt.

Since I had no money on me, I found an ATM at a gas station, shocked it with my magic, and withdrew a nice sum.

I felt bad about stealing, and I made a mental note to atone for my sins after this whole ordeal was done.

If it ever was done.

With cash in my pocket, I went into the local pharmacy and bought a little of everything—ibuprofen, gauze, tape, Neosporin, and even needle and thread. I also bought a bottle of water, and those reusable totes so I could carry it all.

The lady behind the counter watched me, not hiding her suspicion. She tried talking to me, asking me where I was from, when I got into town, where I was staying, why I was here, and more.

“I’m just passing through,” was all I said.

I did see her cell phone tucked into the pocket of her apron and thought about asking to borrow it. I could call Thea. They would come, take Levi, lock him in a cell, and treat him like a criminal, at least until I was able to bring him back.

And he was hurt. I knew they could heal him with magic, but for some reason, I didn’t want to share this. I didn’t want to share him. Not yet.

Beside the pharmacy was a bakery. I couldn’t resist stopping there and grabbing a couple of croissants, donuts, and muffins. I was starving and Levi would be too, once he healed. I even ordered a to-go cup with coffee, though I knew it would be cold by the time I got back to Levi.

I stepped out of the bakery and almost ran into a man. Men actually.

“Hey there, doll,” one of them said, smiling. He reeked of alcohol. He had a golden tooth right beside a missing one.

I glanced at the handful of men in front of me. They ranged from twenty to forty-something, and they all looked like they had spent the night out, drinking.

I stepped back, allowing them to walk in.

The golden-toothed man gestured for me. “Ladies first.”

Knowing I could kick their asses if they tried anything—or at least I could spill boiling coffee on their heads—I walked past them. They kept their gazes on me the entire time.

“Need help, doll?” another one asked. This one had cropped black hair and a nasty scar on his right temple.

“No, thanks.” I kept going, my steps faster and faster.

The men stood in front of the bakery, holding the door open, watching me as I put distance between us.

I turned a corner and let out a long breath, relieved those creeps were far behind now. I glanced side to side as I made my way back to the wooded area. The sun was higher now, but I flew low and held my coffee.

Thankfully, it didn’t spill.

I landed beside Levi and noticed he hadn’t moved an inch.

I knelt beside him and placed the bag down with all the supplies. I started working. I grabbed five tablets of Ibuprofen, placed them in his mouth and spilled a little of the water down his throat. He coughed, growled in his delirious stated, but swallowed.

Then, I used the water to clean the blood around the wound, which actually proved to not be as bad as I first thought. Once the dried blood was gone, all that was left were three long gashes across the side of his waist, which weren’t too deep and had already stopped bleeding.

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