Page 78 of Death Wish

“Not sure about that. It’s been happening on and off for a while. I can’t control it. It’s like a malfunctioning light switch,” I replied. “But that’s not the only thing. Do you remember the white light I zapped Laurence with back at your shop?”

She nodded.

“Not only do I have the ‘touch of death,’ but now I can blast demons back to Hell with the light. Which is new.”

“Is it a reaper thing?”

I shrugged. “No clue. But it’s come in handy more than once these past couple of days.”

“So why did you come here?” Kay asked.

“For you.” How to explain this to her without freaking her out? “You’re not safe here.”

“I thought that was the entire reason I was here. To keep safe.”

“Now that the veil is thinning between worlds, demons and spirits and God knows what else are running amok. There’s nothing holding them back anymore, and they don’t have to wait until the solstice. Xaver is looking for you and whoever else he managed to knock up and will drag you back to some Hell dimension until that baby comes.”

Kay turned pale.

“I need to get you out of here. I was able to kick Xaver’s ass before, and now that I’m more in control of this new power, I think Cole and I can protect you more than these vamps.”

Even though horror stayed planted firmly on Kay’s face, she nodded, seeming to understand.

“We have the herb, Cole’s fire, and a place on Holy ground to perform the ritual. The only part we’re missing is the blood of the damned,” I said.

“I can give you some of my blood. As long as it’s not a lot.”

“See, I thought it meant your blood, too, but that’s not the case. It couldn’t be that easy, right?” I let out a nervous laugh. “Unfortunately, it means Xaver’s blood.”

“So, we need the demon.”

“That’s right.”

“But we’re running from said demon because he wants to capture me and force me to have his demon baby.”

“Exactly.”

She began to pace across the room with quick, frantic strides. “You know what that means?”

I glanced about the room, not quite sure what she was implying.

“We need to trap him,” she said bluntly. “Use me as bait.”

“No, no.” I held up my hands. “There’s no way I’m putting you in even more danger.”

“What other choice do we have?” she said, voice rising in a mix of panic and certainty. “He wants me; we need him. I can lure him out.”

I hadn’t even thought about that. It made sense, but I hated that it did. I didn’t want to use Kay as live bait for a full-blooded demon. She already had this demon baby growing inside her, and her life was on the line. It felt wrong.

So, so, so wrong.

Kay stopped pacing, her expression firm. She had made up her mind. “If we don’t get this demon’s blood, I’m dead.”

I winced at the word.

“I’m not an idiot. I know my fate. This is what we need to do to save me, so let’s do it.”

I admired her bravery. Especially with everything she was going through already.

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