Page 87 of Two Who Live On

I groaned. “Try not to flirt the devil to death.”

A chuckle escaped Milo’s lips, causing the devil possessing Jamie to scowl. A familiar expression I’d seen this year from him, and now I questioned every single time I’d overlooked the horror inflicted on Jamie simply because his personality irritated me or his behavior toward my homeroom coven upset me. How long had I actually overlooked the agony this kid had endured? Sure, he was a prick first semester too, but not so hateful. I should’ve seen signs. Should’ve cared. All I cared about was myself and ensuring he was far removed from my students.

“Keep attentive, Dorian.” Milo clenched a fist, channeling magic. “No one was or could’ve been aware. That’s the problem with demons, devils, and all the demonic energy they drag into our world.”

“I’m fine. It’s not like I was going to have a breakdown.” I huffed.

“One in six you break into a sob fest—damn clairvoyance, I know—but I really prefer kissing you when you’re not splotchy. Try to keep it together while I end this.”

I hated how aloof he treated the most dire situations.

“I must say”—the chimera possessing Jamie adjusted his academy blazer—“I’m quite stunned you chose the life of one over the lives of the many. Here my calculations suggested you’d do anything to ensure the most potential joy. I’ve got several hundred demons scorching this city to the ground. Guess we’re all selfish when the right stakes are provided, aren’t we, Enchanter Evergreen?”

“You think I’d abandon my city?” Milo released another telekinetic burst at the succubus’ heels, causing her to fall back. The chimera gestured at her, perhaps suggesting she stop involving herself.

I needed to keep an eye on her, too. But I wanted to remain focused on Milo and the real threat—the chimera possessing Jamie Novak.

“I wasn’t certain who or what you were for far too long,” Milo said, opening his thoughts freely. “There were nagging factors to this case which bothered me, though.”

“Careful, he has telepathy.”

The chimera smirked, amused by my warning, yet Milo kept his mind unguarded, revealing all he’d invested in researching demons who possessed resurrection. He even made a point of having guild members thoroughly examine Dr. Kendall’s research on fiends and implanting them in hosts, feeling a faded connection there. While her works were meant to contain demons within enchantments, bound inside a host, a demon’s possession vastly differed. It was then that it all clicked for Milo.

“A bit of research helped you learn I was a devil?” The chimera scoffed, rolling Jamie’s eyes with dissatisfaction. “Unlikely.”

“No, the research made it clear there was and has never been a magic to resurrect demons. Even branches delving into necromancy can’t pull back a soul, just the form containing the vessel.”

“You know so little about essence and life and—”

“You’re right,” Milo interjected. “Which is fine. My limited understanding helped me conclude the magic necessary didn’t exist, but someone sophisticated enough could culminate it through multiple branches. That’s when I began to suspect a chimera at work.”

“I am unlike any chimera in recorded history. I am a god.”

“You’re a devil, a simple one at that.” Milo shook his head, disapproving, mocking, practically shaming the chimera for simple mistakes he’d made. “You chose to possess someone with connections to my guild.”

The chimera raised his eyebrows, eyes wide, at the accusation.

Milo channeled his magic, keeping his thoughts wide open for skimming but ruffling visions behind his true intentions. I huffed. Not as unguarded as it seemed. Somewhere behind thousands of visions he cycled through lay a plan of action, but his surface thoughts explained the obvious to the chimera’s errors. Milo had been drawn to bring Acolyte Novak into the case, something he’d never consider. Even a well-trained acolyte was still far behind the expertise of an enchanter. Still, when considering her for the case, faint pathways of potentials were illuminated.

“I needed to test my theory. At the Spring Showcase, I scanned every single student and had difficulty reading Jamie Novak. Demon in disguise? Unlikely. Yet, with so much obscured, I didn’t want to cross off any possibility. It wasn’t until Caleb Huxley struck you—struck Jamie, should I say—with a perfected banishment that all my uncertainty was erased. You remained unfazed, more or less, but your future became much easier to read as a devil fighting against banishment can’t resist a well-honed branch at the same time.”

Hate seeped into the street, pouring from the chimera unlike anything Jamie had exhibited. Disgust oozed from each word,tangible, concrete, and venomous to my magic. He’d spent months eluding Enchanter Evergreen, worried his clairvoyance might link to him the same it almost had the first time he’d come to Chicago. I shuddered. That was why Milo was never there, not in time, not the way he’d always been.

“Foolish. I should’ve forced this mortal’s parents to leave my disqualification intact. Whitehurst had done me a favor, given the joy I took satiating this host’s hatred. Yet, the thrill of indulging in the role, the life, the…” He quieted, obscuring all thought behind a demonic veil which I couldn’t read.

We glared at each other, and I channeled further. The thoughts were there. Prickly. Painful. Pacified. With time, I’d uncover them entirely. After all, our frequencies weren’t so different, or so he’d claimed.

“You bluff, bold and arrogant.” Jamie’s smirk hid horror, which concerned the chimera, yet not enough to properly evade my telepathy. “If you knew then, you would’ve surely saved this poor host sooner.”

“You’re mistaken,” Milo said. “Saving one life is always a priority, and I will be exorcising you from Jamie Novak and banishing you today but stopping a single chimera would only make the future a bit brighter.”

The chimera ground Jamie’s teeth so hard I worried they might crack to pieces. His eyes leaked black ooze, trickling down his cheeks.

“Without the head, all those demons you put in line would disband and scatter, harming too many people across the world. However, letting your plan come together allowed me and every guild witch throughout Chicago to strike down two-hundred and twenty-six demons.”

The specific count shocked the chimera, yet I found myself entranced by Milo’s open thoughts.Milo’s true intent for theshowcase called only to me, synced to our seamless bond. Having seen all the outcomes, he’d hoped Kenzo would win, believing the speech was exactly what he needed to light a fuse in the industry, reigniting collaboration among guilds which proved to be something Milo himself couldn’t ignite in the wake of Tobias Whitlock’s fall.

Guild Master Campbell flashed in Milo’s mind. Not an enchanter any longer. She’d woven the guilds of the city together, pushing Enchanter Evergreen’s vision into play as he’d hoped.

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