Page 17 of The Teddy Bear's Prize

Tobias gives me a look as Jason walks down the hall.

“Stop, I know what you’re thinking, but Jason is harmless. I’ve known him forever, there is nothing there.”

He makes a noise low in his throat.

When I turn to close the door, Erika is making her way up the sidewalk with her car keys in hand.

“Hey babes, sorry I’m late,” she says, her boots loud against the cement pavers, “I had to pick up a few things.”

“Don’t worry.” I let her pull me into a hug, “I’m just glad you’re here.”

She looks over my shoulder and I feel her muscles go taut.

“Mia, uh, why is there a demon in your house?”

TEN

Tobias

Mia might not be a witch,but her friend is, and she recognized what I was immediately.

It takes a lot of training to see past a demon’s glamour, especially without the full benefit of dreams, where her subconscious is attuned to every change.

Despite it all, she isn’t afraid of me, though I am only getting bits and pieces of her emotions. Unlike Mia, she has herself almost completely shut off, a trick that some clairvoyants use to keep their peace and ensure that unwanted spirits aren’t able to manipulate or influence their thoughts.

“These are old rituals.” Erika says, tucking her blonde hair behind her ear, looking down at Mia’s phone, “They were just painted there on the side of the ring toss?”

“I assume some set designer saw this book, Shades of the Occult, and thought the symbols looked cool and demonic.” Mia says from beside me, folding her arms across her chest.

“I told you the rituals were dangerous.” I lean closer to her, “That book should be locked away or destroyed.”

“Do you at least know how to break the summoning circle?”

“It’s not that simple,” Erika moves her finger across the screen and holds the phone out to Mia.

Mia reaches out and takes her phone, “What do you mean?”

Erika spears me with a look, “You shouldn’t be here. Spells like these have clear rules etched in those symbols. The seal should have kept him in the summoning circle until a deal is struck or he'd be returned to the demon realm.”

“Yes, because of the cross-dimensional visa,” I say, borrowing Mia’s explanation.

She quirks a brow and glances at Mia, “Something like that. The only thing I can think of is, maybe there’s a stronger magic keeping you here? Some kind of attachment?”

“It must be me,” Mia mutters under her breath, “I guess I got pretty attached to the bear over the last week.”

I taste the sour tang of shame in her words. Does she think I don’t care? That I am here with her against my will? I want nothing more than to wrap her in my arms and show her the comfort that she craves. Erika continues to watch me, almost daring me to say something.

“It could be. A lot of magic is about intention,” Erika says, taking another sip of her coffee.

Intention.The magic of will above all else, manifesting your wants and desires into reality. Could my desire to protect her be what is keeping me here?

“How do we send him back?” Mia asks.

Erika looks down at her mug, “That depends on if he evenwantsto go back.”

Mia stands up straighter and I look up to see Jason step into the kitchen, adjusting his tool bag over his shoulder.

He ignores the rest of us, speaking directly to Mia, “So, it looks like the bulb went out. I checked the levels on the fixture along with the other outlets to make sure everything was stable. You’re safe. Just throw a new bulb in there and you should be golden.”

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