Page 17 of Bad Demon

I quickened my pace, walking as quietly as I could. Protection or not, I didn’t want to risk bringing any of them closer—not yet anyway.

I didn’t stop until I’d trekked almost all the way to the cottage. If I didn’t have to drag dead weight the entire way, I sure as hell wasn’t going to. The sound of demons still echoed through the trees, but they were more distant now—and something I’d been counting on. Agatheena’s wards were unbreakable, and any demon who had good instincts would stay the fuck away, but those capable of more critical thinking would use the area surrounding the cottage to their advantage—that was, avoiding the ferals.

I ran my thumb over the smooth charm. It was warm from being held, and I was positive I felt a vibration of some kind coming from it. If I were a true witch, I’d feel the magic inside it; I’d feel its power. Those kinds of thoughts used to hurt. I’d felt like a failure the majority of my life, until I got tired of trying, until I got sick of the self-pity and embraced my demon nature instead, but after seeing Agatheena and hearing the things she’d said, those thoughts had been creeping back in all week.

Gritting my teeth, I shoved them back down. I didn’t have time for self-pity right now.

Slipping the charm she’d given me in my pocket, I pulled my blowgun from my pack and loaded it. I might not have magic or powers of any kind, but I could brew a good tonic or elixir, and my poisons and sedatives were second to none. I also had excellent fucking aim.

It didn’t take long before I heard something moving through the undergrowth. The demon coming sounded large and heavy-footed. I screwed up my face, smelling the creep before I saw him. He smelled like he’d puked up horse shit.

He finally strolled out. I’d been expecting some ugly, deformed bastard. Instead, I was confronted by a male who could absolutely pass as human, and whatever that smell was, it was all over his clothes. I hid my blowgun behind my back.

“What’s a pretty little thing like you doing out here, all on your own?” he said, tilting his head to the side.

I kept my breathing even and hoped he couldn’t hear my heart racing, though thanks to my potion, it wasn’t from fear as much as adrenaline. “I could ask you the same thing.”

“Why, thank you.” He batted his lashes and chuckled, then shrugged. “I like to hunt every once in a while.”

“Right. Yeah, same here,” I lied—well, kind of. That was exactly what I’d planned to do tonight. “Just FYI, that shit all over you smells seriously rank. You might want to wash it off before you head back to the city.” In other words,fuck off and leave me to do my thing.

This guy wasn’t the right offering. Taking out another male with sanctuary would be a really bad idea.

“But I’m not finished getting dirty.” His gaze moved over me in a way I did not fucking like.

This male was trouble, and I doubted he was alone. He probably had buddies not far behind him.

“Well, I’ll leave you to it then. I have somewhere I need to be.”

He took a step closer and shook his head. “I’m sorry, sugar, but you have to know that everything in this forest is fair game.”

I fucking hated pricks like him. Twisted bullies, and he obviously didn’t give a fuck about the rules. “You think you can catch me?”

He grinned. “Oh, I know I can.”

“And what happens when you do?” I asked, my adrenaline spiking higher.

“Well, that’s for you to find out.” Hateful lust glinted in his eyes.

He’d hurt me, and he’d enjoy it.

He took another step closer—

I whipped out my blowgun from behind me, pressed it to my lips, and fired.

My dart hit him right between the eyes. He stopped in his tracks, blinked at me several times, and then reached up, pulling the dart out of his skin. “The fuck—”

He went down hard, hitting the ground with a thud.

Quickly pulling my charm from my pocket, I searched my surroundings again, listening, watching. Nothing.

I couldn’t hold the charm and drag the massive stinker on the ground, but Agatheena said the charm needed contact with skin, so I shoved it into my bra. Then I took a rope from my pack and hog-tied him. I’d dosed him good, but the male was big, so I needed to get moving.

Gritting my teeth, I dragged the demon behind me, and thanks to my excellent forethought, it was only a short hike to Agatheena’s cottage. As soon as I reached the pathway, I sliced my finger and pressed it to the marking on the tree to let her know I was there.

The door to the cottage opened a few minutes later, and she shuffled out. You didn’t need to be a witch to feel the buzz of power this close to her wards, and they didn’t drop as she made her way toward me. Dolores flew out and landed on her shoulder, its black eyes on me as she got closer.

“I brought your offering,” I said when she finally reached me.

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