Page 53 of Demon Found

If I didn’t hold him and his gang responsible for the SupeZ. . . The memory of his rough hand on my arm plays over and over in my head. Snorting, I start forward again. He is so very out of bounds. He’s the kind of man your mom would warn you against. If you had a mom.

By the time I reach the quad, I’m late, and Seth’s disapproval contorts his whole face. The wind whips through the open space, the archways between the buildings serving to funnel it rather than protect us. In the daytime, this place is pretty, with a grassy center, peppered with wildflowers, and benches on all four sides where people meet to chat and study. In the dark it’s plain creepy. I’m not sure how safe it is, either, with the curfew. What if someone sees us? We better be quick.

“I need to know how you did it, Seth. How you let your allegiance in. I’m screwing everything up!”

“You should be grateful I got you into Fates, not asking me for more,” he says with a growl.

Surely he knows? He’s in year four for Hades’s sake. He has an allegiance, hemustknow.

“Piss off, Seth. I’m your damn sister, and it’s not like it’ll cost you anything to tell me. For the record, I got myself into Fate’s Academy. Though, I am grateful for the heads-up on missing the start of term.”

Seth’s mouth pulls up in a weird kind of grin. It’s not altogether friendly, and I edge away slightly.

“Keep your voice down. You’re wrong, little sister. I pulled strings to get you in here. So we can be a family again. I got you in. Not your stupid scores in your school exams.”

A gasp escapes me.No.

“You need to start showing your gratitude.”

“That can’t be, I aced those tests. I know I did.”

Seth’s laugh is hollow. “No, princess. I risked expulsion to get you in. I cheated the system.”

I should be grateful, relieved that he wants us to be a family. Instead, disappointment washes over me. I thought I’d done it.Me. That I’d achieved something.

A scrabble of movement drags me out my thoughts as a disheveled imp bursts around the corner.

“I’ve got you on record. Youcheatedto get her in.” He can’t hide his glee.

Seth growls, and the imp backs up.

“Stop right there. You’ll do what I say, or I’ll have you expelled, crossbreed. I have your whole conversation recorded.” He brandishes his tablet triumphantly. “You’re going to be my bitches from now on.”

Seth steps toward the kid quickly, his hand outstretched. The imp ducks, but a stream of dark fire shoots from Seth’s fingertips, wrapping itself around his neck and looping up over the tree branch above us.

The imp kicks and splutters, dragged upward, his feet no longer touching the ground. His movements become more frantic, more erratic until the tablet drops from his hand. Darting forward, I pick it up and turn to Seth.

“Got it. You can stop now. Seth, stop!”

Seth ignores me, bunching his hand into a fist and making an odd wrenching motion in the air. The swinging imp lets out a strangled sigh as his head twists to an unnatural angle and his hands spasm. He stops twitching entirely, suddenly far, far too still.

Glancing wildly between Seth and the gently swinging body, my thoughts scramble. Holy shit. He’s dead. I’ve seen dead before. He’s definitely dead.

“What have you done?”

“He was blackmailing us.” Seth shrugs. “You know the rules of Venez, sis. Every man for himself, everyone has a price.”

“You didn’t even ask his price,” I snap.

“Listen, princess, let’s get this straight. If you’re not with me, you’re against me. We’re crossbreed. If our conversation came out, we would both be expelled. I will not risk my job with the Collectivo. Nothing will stop me ascending, sis. Not that little snotbag, no one.”

“And what will happen when you’re caught for murder?”

“My magic isn’t traceable. A Collectivo trick. Go back to your dorm and make sure your prissy roommate keeps her mouth shut about you skipping out on curfew. Tell no one. Dammit, Lorelei, I mean that. No one.”

I continue to back up, gaze darting everywhere, breathing hard.

“I’ll deal with the body.”

---