Page 76 of Demon Found

The hand holding the knife shifts fractionally lower.

“Seth is under my family’s protection. He’s Lorelei’s stepbrother. Don’t do it.”

The knife darts forward again before pausing, point pressed hard to skin. Finally, Chano grunts, uncurling his fingers one by one from Seth’s collar as if it physically pains him. Seth lands in a heap, his breathing ragged and interspersed with shaky sobs. He takes a moment to scrabble his feet under himself before bolting past me down the hallway, clutching his cheek, leaving a trail of blood behind.

“What the hell, Chano?”

In a flash he’s on me, horns out, eyes swirling, knife twitching dangerously close.Damn, he’s strong. Grabbing at his hand, I bend the little finger back until I feel it pop and the knife clatters to the floor.

“Fuck you, Cuelebre!”

His large frame presses me against the wall, his shoulder in my diaphragm squeezing the air out of my lungs. With a lunge, I elbow his kidney, forcing him back. His left hook comes from nowhere, smashing into my nose, sending me reeling. That is it. I amdonewith this guy. He can taste the strength of my magic and see how he fares.

“Stop!”

Lorelei springs between us, but I can’t pull back, it’s too late. Fireballs hurtle toward her.

Everything stands still. I hear my own bellow, and Chano’s face distorts in panic. I barely register Naeve and Zephyr arriving. Their arms are outstretched, mouths moving in silent spells. The shield forms milliseconds before the first flames reach Lorelei. Each blast of heat shakes the thing. Tiny cracks spread across the surface, hairline fissures threatening imminent implosion. Somehow it holds until the last fireball impacts, then it shatters.

That was close. Too close.

“Fucking assholes,” Naeve screams before bursting into tears.

“Naeve Naiades Nereirds Haliai! You don’t swear. Don’t let these idiots goad you into it.” Lorelei rubs soothing circles on Naeve’s heaving back, glancing warily between us. The dull roar in my ears settles.She’s okay. I didn’t harm her.

“If you’re quite done trying to kill each otherandme, let’s go into my dorm and have nice little talk, shall we?”

Chano takes a step backward, looking like he’ll bolt.

“Everyone.” Lorelei’s tone drops menacingly. “Inside, now.”

She exudes power, her whole demeanor demands she’s listened to. Flames lick up and down her body, and she flat-out ignores it like it’s an everyday occurrence. My beast rumbles his approval. Damn, he approves of nothing and nobody.

We squeeze into the girls’ dorm, standing awkwardly, avoiding eye contact with one another. My hammering heart is slowly settling. I thought . . . Ireallythought we were going to kill her. That I was going to kill Lori.

“Who wants to start?” she asks. “No, wait. First, why did my brother run past with his face slashed open?”

Chano folds his arms across his chest.

She called Seth her brother. Not half brother, not stepbrother. Brother. Don’t tell me she’s putting her faith back in that asshole?

“Chano?”

Chano storms toward Lorelei’s tiny bed like a two-year-old having a temper tantrum and throws himself down. But when he eventually looks up, his face is deadly serious.

“Lori. Maybe you should sit?” He pats the bed.

“You do not get toLorime. Explain.”

“He was going to kill you. I stopped him. He would be dead if this idiota hadn’t interfered.”

The words come out so fast it takes us all a few seconds to catch up.

“Who was going to kill me?”

Chano snorts. “Well, it wasn’t the rich asswipe here. Maybe he can’t admit he likes you, but he’d never kill you. Your stepbrother, Lorelei. I’ve been watching him. He was bringing you a pastry he’d poisoned. I saw.”

She laughs, high pitched and forced. “Seth leaves me a pastry every single morning, doofus. Our father—”She pauses, correcting herself.“Myfather bought us one as a treat every Sunday. It’s the one nice thing I remember from my childhood.”

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