Page 114 of Demon Found

It’s a good system. No one has to go through what Zephyr did, no one has to have their magic burned away because they’re hooked on the shit, andfinallythe damn curfew can be lifted. IknewAlice could do it. Maybe now she’ll stop hanging around with Zephyr so much . . .

Strolling away from the portal, I hum quietly to myself. Despite Lottie’s antics I’m relaxed after spending time at the Maverik family home. Chano’s little sister idolizes him, and she’s clearly not ready to share. I get the feeling she thought it would always be him and her, leading their gang, together.

He’s stayed behind for an hour of one-on-one time, in the hope of sorting out her shit. It’s not going to be enough. I’m about as welcome as satyr shit with that girl. His mom was friendly though. It felt good to be accepted without question.

She’s one tough-as-shit lady. She’s kept going despite what life has thrown at her. If I can have half her resilience then I’ll survive the four horsemen and the apocalypse, if it ever comes. Sail through it like it’s a walk in the damn park.

I pat the little book in my pocket, my fingers sliding reassuringly over the cool leather. A how-to in combining demonology and aether. Kinda, if I read between the lines. It’s a family heirloom, and his mom lent me it without batting an eye. A thought pops into my head uninvited. I’m family. I’m Chano’s Aeternum. We’re mates, forever.

I stop in my tracks, the enormity of it hitting me like a sledgehammer. Forever is a very long time. My breathing speeds up. I care for him. It’s not that I don’t, but we’ve not talked about it. The forever aspect. We’re feeling our way in the dark. I don’t even know if I want anything to do with the Maveriks, and they’re his entire life.

“There she is. Walking around like nothing’s wrong.” The words penetrate my mild panic.

“Pyro.”

Suddenly I’m face-to-face with a group of glowering fourth-years. A warning tingle runs over my skin. What the fuck now?

I sidestep them quickly and speed up to a sharp march. The voices get louder, angrier. Shit. They’re following me. I might take one or two of them, but the crowd? Not a chance. One thing is for damn sure, I’m not about to stop and ask what’s wrong.

I bolt through the quad and make for the dorms, keeping just ahead of pissed-off supes. As I round the corner, the towers of the first-year dorms come into view. Massive blue flames lick up the turrets and embers shoot hundreds of meters into the air. My wings snap out, my skin lights on fire, and I come to a grinding halt.

What the actual fuck? The inferno must have been raging for hours. The academic and custodial staff are battling the blaze, along with at least a quarter of the older students. Even as I watch, flames explode out the windows of one of the floors, showering glass onto the crowd below.

Instinctively I throw my arms up, casting a shield, diverting the falling shards and masonry away from myself and the students crowding behind me. Those at the edge of my shield stagger closer, screams and shouts filling my ears. My shield shimmers purple and gold under each hit, holding for a few seconds after the last of the debris falls. I take a shuddering breath, dropping my shaking arms.

I round on the crowd, seeking out any face that might give me answers. “What thehellis happening?”

A blonde bombshell steps forward, and I vaguely recognize her as a third year. She points an immaculately manicured nail in my face. “You set the dorm on fire.”

“You’re a pyro,” another girl pipes up.

“Doing it for the sympathy vote, so you don’t need to fight in the ten percent.”

“Pyro. Coward.”

I stare at the blonde, ignoring the bitching from the crowd.

“Yeah. Didn’t happen. You saw me leave the portal. When exactly did I do this?”

She chews her lip before tugging on my elbow, maneuvering me away slightly.

“The fire started hours ago. They’ve finally called in the Fae Fire Bureau, and they don’t do that lightly. I know, my brother’s on the team. If you didn’t do it, who did?”

I gape at her. “I. Wasn’t. Here. Where did it start?”

“Your room, they say.”

I snort. “Yeah, liketheyare saying I started it.”

She rolls her eyes but gives a halfhearted shrug.

“You’re lucky you weren’t here. It killed a hada and hospitalized a student.”

“Who did it kill?” My words come out a strangled shriek.

“Do hada even have names?” she says. “Naeve Haliai is in the infirmary.”

I’m already bolting for the medical block.

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