Page 21 of Dead End

I answered with a swift strike of the sword aimed at the demon’s leg. The blade met its mark, biting into his thigh. His howl of rage shook the finials of the fence. Adrenaline surged through me. I could do this. I had to.

The demon retaliated, swinging the morning star in a wide arc. I ducked, the wind of it blowing back my hair as I barely escaped the crushing strike. I darted back a few steps to reassess my strategy.

Laughter rumbled from deep within his chest. “Is that allyou’ve got, peaches?” he mocked. Blood dripped from the wound and pooled on the pavement like a liquid bruise.

“Not even close,” I said. I dashed forward again, this time feinting to the left before pivoting to strike from the right. The sword sang as it cut through the air, aiming for the Dev’s exposed flank, but the demon anticipated my move, shifting just in time to deflect the blow with his forearm. The impact jarred my hand, but I quickly recovered, spinning away as we both regrouped.

“You think you can defeat me?” he bellowed, eyes ablaze with fury. “I am darkness incarnate!”

“I think you’ll find that’smytitle.” I used the blade to bridge the gap between us, hoping for a clean slice that would make a French executioner proud. Purplish-black blood gushed from the fatal wound. His head tipped upside down and to the left, swaying gently in the breeze. It took longer to detach than I would’ve preferred. Claude caught the head before it hit the ground. Then he punted it against the iron bars of the fence.

I left the headless body where it fell, collected the weapons, and strode through the open gate to the Castle. Despite the favorable outcome, I took no pleasure in the demon’s death. I learned early on that life was precious and fleeting; it didn’t sit well with me to be the one wielding Fate’s scissors. An image of Antropos flashed in my mind. I was so bitter when I met the Moirai in New York City—angry and resentful that Annie had snipped the threads of my parents’ lives—that I didn’t consider the heavy burden she bore. Annie had no more asked for her role in this world than I’d asked for mine. Looking at the empty vessel on the ground, I felt a wave of compassion for the demon, for the Moirai, and for me.

“I’m so relieved you’re back,” Nana Pratt said, hovering beside me. “Ray and I were worried sick.”

“What happened to you?” Ray asked.

I left the weapons on the porch and entered the house. “It’s a long story and I don’t have time to explain right now. Is Goran here?”

“He went to Hewitt’s,” Nana Pratt said. “The upstairs toilet isn’t flushing.”

Even in a crisis, the Castle couldn’t keep its shit together long enough to avoid home repairs. “How did he get past the demon?”

“The demon wasn’t there when he left,” Ray said.

“He took one of your daggers as a precaution,” Nana Pratt added. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“Had you seen this demon before today?”

“No,” the ghosts said in unison.

“Have you seen or heard from anyone since I’ve been gone?” I asked.

“West came by to warn us about demons infiltrating Fairhaven. Not so much a problem for Ingrid and me, but Goran is at risk.”

“Yet he opted to take a stroll to Hewitt’s? How bad is the plumbing problem?”

“It started last night, but Chief Garcia instituted a curfew, so he had to wait,” Ray said. “The demons tend to stay away during daylight hours. When I saw the fella outside the gate, I thought there might be a reason.”

I dreaded the answer to my next question. “Any word on Kane?”

The ghosts suddenly lost the ability to make eye contact.

“Please,” I said. “Tell me whatever you know.”

Ray dragged his gaze back to me. “West said that Lucifer has taken over the Devil’s Playground with Kane inside. That’s all we know.”

“Josie?”

Ray shook his head. “Couldn’t say.”

“I don’t even know if Steven and Ashley are all right,” Nana Pratt said.

I looked at Ray. “How about Alicia? Have they moved yet?” Before I left, Alicia had announced that she and her mother were moving to San Francisco to join her father.

“I don’t know,” Ray said, his voice growing quiet. “I haven’t seen or heard from her or Renee.”

I released a breath. “Okay, that could be for any number of reasons. If I were Renee, I wouldn’t let Alicia near my house right now.” No doubt Renee understood that the police-mandated curfew was related to supernatural shenanigans. “As soon as my phone is charged, I’ll call them.” I glanced at Nana Pratt. “Steven and Ashley, too.”

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