Page 30 of Starry with a Chance of Nightshade

Gasping, I bent and yanked on him, trying to get him contained and back before anyone saw the freaky eye bit. At the same moment, bluish-purple lightning streaked across the sky outside, making the room light as it did. It brought with it a flash of memory from my past. From Tarrytown.

The women all put a finger under Jessica, blissfully ignorant of anything else.

“Wait,” I said, trying and failing to get control of Torid as lightning flashed again. “Something is wrong. Don’t start the—”

Krissy ignored me and began reading from the book. The others followed suit, repeating her words before they were all saying it in unison.

Every instinct in me said they needed to be stopped. That something dark and dangerous was waiting for the perfect time to strike and that their chant might be that moment.

I released Torid and lunged at the candle circle, wanting to end the game. The minute I lifted a foot to cross the lit barrier, the front door opened.

Mina appeared, looking disheveled. She had a leaf stuck in her ink-black hair, and there was a cut on her cheek that hadn’t been there when she’d left earlier. Not only that but her lips were swollen, and she had a red chin—kind of like she had beard-rash or something from making out with a guy with stubble. “Tell me the creep-fest is over and not just getting started. Willa should be here any minute. Oh, I think the two prospects are walking down the street together. Can’t wait for them to walk in and think we’re devil worshippers. Fun. Also, no one mentioned it was going to storm. I thought the weather was supposed to be great all weekend.”

I looked desperately at her. “Mina, something is wrong!”

She stiffened, her gaze darting around. “Stop the—”

A blast of wind came out of nowhere, blowing out the candles before hitting me and knocking me to the floor. It knocked Mina up and off her feet, making her hit the door.

Emily screamed as Jessica was lifted rapidly into the air by seemingly nothing. She catapulted into the ceiling so hard and so fast that there was no way she wasn’t seriously injured or worse. Her body was then propelled toward the front door—rightatMina, who was crawling toward us, her eyes wide.

Stevie appeared from my left and grabbed for me. “Astria!”

“I’m okay!” I shouted. “Are you?”

She nodded and looked around frantically. “Colleen?”

I realized then that Colleen was nowhere to be found. She’d just vanished.

Krissy shouted and tried to grab for Emily as the contents of the table began coming at her fast from behind, moving on their own. Krissy wasn’t fast enough, and my laptop struck Emily in the back of the head, knocking her forward into the center of the candle circle where Jessica had started. Blood pooled there, which only served to intensify whatever was happening.

There was a massive growl that hadn’t come from Torid.

Twisting, I found myself looking at the biggest demon I’d ever seen in my entire life, and I’d seen some doozies. This one had to bend to come through the kitchen doorway and into the dining room. Its eyes glowed red, and its skin was slick and dark gray, covered in some sort of slime. It was stark naked with all its dangly demon bits showing.

It was male.

No doubt of that.

It had huge black horns on its head, like a bull. It dipped its head and opened its mouth, revealing a set of pointy teeth.

Lightning lit up the window behind it.

Torid launched himself at the demon at the same moment the basement door burst open. Black shadows came out first and I was instantly taken back mentally to when I was four. Demons poured out of the opening next and I found myself unable to move, to scream, to do anything.

The girls who were already shouting started doing it louder. All but Jessica and Emily. Neither of them was moving or saying anything.

Krissy had Emily’s upper body cradled on her lap as she leaned over her, trying to protect Emily from items as they kept coming at them both. Krissy’s hands had blood on them. “She’s hurt!”

That jarred me out of the frozen state I’d been in. I went at her at the same time the well-endowed demon did as well. It lunged for them and Torid came at it again, this time from behind. He bit into its shoulder, ripping it back.

I used the moment to drop next to Krissy. “Is she alive?”

Krissy didn’t respond. She just stared down at our friend, brushing Emily’s bloody hair back from her face.

I felt for a pulse on Emily and found one. Relief moved through me.

Mina had managed to crawl to Jessica. She touched Jessica’s neck before her gaze collided with mine. She shook her head.

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