“Guys, what’s going on?”
Riah’s eyebrows dropped low over his golden eyes. “Someone did a spell here.”
Tennessee tightened his grip on Michael’s sword and turned in a slow circle. The muscles in his arm flexed, ready to destroy anything that jumped out at us. He held his right hand up. The air pulsed and then his long black sword slammed into his palm. Now he had two weapons…and my pulse kicked into overdrive.
I gripped the citrine bracelet Riah had given me and felt the sweet relief of that golden armor sliding up and over my arms. When the sword formed in my palm, I gripped the hilt so tight my knuckles were white.
“Yes…” Tegan narrowed her eyes on the water and held her hands up, rainbow magic coiling like snakes around her fingers. “George led us here a few months ago…before the shadow monster revealed itself to us. Someone had done a demonic ritual—"
“But I came by after we were here and cleaned this all up.” Tennessee shook his head. “Did a spell to purify and everything.”
Riah cocked his head to the side and knelt down to press his fingers to the dirt. “If the demon was still in this realm when you purified the land, it would not have meant much. However it got here, whoever brought it here, they did it here. This point would serve as its anchor.”
Tennessee cursed a string of violent curses.
Emersyn pushed her way to us with flames dancing on the edges of her body. “We. Sent. Him. Back.”
“Those kids brought him back?” I asked. I hadn’t had as much experience with the shadow demon last time, not nearly as much as them, but I definitely remembered it.
Tegan squeezed her eyes shut and cursed.
Riah stood and eyed our surroundings. “Do not feel bad. Most don’t know about this kind of demon...or how difficult they are to block out.”
Cooper frowned. “But you do?”
Riah shrugged. “I have a connection with the dead and demonic that I can’t quite explain—"
A loud shriek sliced through the silent night and then three massive black objects lunged out of the water and onto the shore. Tegan flicked her wrist and a wall of rainbow mist slammed into the demons, turning them to ash and dust.
Spider demons dropped down from the pier above us. Emersyn screamed and thrust her arms out to the sides, flame scorching all of them at once.
And then everything happened so fast, it was like rapid fire. Demons leapt out from under the water and from the top of the pier. The dirt beneath our feet swirled and foot-wide snake demons erupted from under the ground. Everywhere we looked demons ambushed.
But The Coven was mean.
Emersyn flicked her wrist and her long double-sided sword materialized in her hands. Bright orange flames coiled around the blades as she scorched snake heads off one by one. I wanted to fight, to do my part, but they were just so much faster. I’d never seen a battle quite like this and it showed. Riah leapt around me and grabbed Bentley, plucking him right off the ground. He spun and used his own body to shield him at the same time as he swung his sword over his head.
Tennessee and Tegan were at the water’s edge, killing demons in rapid succession.
I felt something watching us so I looked up and my breath caught.
The shadow monster stood over the center of the lake watching us with glowing red eyes.
I slipped through the fight to Tennessee’s side, then I pointed. “Water!”
His gaze followed my point and then he snarled. He charged for him, his feet gliding over the water like it was dry land. He moved so fast I couldn’t track him. Michael’s sword made one giant glowing line as he ran. Light flashed in front of the shadow monster and his red eyes widened – and then he was gone.
Again.
How do we fight smoke and shadow?
“Oh, that’s it,” Tegan groaned, thrusting both arms out wide. Rainbow magic exploded out of her in every direction. The second it hit a demon they turned to ash.
“Woman, what the hell was that?” Warner bent over and put his hands on his knees. “Why didn’t you just do that to begin with?”
But she didn’t answer him. She looked to the lake. “BABE. Get back here.”
I looked up and found Tennessee just standing in the middle of the lake. But then he turned— and was suddenly right in front of Tegan.
“That feel like Joseph to anyone else just now…” Jackson spun to face everyone. “Or was that just bloody me?”
Bettina shuddered. “We killed him. Cut him to pieces. He’s dead.”
“That’s not Joseph,” Bentley said quietly. “It’s a demon…but I don’t like the similarities.”
“Is this what it did before?” I asked, pointing to the water. “Lead you here for an ambush?”
“It wanted to trap us,” Tegan whispered. Then a slow smiled spread across her lips. “But he didn’t realize how much stronger we got.”
“He was testing us.”
I shuddered. “Well he knows now.”
Henley sighed but the tension in the sound hurt to hear. “It’s gone but it’s not gone.”
“Where’d he go?” Emersyn twirled her fiery double-bladed sword around.
“It’s in this realm still but not in a place where we can reach it.” Riah’s swords and armor disappeared. “He will attack again.”
Chapter Forty-Seven
Saffie
The night was still and stale.
In the half hour Riah and I had been sitting out front of Kessler’s Tampa house, nothing had moved. It was like the neighborhood was holding its breath. The lights in all the houses were off and the streetlamps were a soft golden haze. The silence deafened, a ringing in my ears.
And there had been zero sign of the shadow monster.
Riah and I sat perched on the edge of the slanted roof, just watching the area from a bird’s eye view. He’d been stoic and silent since the pier. That soft, silly side of him replaced by the laser-sharp, focused Knight. But there was something in his eyes that bothered me. And then I noticed our soulmate glyph was dark blue, the color of sadness, and I couldn’t take it.
I snuggled into his side, resting my chin on his shoulder. “What are you thinking about?”
“Just watching for this demon—”
“Riah,” I whispered and tapped on the dark blue crystal on the back of his right hand. “It’s me. Talk to me. I can feel you hurting.”
He sighed and hung his head. “I was thinking about my brother.”
“Malachi.”
He nodded. “Ever since I saw him in the past I haven’t been able to shake him from my present.”
I wrapped my arms around his. “I’m sorry. I wish you hadn’t seen that—”
“I’m not.” He held his head high but stared out at the street. “I had not seen his face in six centuries. ‘Twas bittersweet, yet I shall savor the memory nonetheless. The dreams are not helping.”
“What dreams?”
“I have this recurring dream since I was a young boy where I’m in a dark, smoky, shadowy forest that should terrify me, yet I feel…it feels like home. It is always the same until now.” He frowned. “Now there is a black dog with one red and one gold eye and black smoke coiling around its body. It does nothing. Just sits there blocking my path and watching, but I get the sense it wants me to approach him, to pet him. Or maybe I just like dogs and always want to pet them.”