Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 87185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
The demon turns toward me, this time pulling a taser from his belt. He’s fast, but I’m faster and I throw a string of energy at the end of the taser gun. It meets it halfway between us, sparking and crackling before falling to the ground.
The demon growls and desperately reaches for another weapon but only pulls out a flashlight. I flick my hand, magically pushing his wrist back. The flashlight falls to the ground, enraging the demon. It decides to charge at me and I take a defensive stance right away, dropping down as he draws near, sweeping my leg out and knocking him off balance.
Several other cops finally arrive on the scene, coming to a sliding stop when they see me subduing the officer named Johnson. No one quite knows what to do and they just stand there for a second, and a second is all I need.
“Somnum,” I say, casting a sleep spell on the officer. The demon leaves before the spell takes hold, but at least Johnson isn’t possessed anymore. The demon rises in the air and whooshes away, going over the chainlink fence. It’s heading toward Tent City, and I can’t explain how I know that.
I just do.
“Hey, guys,” I say, getting to my feet. I toss my hair over my shoulder and smooth out my dress. “I’m okay. Thanks for asking.”
The cops look at each other and then I hear one of them say, “That’s Xavier Malus’s wife.”
Right…I am, and Xavier has the cops in his pocket. They won’t arrest me or even call this in, but—oh, fuck—they are all wearing body cams.
“Uh, thank you for doing such a good job protecting our city,” I try, flashing a cheesy smile. “I’ll let my husband know.” With that, I try to make a quick getaway but one of the cops stops me. Panicking, I contemplate casting a sleep spell on him. But then a scream rings out, and people come running out of the drag show in a terrified panic.
Well, I guess we know where the demon went.
Using the chaos to my advantage, I push through the crowd and fight my way inside the club. A petite woman dressed in spandex lies on the floor of the stage, body twitching as she fights the demon’s grasp. Not everyone is easily possessed, and the more emotionally fit you are, per se, the harder it is for a demon of this level to not only possess you but control you.
A few people run over to her, thinking she’s having a seizure, but most are too terrified to move. What the hell did the demon do in just a few seconds to scare everyone like this? I run and jump up onto the stage, dropping down to my knees by the woman. Her body goes still when I touch her wrist, and I get another flash of Tent City.
With a sudden gasp, the woman opens her eyes and the demon leaves her, this time going up into an air vent.
“Hey, you’re okay,” I tell her as she sits up, clawing at me like a scared cat trying to climb up a tree to escape the dog it’s being chased by. Lights spark above us, and I look up, seeing a bunch of busted spot lights. Ah, that’s what spooked everyone, and rightly so. I scramble up, running behind one of the curtains. I stop, take in a breath, and then peak outside. There’s enough chaos and confusion going on to sneak out of here unnoticed and go back to the bar, order another drink, and stay there until the coast is clear. Maybe, just maybe, there’s a chance I can even get back to the boring VC meeting before Xavier notices something went wrong—again.
I let out a breath and slink along the curtain, thinking that if I can get out the front door, I can disappear into the crowd. Which is exactly what I do. I make it down the street and come to a stop, looking at City Hall all lit up, looking impressive. I could go back and sit like a good little wife, appearing corporate and obliging.
But that’s just not me.
The demon sent a minion here and it’s looking for something. Demons don’t jump bodies like that for no reason. Creating chaos is fun for demons, but this was too fast and the wake of destruction was accidental, not intentional. There is something in Tent City the demon wants and I need to find it first.
I pull my phone from my bra. It slipped all the way down between my breasts, and would have fallen out if it wasn’t for the built-in elastic this dress has. I’ve always had an athletic build and having small boobs have benefited me, I suppose, when it comes to running and working out, but in this instance, it would be nice to have enough in my bra cups to keep my freaking phone in place.