“I’m not leaving you here. I’m the Dad.”
Another quick succession of gunshots rang out. I started dragging him away from the house. “And I can’t be killed by a stray bullet.” Unless it was a headshot, I was reasonably certain I could heal it. It’d hurt, but I’d live. “You can.” I shoved him toward the car. “Go. Now.”
He froze for a second before pointing to something behind me.
“Oh my God.” Officer Johnson’s voice spiked. “What is that?”
A creature slunk out of the house. Its skin was brown and wrinkly. Long nails hung from its claw-like hands, scraping wood as it stepped down from the porch.
And its beady red eyes bore into me like it was peering at my soul.
I recoiled from it, stumbling back a step before I could stop myself.
“That is a demon,” Cosette said, chill as a cucumber.
“What the hell is this place?” Officer Johnson sprinted to the closest cop car, and dove into the backseat. The locks clicked behind him.
He was smarter than I’d thought. Running was definitely the safest thing for him to do.
I pushed Dad. “Get to the car. Now!”
He started moving slowly backward. I trusted that he’d listen. Or—at the very least—stay out of the way.
Gunfire broke the night again. Officer Marlene stumbled out the front door, one arm hanging limp at her side. She fired at the thing, and it spun toward her with
a screech. Then it leaped and sank its teeth into her neck.
She tried to get her gun on it, but collapsed before she could fire another shot. Blood pooled on the ground as Officer Marlene bled out.
One second she was there, and the next she was dead.
The demon shook her like a dog with a toy. When it finally pulled away it grinned at us. Now its dripping red fangs matched its red eyes.
A shiver ripped down my spine. How could we fight this?
The Weres reacted faster than me. Already shifted, the Cazadores moved into a V-formation. Mr. Dawson, Chris, Dastien, Donovan, and Meredith all formed a half circle, ready to run the creature down no matter what direction it went.
I wasn’t good in wolf-form. But I had potions.
Since I hadn’t found mention of demons in my books, I’d modified the potions the brujos used against vampires, adding holy oil and pieces of a relic Tia Rosa had given me. Shaving the relic into bits was probably sacrilegious, but I’d been desperate.
I grabbed two vials from my bag. I had fifteen potions. My entire stash. Now I could only hope that they’d work.
“By the power of Christ, I banish you.” I threw the vial.
It hit the demon and exploded in a blast of smoke and white light. The demon’s high-pitched screamed burned my eardrums.
Then it leaped for me.
Dastien hit at it from the side as I dodged. His claws slashed it, sending a stream of black sludge to the ground. It splattered, fizzing like acid. Dastien yelped in pain, as some of it hit his back.
Shit. “Don’t let its blood get on you,” I yelled, adding a bit of a command to back up the warning.
The Weres circled the demon as it hissed. Scorches covered its skin where the potion vial had hit. That was something, but it wasn’t going to be enough.
One of the Cazadores lunged at the demon, but the creature dodged, swiping its claws across the wolf’s belly. Blood sprayed. The wolf crashed to the ground and convulsed for a few long seconds. Then the motion stopped.
Shock rooted me to the ground. Dead. In one hit.