“That’s it?” Casey asked.
“Baby steps, Casey,” my aunt responded.
I was too busy trembling. My very own aunt had just summoned a
creature from hell.
The thing screeched, glared at us, and then scampered on all fours across
the room and ran up one of the walls.
Holy shit.
“What am I supposed to do?” I asked, my voice not quite as steady as I’d
have liked.
“Extinguish it. Like you’ve practiced with candles and fire.”
I bit my lip, uncertain what to think. “You want me to…kill it? After we
just summoned it?”
She shrugged. “You can’t really kill demons, at least not in the way we
think of death, not without a lot of trouble. They just disappear and go back
to whichever hell they came from. I’m sure it’s unpleasant for them, but
they’re embodiments of chaos. This is like recess for them.”
I raised my hand toward the creature on the wall, but hesitated. “Isn’t
Zara a demon?”
Casey snorted. “Half-demon. There’s a big difference. As in real death.
So don’t kill her, no matter how mouthy she gets.”
I licked my lips as the thing jumped down and scrabbled over the stone
floor, then slammed against the steel exit door.
“Actually, you make a good point, Savannah,” my aunt mused. “Why
don’t you negotiate with it?”
She shoved me out of the circle of protection. The instant I was out, the
thing screeched and charged at me, flames billowing from its coal-like eyes.
Heart racing, I bolted for the opposite end of the room, desperately trying
to summon my magic. Icy shadows swirled around me, along with the
memories of being chased by blood demons. I tried to call the long, dark
shadows that stretched across the room to smother the monster, but I couldn’t