More pounding had Mikey walking to the end of the hall and gathering his magic, just in case. He was prepared to fight, ready to defend me. I sighed, longing for the days I was allowed to protect myself.
When Ethan looked through the peephole, he blew out a breath, seemingly disappointed. Maybe he couldn’t see who it was, but we couldn’t just hide in the hotel room forever. When he finally opened the door, someone fell in, landing on the floor near his feet.
I gasped. “Drake!” I ran in his direction.
Ethan grabbed me around the waist to stop me. I knew running to him was completely insane, considering his demon status, but I couldn’t help it. Ethan forcefully, yet gently, turned me toward the living area and released me with a soft push. I stumbled toward the couch, then spun to see Ethan standing there, waiting, hands raised in Drake’s direction.
“Sophie...,” Drake groaned, rolling around on the floor. He was a bloodied mess, wearing the same clothes I last saw him in.
Is the demon careless? Does he not want to take care of the body he possesses?
Mikey squatted down next to him. He slowly rolled him onto his back, examining the dirty face. “Drake?”
“Demon. Gone,” he whispered. His eyes rolled back into his head and he passed out.
Managing to dodge Ethan’s hands, I rushed over to Drake’s side. Kneeling, I studied his injuries. “Do you really think the demon is gone?” I asked, looking at Ethan.
Can it be that easy?
He shrugged, coming closer. “Let’s pull him inside so no one else sees him.”
He seemed agitated, and I had to wonder if it was because of me. I constantly rushed to Drake when Ethan just wanted me safe. Even so, I had a hard time allowing people to control me.
Mikey grabbed Drake’s arms and started pulling him into the room. It was hard to watch someone I cared about so broken. I wanted to take care of him, but I knew it was dangerous. We had to be sure the demon wasn’t still around, just biding his time. It wouldn’t be the first time he pulled a trick like that.
Suddenly, the door flew open, smashing against the wall, Carlos standing there, eyes wild with determination. He had his sword drawn, several necklaces around his neck glowing red.
“The demon is in the room! Get out of the way!”
Chapter Two
Before they could react, Carlos pushed past Ethan and Mikey. Seeing Drake lying on the floor, he raised his sword. I scrambled to cover Drake’s body before he brought it down.
“Get out of the way!” he shouted.
“Carlos, stop!” Ethan grabbed his wrist, preventing him from using his weapon. He then glared down at me. “What the fuck are you doing? He could have sliced you in half!”
Mikey came over and dragged me away from Drake, my legs and arms flailing as I tried to break away. When he dropped me down to the floor several feet away, I scrambled to my feet and strode to Carlos, shoving a finger into his chest.
“He is unconscious! You were going to kill him! I told you to bring him in alive, if possible.” I narrowed my eyes. “I should kill you where you stand.”
Ethan shook his head, staring at his friend. He was the one who brought Carlos in to help us, so it would have also been his fault. “Carlos, you agreed to bring in Drake alive if you had the means to.”
He lowered his sword, nudging Drake’s body with his foot. “The demon wouldn’t have let go of his body so easily. They become one if allowed to coexist for too long. The only solution is to kill him before he murders anybody else.”
“Well, he says the demon is gone,” I told him, inching closer to Drake. I couldn’t keep my gaze off Carlos because the moment I did, he’d probably cut off Drake’s head.
“Can’t you sense if the demon is still in there?” Ethan asked Carlos, who couldn’t stay still. It was like he was itching to take care of Drake. There was a murderous glint in his eyes.
Sighing, Carlos put his sword away. “You’re really going to make me back off? I can’t just let a demon go, you know. We didn’t catch the possession early enough, so there is no saving him. What don’t you all understand about that?”
He knelt, placing a hand on either side of Drake’s head. Then he closed his eyes, as if concentrating. As his expression turned to one of bewilderment, I couldn’t help but smile. The demon had to be gone. Why else would he look confused?
Finally, brows furrowed, Carlos pulled away and glanced at Ethan. “There’s no trace of the demon. I can’t find it.”
Ethan threw up his hands, face contorted in anger. “I thought you said there was no way the demon would leave the body. You insisted we couldn’t save Drake. Yet here he is, completely cured!” Ethan’s relationship with me was on the line.
Relationship? Shit.
I thought spending time together was just supposed to be good fun, but now I thought of him as my boyfriend? Whatever happened to just enjoying our time together? I had let another man into my life before I got over the first one.
I started inching away from Ethan, trying to create some distance between us. He gave me a slightly confused look, then turned to refocus on his friend.
“This should be impossible!” Carlos stood. “I don’t understand.” He placed his hands on his hips, looking down at Drake. “I’d like to watch him for several days before we allow him to live normally. I’m not sure I completely buy this. Something seems...off.”
“You just want to kill him,” I muttered, crossing my arms over my chest. Everyone ignored my comment, so I walked to the couch and sat, crossing my legs. Were we just going to leave him on the floor? I was afraid to
