“Have you guys often found magical blood at a crime scene like this?” I asked.
Once again, the others stared at me blankly.
“Crime scene?” Manuel asked.
I closed my eyes. Don’t be an idiot, Desi. “I mean . . . have you ever found magical blood like this before?”
“No,” Oliver said, running a hand through his hair. “We can usually sense magical essences. There’s always a trace that lingers when magical blood has been spilt. But those resembled attacks or other acts of violence. Not something purposeful like this.”
“It makes me think there’s something more going on than just a battle between us and demons,” Elena said in a low voice.
Something cold and scaly pressed into my arm, and I gasped, dropping the athame in surprise. It clattered to the ground loudly, echoing down the alley like a beacon alerting the world to our presence.
“Shh!” Elena hissed angrily.
I stared at my arm. Something gripped it tighter and tighter like a chain, but I couldn’t see anything there. I inhaled sharply and squeaked, “What is that?”
Oliver’s nostrils flared, and a fireball appeared in his hand. He hurled it at me, and I screamed, using my free hand to cover my face.
The pinching on my arm vanished, and the fireball exploded next to me. Heat from the blast tickled my arm. A howl of agony blared around us, and a slimy green demon materialized on the ground right next to me.
“Shapeshifter,” Oliver growled.
I’d seen shapeshifters before, but not like this. It had arms and legs like a human, but it was naked and its skin was bumpy and scaly like it belonged in the water. Its fingers and feet were webbed, but it had the face of a man. Most of the shapeshifters I’d seen had human forms, but now that I saw this one, I wondered if those had just been disguises.
Oliver approached the demon, who cowered and raised a charred arm to cover its face. In a flash, its other arm stretched forward, and a blast of water knocked Oliver backward. Oliver tumbled and rolled onto his feet, but the demon quivered until it became invisible again. A sinister cackle hissed against my ear. I shuddered, my eyes darting around in a panic. Where was he?
Metal clinked next to me. My athame!
I Pushed the athame, and the demon shrieked as he soared backward, his invisibility fading. He flailed awkwardly like a fish out of water, snatching my athame before it slid away from him. He vanished again.
“On your left, Oliver,” Manuel said suddenly, his eyes closed and his brow furrowed in concentration.
Oliver hurled another fireball, but the demon flung a jet of water that absorbed it.
Then the demon appeared right behind Oliver He sliced the athame across Oliver’s arm. Oliver shouted in pain, stumbling backward.
I instinctively raised my hands and Pushed at the demon, but Elena did the same thing next to me. Our forces collided, creating a whirlwind that swept dirt into the air like a dust storm.
My eyes watered, and I shut them against the sting. The dirt spun until it created a cyclone, blinding us and whipping our clothes about like a fierce tornado.
Gradually, the wind faded. When the dust cleared, the demon was gone—along with my athame.
Chapter 7
“YOU IDIOT!” ELENA CRIED, waving her hands at me, her eyes ablaze with fury. “Why did you do that?”
Anger pulsed in my chest, but I squashed it down and spread my palms out. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
“I’m the Telekinetic,” Elena growled, pointing to her chest. “All you had to do was stand back and let us take care of this. Now, thanks to you, not only did he get away but he took the athame too! How did you even get that?”
“I gave it to her,” Manuel said, rubbing his forehead, his expression strained. “She needed to protect herself. She’s not trained like you are.”
“Well, that’s obvious,” Elena spat.
My fingers curled into fists. “Look, I already apologized. I didn’t do it on purpose. But you just want to keep hating me. You’ve hated me since we met, but I haven’t done anything to you.”
“No, nothing at all,” Elena said sarcastically. “Oh, except take on a spell well above your capabilities, drop in here unexpectedly, inconvenience everyone in the middle of two wars to clean up your mess, and now scare off the only lead we had!” Her voice rose to a piercing shout that echoed off the alley walls.
“That’s enough,” Oliver said in a low voice. His fingers were covered in blood from clutching at the injury in his arm, and his gaze hardened as it darted between Elena and me. “You can fight about this later. You’ll attract every demon in the city.”
“Desi will do that all on her own,” Elena muttered, crossing her arms over her chest.
Heat flushed across my cheeks, and I clenched my teeth. I wanted to retort, but my lips were frozen. Deep within myself, I could feel the truth that rang from her words. I was a mess, wreaking havoc on everyone I met. I needed other people to fix my mistakes. I was useless. Reckless. Stupid.
“Relax, Desi,” Manuel said in a weary voice, his eyes closing again. “Your frustration is making it harder for me to recover.”
I glanced at him, my face slackening in surprise and concern. He leaned against the concrete wall next to us and massaged his temples.
“You’re a Thinker,” I said. When several confused eyes stared at me, I amended, “Sorry. Tele . . . Telepath? ‘Thinker’ is what we call it in my time.”
“Figures your people would have to dumb it down,” Elena muttered.
Oliver cast her an offended look. “Watch it. They’re my people, too.”
Elena rolled her eyes. “Oh, hush.”
Manuel groaned, his brow furrowing in discomfort.
I flapped my hands and exhaled through my cheeks. Screw it. With one swift movement, I lifted my leg into the air and clutched
