“No!” Xvair's cry caused the demons to dance, their glee echoing in the shout of high-pitched laughter.
Taking hold of the tiny bit of stringy grey hair on his head, I yanked it, forcing him to look at me. “You'll remember my face as the last thing you saw before you were taken to Hell.”
“Hell?” he spluttered. “You wouldn't kill me, you're an agent, you-”
Before he could finish his sentence, I spun him and pushed his back as hard as I could. His own magic circle released to let him in, the demons instantly swarming over the human man. Their teeth and claws dug into him, the sound of chomping filling the church.
My stomach rolled as I glanced at my father, the man who had started everything in the first place.
“I'm sorry, my child,” he said as he came closer to the edge of the circle.
Dave held his hand forward, his eyes closed. Chanting a protection incantation, he replaced Xvair's barrier around the demons, using the magic he had obviously drained from Xvair's spell. The illusionist witch had his skills.
“You shall rot the rest of your days in Hell,” I said to my father as I clenched my shaking hands by my sides.
The slaughter at the back of the circle was slowing, the demons already growing bored. It was time to send them back to where they belonged. Brianna might have tried to release them from the circle, but we would give them back to Hell. They didn't belong in our world.
“I will serve my punishment for my selfishness,” my father replied. “You shall be free to live life as you will.”
Relief flooded through me for the first time since I had found out that I had been a pawn in my father's bet. For years, my mother had tried to persuade me to comply with Xvair's request. For years, I had fought it, trying my hardest to live a life independent of fear, disconnected from worry. Maybe, just maybe, I could start to feel safe again.
“Goodbye, Father,” I uttered, turning away from the circle.
My footsteps were heavy as my boots dragged on the ground. Once around the circle, I crouched and placed my hand on the stone tiles, directly above the ley line. Whispering a banishing spell, I closed my eyes as the screeches of demons filled the church. Dust on the walls landed softly on my face as the evil spirits puffed out of existence behind me. I didn't see it, but I felt it. The evil was gone, and so was my enemy.
Arms came around me from behind. Dave's scent filtered up my nose as I buried my head into his shoulder. Feminine arms wound around my side before another set of arms enveloped us all. My team held me tight as the dust settled around us. We had done it, we had defeated the man who had almost destroyed Earth.
“Jake?” I said quietly, resisting the urge to laugh. “I take it that you're not dressed... You know, considering you've just shifted back into a human?”
“Well,” the shifter replied, hugging us even tighter. “What's a bit of naked skin between friends?”
Chapter 13
“The human government have given Brianna a deal,” Dave said as he tapped his computer screen. “Look at this!”
Opening my tablet as I leant my elbows on my wooden desk, I shook my head. “She's given names of every single person in the PFF. She's lucky they've allowed her to live.”
“Ah, but is she lucky?” Jake muttered, chewing a sweet nosily as he rested his legs on the coffee table.
Kate shoved him off, scowling when he chucked a sweet at her. “She'll get to live out her days in the cell block of MI5. I'm not sure that's much of an existence.”
I couldn't disagree with them. Brianna deserved to be punished but part of me wondered whether it would have been kinder to give her the death sentence. Although, she had argued in the past that it wasn't fair that humans were not executed when they were just as harmful as paranormals. Of course, at the time, I couldn't defend the human government's position because as an agent, I knew what atrocities paranormal creatures were capable of. It went without saying that their power made it easier for them to harm others.
Dave and I had come into the office to file our reports, even though neither of us were technically working for MI5.
“The Paranormal Herald is saying that you defeated a bunch of demons,” Dave said, looking over the top of his computer screen. “It's a good job I have the power to shut that bastard down.”
With a click of the button, the website would be offline, which was good considering there would be outrage if anyone got wind of what had happened at Little Minster church. The danger was real. No one had ever dared to invoke demons, let alone bring them to Earth with the express desire to use them to hurt humans. There would be hell to answer for, literally. That was why I patiently waited for my mother's summons, although she was taking her time.
After my team had rescued me the night before, we had left the other agents to clean up. Dave had insisted that we went for a curry. I had no idea why a curry specifically, but I hadn't had the energy to disagree. While there, we wrote up our reports in detail. Staying quiet, I had eaten little as the others added all the details together.
“Are you okay?” Dave said, jolting me back to the office.
Smiling, I rubbed my eyes. I was exhausted. Sleeping once home had been impossible, even with Dave by my side. He had held me tightly, not letting go even as he slept. The trauma of being captured together had solidified our relationship even more. He had even announced our news of union to the team as soon as we'd arrived at the office. It made me happy
