I nodded, numbness creeping over me. “Something... got in the hut and attacked him. He’s...”
My throat closed up.
Sharalynn frowned. “Zorah, is he demon-bound? Surely he wouldn’t have come here from Earth if he wasn’t, right?”
“Yeah,” I rasped. “Yeah, he is. Was.”
But she shook her head. “Then he’ll be all right, won’t he?”
I blinked at her, bewildered. “All right? No... Sharalynn, you didn’t see—”
My vision had gone blurry, and I realized that I was crying the instant before Sharalynn pulled me into her arms and squeezed tight. I clung to her, desperate for the comfort, even as my father sat inches away like a discarded marionette. After a few moments, I made myself pull away and dash the tears from my eyes. With a hard swallow, I turned back toward Dad and rested a hand on his shoulder.
“Hey,” I said. “C’mon. Give me something, here? A nod, or a blink, or... something?”
Darryl Bright’s face remained ghostly pale, his eyes empty and distant. God. I could only imagine what he’d just seen, up close and in brilliant, bloody Technicolor. Even if he hadn’t already been a mental basket case, it wasn’t surprising in the least that he was bordering on catatonia.
“I think he’s in shock,” Sharalynn said.
I was still staring at him, which was the only reason I noticed when the blood spatters on his shirt floated free from the fabric like dust motes and wafted toward the door. I stared at the rusty trail openmouthed for several moments before my brain cells started firing—reminding me of the other time I’d seen something similar.
“Something’s happening,” I said, remembering how Myrial had smeared blood on Rans’ skin so she could track us. That blood had floated back to its owner once she’d appeared in the sleazy motel room where we were hiding out—demon magic. But this was Edward’s blood, not a demon’s.
Could that mean—
“I need to go see what’s happening,” I blurted, before my good sense caught up with my thoughts. “But... it might not be safe for you here. If Edward was attacked because someone’s after Dad—”
“Go, but leave the door open,” Sharalynn said immediately. “Listen to the noise out there. Half the village is milling around outside. If anything happens, I’ll yell for help so fast your head will spin and have a mob here in seconds.”
I swallowed convulsively, trying to moisten my throat. “Okay. I’ll send Finn back, too.” Then I turned to my father. “Dad...”
My voice broke.
“I’ve got him, girl,” Sharalynn said in a reassuring tone. “We’ll be okay here. Go on, find out what’s happening.”
I stumbled out of the hut, still feeling like I might keel over in a dead faint at any moment. Sharalynn hadn’t been kidding—there were dozens of people gathered in the street, talking and gesturing toward Dad’s hut. I pushed past them, trying not to get my hopes up based on a vanishing bloodstain and a few snippets of conversation with Guthrie about demon-bonds.
Finn was still standing in front of the door, a stalwart presence with his torch held in front of him. I hurried up to him, breathless.
“Thanks for doing this,” I said. “Could you grab someone else to take your place, and go make sure no one bothers Sharalynn or my father? I think it’s safe enough for them with so many people around, but—”
He nodded immediately. “Yeah, will do. I think I see Li Wei over there. I’ll get him to come to our hut as well.”
I tried to smile at him in thanks, but the expression felt like it came out twisted and grotesque. Leaving him to it, I slipped past and opened the door, bracing for what I might find inside.
“Close that behind you,” Nigellus snapped.
Relief nearly buckled my knees, but I managed to fumble the door closed behind me. Edward sat slumped forward in Dad’s chair, his white-haired head resting in his hands and a tatty bathrobe belted around his bony frame.
“Oh thank god,” I breathed, catching myself against the wall—now thankfully free of blood splatters and gore. Fresh tears tried to slip free, but I managed to blink them back. “Edward?”
The butler looked up with rheumy eyes. “Oh... hello, Miss. My apologies—I suspect the state of this room a few minutes ago was the sort of thing no one should have to see.”
“Are you all right?” I croaked, aware on some level what an utterly ridiculous question it was.
Edward passed a shaky hand over his face and appeared to rally himself. “Yes, yes.” He straightened in his chair with an effort, and frowned. “Dear me, that was rather a bad one, wasn’t it? I fear it may have surpassed the howitzer incident in Luxembourg, which is saying something.”
My eyes moved to Nigellus for the first time since entering the hut. The demon’s face was a hard mask. Something about the cold lack of expression made a chill run through me. I wasn’t certain if that look was aimed at me, or at whatever had torn Edward to bloody pieces. I sincerely hoped it was the latter.
“What happened?” I asked, not sure which one of them I was addressing the question to.
“Was young Darryl injured?” Edward asked, rather than answering the question directly.
I swallowed. “No. Well, I mean, not... physically.”
The butler looked pained. “Damn and blast,” he said, so quietly I barely heard. It was the first time I’d ever heard him curse. Hell, it was the first time I’d heard him say anything that wasn’t the picture of sweet-tempered kindness and endless patience.
“Dad’s in shock,” I clarified. “Not that I can really blame him. I’m in shock, and you should be in shock...” I trailed off, aware I was babbling. “Edward, I’m so sorry about this. I should have insisted that someone else guard him—”
Edward snorted softly. “On the contrary, Miss, it’s just as
