Angie Fox: ADS 01 - The Accidental Demon Slayer

“You’ll be opening yourself to him in ways you can’t imagine.”

“No,” I told her. “I mean how do we do this?”

Grandma frowned before she shoved her hand inside my top.

“Yow!” Icy fingers. “Some warning first!”

“Like I got time to buy you flowers,” she muttered, her nails scratching the smooth skin under my collar bone. “Damn it!” A sizzle zipped through her and she yanked her hand back. “I was hoping I could touch it. You have to.”

“Fine. What am I looking for?”

I lifted my shirt away and almost choked when I saw it.

“We need to work on your sensing abilities,” Grandma muttered as I stared at the pure white light glowing from inside my chest. I couldn’t feel it, but it was a part of me.

I reached down and touched it, felt it vibrate against my fingers. It hummed steady and strong—my living essence, the thing that Vald had wanted so bad, was reaching out to Dimitri.

“You do it and there’s no turning back,” Grandma warned.

Yes, there’d be consequences, but I didn’t care. The only thing that mattered was having Dimitri back, alive.

I forced myself to look as my fingers crept into the sliver of chest above my heart. Blood pulsed in my ears. The essence clung to me, warm and steady. I took what was mine and slid it into the gaping wound in Dimitri’s chest. I tried not to think of how cold he felt. Grandma muttered a series of incantations as I watched my power sizzle inside him.

Freely given, freely taken.

His chest healed before our eyes, muscles knitting together, skin growing whole. I felt for his pulse. Nothing. My hope sank. But still, I had to believe he could do this. Don’t give up. Please, Dimitri . I did the only thing I could think to do. His head in my hands, I bent down and touched his lips to mine. His lips felt cool. Tears burned my eyes.

He gasped.

Sweet switch stars!

I searched his face. His eyes remained closed, but his chest moved up and down in a beautiful, steady rhythm. I wanted to hug him, Grandma, the portal. He was alive. He’d saved me and I’d saved him right back.

His emerald glowed hot against my neck.

Kick-butt demon slayer that I am, I started crying all over again. “Thanks, Grandma,” I said, running my fingers through his thick hair. I couldn’t help but think back to the first time I’d given in to the temptation, under very different—and quite toe-curling—circumstances.

“It was dumber for him to go down there than it was for you,” Grandma said. “Griffins rule the air, not the underworld.”

“He cares about his sisters.”

“And you.”

I ran my fingers along his broad shoulders. The idea made me smile. I didn’t know he was awake until he broke open a weak, but saucy grin of his own. I kissed it right off him. “How do you feel?”

“You don’t want to know.” He cupped the back of my head and dragged me down for another kiss. His lips were solid, eager and insistent. I ignored the blood that clung to him and focused on him , clean, earthy and masculine. Pure delight threaded through me as he nuzzled his cheek against mine.

“I thought I was dead,” he murmured.

“You were,” Grandma said.

“Grazed by a switch star,” I said, nipping at his delicious lips. “You’ll live.”

Grandma cleared her throat. I didn’t know if she disapproved of the public display of affection or the lie. Frankly, I didn’t care. I’d been through enough in the past twenty-four hours that I should be able to kiss this man for a week. In front of a room full of grandmas. And the Pope.

And if she questioned my little white lie, well, I had to do it. If he knew we were somehow connected, he might never let me go. He’d touched me in ways I never knew existed, but I didn’t belong in this world any more than he belonged in mine.

But I would take one more kiss.

There were at least a dozen witches and one elated terrier ready to tackle us the minute we walked out of the pilothouse. Pirate dashed for me, his nails skidding on the wooden deck.

“Lizzie! You’re here! I didn’t know if I’d see you again and I was counting the seconds you were gone. But you know I can only count to four. So I had to count one, two, three, four…” He squirmed like a puppy when I picked him up. “And then one, and two and,” he said, between licks to my hands, face and wherever else he could reach.

“Ease up, buddy. I’m here,” I told him, trying to keep hold of my dog in one hand while my other wrapped around Dimitri’s waist. He looked terrible with the bloody lab coat hanging from his frame. But he felt good. And call it wishful thinking, but I could have sworn he grew steadier with each passing minute. I didn’t think my nuzzle therapy had hurt, either. Well, except that we had to wait a few minutes before Dimitri wanted to stand up.

“Sorry it took a bit.” Frieda patted Dimitri’s arm, her bracelets clanging together. “We locked the portal here in the pilot house so it wouldn’t get away again. It likes to ring the bell.”

“It’s not alive,” I told her.

“Okay,” she said.

“Step aside!” Sidecar Bob pushed his way through the crowd around us, medical bag balanced between his knees. “I need to get a look at him,” he said, nearly running over my toes. “What happened?”

“Grazed by a switch star,” I said, yanking my foot back as he spun his wheels sideways for a better look.

“Lizzie! You didn’t!”

Thanks for reminding me about my aim .

“ No . I didn’t,” I said. Which just goes to prove, first impressions die hard.

Witches crowded the main deck. I accepted some congratulations, and a horny toad from Scarlet (I didn’t ask). The riverboat’s ancient sound system blasted AC/ DC’s “Highway to Hell” as Pirate and I wandered up to the narrow deck at the front of the boat. Let Grandma have her fun. I wasn’t much for loud parties. Besides, it would be hard enough to say good-bye to this life without teasing myself with the revelry outside the pilothouse. Hopefully, Frieda had remembered to lock the door on that portal.

“Watch yourself,” I told Pirate as I crushed a Mexican food–craving spell near his tail. Lord knew what that would do to my dog.

I watched the dust from the spell flutter toward the wooden deck. It would be tough to leave this place, but I’d never made any bones about the real reason I wanted to learn about my powers. I loved my job at Happy Hands. Heck, I wanted kids of my own someday. And while running around with biker witches and griffins had done a lot for my confidence and my love life, this wasn’t the place to have a family.

Case in point, as Grandma lumbered up to me with two hands full of steak knives. “For the Beast Feast after the ceremony.” She dropped them onto the bench behind me and ignored the ones that missed and clattered to the deck.

“What ceremony?”

“The one for you.” She dug her finger into her right ear. “Dang thing’s been buzzing ever since, well, I guess I don’t have anything to bitch about, do I?”

“Need help getting ready?” Perhaps I could keep the squirrel guts out of the ceremonial goblet.

“Nah. It’s a job for the coven. I gotta round them up before they tap the keg.” She cast a wry grin my way and hitched up her belt. “I’m not good at this, so shut up and listen. I was blown away by how you handled yourself down there. Don’t get me wrong, I always knew you could do it. You’re my grandbaby for God’s sake. Anyhow, I’m proud. And your mother would be too.”

“About my mom,” I said, one eye on Pirate, who sniffed at the knives.

“Scarlet told me. I should have warned you except, damn it, I thought I had more time. I saw Vald’s plan for you while I was meditating in the Yardsaver shed back at the Red Skull. Unfortunately Vald also saw me.”