Demon of Darkness (The Hellbound Hellion #2) - Tansey Morgan Page 0,66
pulled into the motel parking lot. “I can’t feel my wings, but I’m mad at all of you.”
“Mad at us?” Zephon asked from the front seat. “We pulled you out of the fire.”
“Yeah, but you shouldn’t have. You should’ve just kept running.”
“I specifically remember you telling us you were going to meet us back here. How long were we supposed to wait before we realized you were… dead?”
“That’s a good, logical, rational question, but all I wanted to do was buy you enough time to get away. Why does Dagon get to do it and I don’t?”
“Is having a hero moment that important to you?” Arael asked.
“I mean… it would be good for all of you to know I’m not a totally selfish asshole who won’t help other people.”
“I don’t think that.”
“Neither do I,” Zephon added.
“Or me,” Jericho put in. “But we have a problem.”
I perked up and sat on my shoulders. “Problem?” I asked.
He stuck one finger up. “Hear that?”
Now that he mentioned it, there was a weird rattling sound coming from… somewhere underneath me. I could feel it, too. It was a constant, rhythmic vibration that was totally out of place; a something is wrong sound if ever I’d heard one.
“Oh, shit…” I said.
“Shit is right,” Jericho said, “Shelley’s hurt, too. Once I park her, she’s not going anywhere on her own. I’ll have to get her towed to a garage.”
“Which means we’re sitting ducks if those assholes come back…”
I stared at my claws. My hands were still coated with blood, though most of it was turning brown and drying up. “I killed one of them,” I said.
“You… killed one?” she asked.
“A satyr… he was trying to shoot me. It all got a little crazy…”
I didn’t tell her that I’d enjoyed it, that killing him had made me feel stronger than ever, and that I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Those kinds of thoughts were best not expressed around a bunch of angels and an unassuming human. Sure, he’d seen me transform, he’d seen me fight, but he had no idea who I really was, or what my capacity for murder was.
Up until now, I hadn’t been sure of that either.
“That’s just gonna piss him off more,” Zoze said.
“I know. I was in the heat of the moment, and… I just lost it.”
“You did what you had to do,” Arael said. “If this doesn’t make them think twice about coming after us, then I don’t know what will.”
I shook my head. “At best I gave us a little breathing room, but if Shelley is out of commission, then we’re stuck here for a while.”
“That’s alright,” Zephon said, “I’ll get to work on making sure we have a strong defensive perimeter.”
“How are you gonna do that?”
He gave me a narrow-eyed, knowing look. “I’m a Guardian. I have my ways.”
“Whatever that means…”
Jericho stopped the van. We’d arrived at the parking lot. I sat up properly, now, making sure to retract all of my scales, and spikes, and even my wings. I was still sore all over, but my body had been healing this entire time—and rapidly. I wasn’t sure I could regenerate wounds as easily as I had been this whole ride back.
Probably another consequence of killing that satyr.
“That’s it,” Jericho said, pulling the keys out of the ignition. “Until I can get Shelley to a garage, she’s going nowhere.”
I nodded at him. “Thank you,” I said, “We wouldn’t have made it this far without you.”
He waved it off. “Don’t mention it. I’m gonna go talk to the guy behind the desk about getting a tow truck out here ASAP, but it probably won’t be until tomorrow.”
Zoze opened the back door and hopped out. I followed, climbing out of the van and stretching my arms and legs. Some of my bones cracked, some of my muscles shrieked with pain, but already I was starting to feel like myself. I had to force myself not to enjoy this feeling, it was a dangerous feeling, but I wasn’t having much luck.
“I need to get cleaned up,” I said, “And maybe get something to eat. I’m starving.”
“I was gonna go grab a bunch of pizzas,” Arael said, “I’ll bring you one.”
“Please,” I said, nodding.
He looked around at the rest of the group. “You guys want pizzas?”
Zoze and Zephon both said they did, and if Jesper had been able to speak, the ginger cat probably would’ve expressed a little interest, too. Arael then headed off across the