its heart. So, not funny, but definitely demonic.”
Lucas takes a bag of chips out of the cloth bag and waits for me to go on. He knows me well.
“It’s probably the same demon who killed those deer and ate their hearts. And this woman—Gloria—was tied up, which usually means some sort of ritual was done prior to removing the heart.”
“Was she sacrificed on Halloween?” he asks, careful to keep his voice level.
“She was killed before then. Her body was found over a week ago. The police of course have no leads, because they have no idea what they’re up against." I hold up my hand, stopping Lucas before he even starts. “But I’m not getting involved. I need to stay far away from all cosmic forces, and keep the attention far, far away from me. Plus, we know it’s risky.” I lower my hand to my stomach. “And I also want to take a nap.”
“But?”
“But what?” I open the pantry.
“But you want to go after the demon.”
“Of course I do,” I tell him, seeing no point in hiding it. “I’ve been hunting demons long enough to know that when you find a demon who kills for some sort of ritual, they’ll strike again.”
“Surely the council members from your coven will look into it.”
I make a face. “They stay out of nonmagical affairs, and this woman was a non. If the demon started targeting witches, they’d do something, but we both know how slow to respond they are when it comes to shit like this.”
“So, they’ll allow a demon to roam the woods?”
I put a bag of rice into the panty. “Witches aren’t really hunters in that sense. They protect the Ley line and guard the secrets of magic and all that wizard-sounding stuff, but they don’t know how to go after and hunt demons. I’m the odd man out in my coven when it comes to tracking and killing demons. It makes sense now, given who my father is. Most other witches avoid demons as much as possible. They’re dangerous and we’re taught how to defend ourselves if need be, but not how to hunt.”
“I can’t believe I’m suggesting this,” Lucas starts and picks up the heavy bag of dog food with ease. “But you do know demon hunters.”
“You’re right.” I blink, feeling stupid for not thinking about it before. Easton and Melinda have been hunting demons for years, and this is exactly the type of case they’d take. “I’ll call Easton later and give him the details.”
Lucas smiles. “See, it’s handled.”
I nod, trying to convince myself it will be handled. This is the kind of thing Easton and Melinda have trained for. It’s what they do. They know the risks. They have the weapons. They understand demonic hunting patterns and will be able to narrow down what kind of demon we’re dealing with and how to kill it.
Still, without having powers, I feel like they are at a very unfair disadvantage, and even the most skilled hunter faces a huge challenge when they’re up against a high-level demon. You don’t bring a gun to a magic, energy-ball-throwing, curse-your-opponent type of fight.
“It’s not your responsibility to kill every single demon,” Lucas tells me. He’s trying to make me feel better, to ease the burden of guilt, but it doesn’t help.
“I know that,” I say, not meaning to snap as much as I do. “I can’t kill every demon either. It’s not possible. But when they are right here in front of me…it feels wrong to sit back and do nothing.”
“You’re calling Easton and having him handle it. That’s not doing nothing.”
“The woman they found was a mother.” I shove another bag of chip in my small pantry. “Now her kids are without their mom.” Tears prick the corners of my eyes, and I don’t know what’s annoying me more right now: getting overly emotional about every fucking thing or having to put physical limitations on myself. I’m not used to either, and I feel even more guilt for being annoyed with being pregnant.
Women are supposed to love being pregnant. They’re supposed to want to soak up every minute of it, enjoying being pampered and taking it easy. That’s not who I am, and I know it’s an adjustment I’ll get used to eventually. Missing the ability to kick demon ass doesn’t make me any less grateful to be a mother…yet the pressure I’m putting on myself to fill the role of what society has ingrained in my head is weighing