Page 32 of Loup Garou

“Th-the prince. It wants the prince.”

“Lindsay.” Exavier tried to move in front of me but I wouldn’t let him. It was bad enough I’d have to beg my father to wipe his memory. Letting a creepy crawly demon kill him would never do.

“No, I’m good. It’s just a really big rat who seems to be looking for, umm, royal cheese? I’m an animal sensitive in addition to being a witch. Did I forget to mention that?”

Why I even bothered to keep up the charade was beyond me, but I did.

The demon centered its gaze on me and smiled. Maggots crawled through its mouth. “You lie. Take me to the prince or I will destroy your friends.”

It was my turn to glare at it. “Listen, you maggot-infested, snake-tossin’, bug-crawling piece of demonic defecation—I’ll—” I took a step towards it, letting my power flare, “—give him to you. Come on.”

“Lindsay?” Gina asked.

Another snake came at me. I pointed at it. “If that thing touches me, I’ll…”

“You’ll what?” it asked, not seeming impressed with my threat.

“I’ll open the gates to heaven, like a good little wife of a dark husband would do to calm things down.”

It took a tiny step back, enough for me to know it feared good.

“Can you open the gates?” Gina asked before covering her mouth.

Myra snorted. “Yeah, well, always good to try to bluff.”

“Who is bluffing?” I asked, glancing at the demon. “Now, do you want me to take you to him?”

“Yes.”

I glanced at Gina. “It’s getting hot in here. I really hope a fire doesn’t break out.”

“Huh?”

Myra’s gaze went to the fire extinguisher. “Oh, right. Fire. Bad to have with rats. For sure. I think we have some added protection in the back.”

“Funny you should say that because I just happen to have the address this particular rat needs in the back as well. It’s in my day planner. In my locker. Near the showers.”

I didn’t really have it but the demon didn’t know and I wasn’t about to point out the fact I was lying.

Gina snorted. “You? Organized?”

Myra shot her a nasty look. Gina shut up.

“Lindsay, where is this rat you’re talking about?” Exavier asked, picking me up and setting me behind him before I could get a word out.

The demon moved forward and just missed touching Exavier. It hissed as it stared at him. “Interesting. This one reeks of—”

I let my power flare. “No! You will not touch him.”

The overhead light sizzled and a bolt of energy shot out of it, hitting the demon. It screeched and I smiled. The smell of burning flesh filled the air. Still, I smiled.

Gina gasped. “Holy shit, I told you. See, Jay! I said she can make lightning bolts. You didn’t want to believe me.”

“Don’t,” I let another bolt of energy fly at it, “be silly, Gina. No one can create lightning bolts. I bet the rat chewed through something vital and now we’ll need to call someone to fix it as soon as our little problem is taken care of.”

“Lindsay, you’re doing the scary voice thing we talked about,” Jay said, glancing over at me. “The one you used when you locked me out in my underwear and it just happened to pour down rain with lightning that night. Tell us where it’s standing and we’ll take care of it. No more. You were sick for weeks after the last stunt. It drains you too much. Just tell us where to aim.”

The demon moved again, apparently wising up that it shouldn’t stand in one place too long. It watched Exavier with hate in its eyes. In an instant, it was tossing snakes and bugs at him. Spinning, I kicked them away and stood before Exavier protectively. “I said that you were not to touch him. I am positive I didn’t stutter. I can and will bring the wrath of some heavy shit down upon your head if you continue to push me on this. He is not to be touched. None of them are.”

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