Page 81 of Shadow & Stars
“Get out of here!” I yelled at myself.
Xavier grabbed him, flinging him over his shoulder and hurrying back through the door.
Teenage Me was the answer. He was the key to freeing me from this dagger. Once the blade was out, I could open the jar. That had to be the solution. Unless Butterfly came up with an alternative.
Hopefully, he’d be dead by then.
Demons ran through my body, vanishing into the door. Fuck. I followed.
“Roman!” Ismael barked.
I ignored him, dashing through the doorway. Queen Margarite’s car was already speeding off, the remaining guards joined by ADU agents. Together they flung spells at the demons, a full-on battle going down in my grandma’s garden.
Where were my people? I couldn’t see them.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
A man with a slightly sun-burned look to him went from human to ten-foot giant with crab pincers in an instant, sporting a flurry of barnacles on his big chest.
The demon tower on the south end of this street blazed against the demonic presence, knocking many of them down. But it didn’t seem to deter the fucker.
Crabby ran at my grandma’s house, taking a chunk out of the roof with a pincer swipe. He roared with laughter, then took several more swings at the brickwork. Part of the roof collapsed, several of the windows obliterated.
I ran inside, calling out the names of those I loved. Heard no one, saw no one. Which meant they were running for their lives.
Thank God.
Don’t thank him just yet!
Back outside, my senses were overwhelmed by the sounds, the smells, and the sight of my childhood home getting messed up. The witches gained the upper hand, as they always did. An ADU agent banished Crabby with a talisman. Scarlet flames ignited at his feet, quickly becoming a vortex. He bellowed Ismael’s name before the flash of red light sent his arse to the demon realm.
Bye, bye now!Maybe he’d meet his past self and give the prick some advice.
Agents locked down the area, every eye trained to the shimmering doorway. Five more demons came through it, quickly subdued by the tower.
I dashed into the street, taking a moment to scan the area. Helicopters churned overhead, a bevy of ADU agents rocking up, but there was zero sign of my people.
“Grandma? Xavier?”
I jogged down the road, desperate for a sign. Footsteps followed me. I spun in a panic, suddenly remembering I had two followers.
“Take care, Shadow,” Margarite said. “You must not burn out.”
“Too late for that.” I drew a quick breath. “Can you look for the others, please?”
She shook her head. “You must be restored.”
“Seriously? You can’t even do that?”
“Afraid not,” Lizard Guy added.
Ugh. “Xavier? Darcy?”
Oh, God. Oh, God. What if Xavier was hurt? What if he got banished?
“Grandma?” She couldn’t be far away. She’d kill me for saying it, but she wasn’t exactly fast on her feet. This street was pretty long, her house in the middle of it. Surely I’d spot her. Unless the ADU had whisked her to safety.
Car lights came to life up ahead, Darcy sticking his head out of the window of a six-seater vehicle. “Get in!”
