Page 29 of Sinless Demons
A breath cuts from the demon’s lips. And then he falls into Ryke with the full weight of his corpse.
Crimson covers Ryke like a blanket. His wet hands shove at the monster until his body thumps against the floor at his side.
My feet are moving before my mind even processes it all. My red dress darkens at the hem as I slide over the mess covering the floor. I don’t even think about it as I drop to my knees at his side.
His lips tremble when his gaze finds me.
He’s so broken and victorious as he smiles at me.
“Told you the room was big enough, baby,” he says on the weakest tone I’ve ever heard from him. My fingers tangle through the slickness of his own, and I can’t think or speak as gray lines crawl across his face.
“Help,” I whisper before finding my voice on a shaking scream. “He—he needs help.”
I look up to find fae in beautiful gowns and shining diamonds surrounding us from a safe distance. None of them with their many differing powers step forward to help us. I pause when I see Pen slumped on the floor with quiet tears streaming down her face. A few people meet my eyes, but most of them look at absolutely anything else. Krave watches Ryke with big black eyes, but there’s nothing he can do.
Nothing.
No one will help him.
Steady hands reach out to me. I peer back to find someone I barely know knelt down in the blood at my side. Kind brown eyes meet mine.
“Excuse me,” Johnn whispers with a small smile.
He—he wants to help...
I push back from Ryke, sliding against the floor to give the fae some room. Johnn’s fingers skim over Ryke’s neck, and it’s an eerie sight not to react to.
He won’t hurt him. I hope.
I don’t want to trust him. It’s just, I have no other options.
He’s all I have.
White fumes billow up from the man’s hands. He focuses on his work. His brows pull low as he puts more power into it, and even more fumes spread around them.
The gray poison beneath Ryke’s throat fades. Pale skin replaces the strange dark lines, and soon he looks normal. Slow breathing, but normal.
Johnn releases a big breath before lowering his hands and settling back a few inches from his patient.
“Are you a healer?” I ask with disbelief.
Johnn shakes his head. He peers back at where my father’s throne stands. He’s being as careful as I always am. But it’s empty. My father is gone.
“I’m a tracker. I take the essence of something, and I can return it to where it’s from. It allows me to track things and people. I returned the ash poison back to where it came from. That’s what I did for your friend. I didn’t heal him. He’ll still need his wounds tended to.” Johnn eases to his feet without another word.
He leaves us in a rush of rapid footfalls.
Because he knows he’s in trouble.
We all are.
10
Cross the Line
Damien
She’s vacant. I could see it in her eyes. I helped her lay Ryke down in the demon’s chambers an hour ago, and I had to force her to go get cleaned up instead of waiting by his bedside or commanding Pen to get him better living quarters. Zaviar and Krave stayed, promising to look after him. But I couldn’t.
