Page 80 of Demon Apathy: Sunderverse
I gasped, afraid for Drevan’s life. If that dagger came anywhere near his heart, he would be done for. Moving quickly and gracefully, he tucked one wing and turned sideways, avoiding the blow. As Jophiel’s arm over-extended, Drevan caught hold of it, twisting it, trying to get the angel to drop the weapon. But Jophiel was strong and crafty and, with a clever maneuver, got free of Drevan’s hold. Again, he raised the dagger and slashed it across Drevan’s face, missing only by a hair’s breadth.
“Dammit! Do something, Lucia!” I spat.
I cast around, searching for something I could use to lob at that fucking angel. One of the nearby games involved shooting hoops to win stuffed animals. The basketballs were lined up neatly on a long table, ready for the taking.
I rushed in their direction, one hand already extended towards the first ball. I had used basketballs to fend off enemies before, so I knew they worked. Throwing my arm in Jophiel’s direction, I flung the ball forward and hit him right where his wings attached to his back.
He growled and quickly rose higher into the sky, looking panicked. A few loose feathers fluttered down to the ground. His head swiveled from side to side as he searched for the culprit. I’d readied another ball in my hand when he spotted me.
“Get the hell out of here!” I yelled, lobbing the second ball at him. He dodged it easily, and it flew past, but he clearly hadn’t thought through the way telekinetic powers worked.Sucker!Clenching my fingers, I pulled the basketball back. It hit the top of the angel’s head, ringing his bell pretty good.
I laughed at his bewildered look. Anger slashed across his face, erasing whatever angelic beauty he possessed. Something about his expression told me that, right then and there, he would have gladly killed me if the rules of this twisted game had allowed it.
My bones seemed to turn to water as the hatred in his eyes drilled into me.
I picked up another ball and raised it above my head, aiming and trying to shoot back the same hatred with my own gaze. Picking a target below his hovering feet, I released the ball. Jophiel watched intently for an instant, then dismissed the ball as a misfire. That was when I flicked my hand upward and aimed my projectile straight between his legs.
It hit true.
Jophiel howled in pain and bent over, holding his package, which clearly seemed to function exactly the same way every other guy’s did. Still twisting in pain, he rose higher to the same level as the Ferris wheel. From there, he searched for the gargoyle. He seemed to be pondering how to get down there and give it the killing blow if it was still alive.
I was distracted for a moment, searching for Drevan. When I didn’t find him, I decided it was time to put all the basketballs to good use. As fast as I could, one by one, I hurled them at the angel, aiming for the torso, wings, head, groin, anything.
It was comical watching him dodge one ball just to be assaulted by another. I was unable to keep all of them up in the air. Juggling was not something I was ever good at, but it did the trick, gradually driving Jophiel higher and higher into the air until he was out of reach, even for my telekinetic skills.
“Leave us alone!” I yelled, raising a fist into the air.
To my surprise, he blinked out of view, disappearing without a trace the same way Drevan did.
Basketballs fell from the sky and bounced all around, littering the ground and filling the air with hollow bouncing sounds. I wouldn’t fool myself thinking I’d defeated Jophiel, but it still felt good to drive him away.
Running at full pelt, I jumped onto the Ferris wheel platform and rushed toward Drevan. He was kneeling on the ground, a prone body in front of him. I skidded to a stop next to him and glanced down, not at a gargoyle but at Khargon. She was covered in blood, her mouth opening and closing as she tried to speak.
I fell to my knees next to Drevan. “What do we do?”
He gave me a sidelong glance, his eyes brimming with a plea, and I knew right away what he was asking of me. It was the same thing he’d asked whenhewas injured. He wanted to take Khargon to my sister.
I shook my head—not in refusal, but in fear of what this could mean for Dani.
Drevan clenched his teeth and grabbed Khargon’s hand in his, a mixture of resignation and pain warping his expression. It was clear he cared about this demon. I had no idea what their relationship was all about, but I could only imagine they’d known each other for a very long time. Only the witchlights knew what they’d experienced together, what they’d seen together.
And what they would get to see for millennia to come, if she were to live.
“Take her,” I said. “Dani will know what to do.”
Drevan’s gaze flicked to mine. Gratitude glinted in the depths of his fiery soul. “Thank you!”
Quickly, he gathered Khargon in his arms and rose to his feet, the weight of the demon barely hindering him. “Get back to the league, the fob is in the car.” The words hadn’t finished reaching my ears when he disappeared, leaving me standing next to the Ferris wheel in a deserted amusement park.
The wind whistled through the equipment. I glanced up at the dark sky, halfway expecting to see Jophiel’s shape hovering there, but all I saw were clouds and a few twinkling stars.
Swallowing thickly, I started walking toward the parking lot. On my way, I crooked my fingers and pulled a basketball into my hands. It was a poor weapon, some would think, but it was better than nothing. I kept going, glancing over my shoulder and scanning the sky, my heart beating desperately. It suddenly struck me how quickly Drevan had abandoned me in what now felt like some sort of spook house.
When I spotted the Ferrari waiting in the parking lot, I ran the rest of the way. Getting in, I threw the basketball in the passenger seat and shut the door. I didn’t take time to breathe a sigh of relief, and instead, pressed the start button. The engine roared to life. I backed out of the parking space without stalling the engine, and I didn’t allow myself to feel safe until I was well within Striker Hall’s perimeter.
28
Onceinmyroom,where I found Jenna already asleep, I texted Drevan back ten times. I had to assume that he had used an actual phone to send me theMeet me outsidemessage, but for all I knew, he’d sent it magically, and my messages were getting lost in limbo. That or they were hitting a grandma’s phone somewhere in a nursing home.
