Page 53 of Wrongfully Magicked
“Demons want two things—power and the ability to walk the earth.” Her eyes pop open, and I’m captured in her dark gaze. “Since I’ve never heard of a demon being able to possess another demon, I don’t think they are interested in possession. No, I think what they want is the ability to walk through both realms while retaining their ability to use demonic magic.
“If I had to venture a guess, I don’t think demons are killing these people. I think they capture them, then wait to see what happens when they come into their demonic powers.” She looks away, flicking her nails in a nervous habit.
My gut gives a sickening lurch, and I struggle with the desperate urge to lean over and cover her mouth with my hand.
I don’t want to hear more.
“Even with our demonic blood, I suspect our human bodies are too fragile to contain the power. That’s why the corpses look like something was trying to get out of them—because it’s true. Our bodies get overloaded with power, and it has nowhere else to go but out.” She looks at me, a sad smile twisting her lips. “It would also explain why there isn’t a trace of magic left in the bodies—it burned away.”
I hate the defeated look in her eyes. “But you don’t know that for sure. You could be wrong.”
Yet even I don’t believe my words.
“Yeah. Maybe.” She shrugs, then looks away. “I guess we’ll find out in a couple of days when I come into my powers…if I survive that long.”
Soren growls, then leans forward and tucks her against his side like he could protect her from what’s coming. She leans into him, rubbing her cheek against his shoulder, and I’m insanely jealous at the easy way he touches her without fear. I clench my hands into fists to resist reaching out to her, wanting to reassure her, and I force myself to turn away before I give into temptation.
I refuse to put her in danger just because I’m horny.
Darby is sitting in the front seat, desperately searching for information on the servers, but I don’t miss how frequently he keeps glancing at Anita to make sure she hasn’t disappeared.
That she’s real.
Although Porter is driving, he’s just as distracted, casting frequent glances at Anita in the rearview mirror. The man is a literal boogeyman, a living nightmare, but I never met anyone so fiercely protective of those he considers his own.
Despite having just met, she’s wormed her way under Porter’s guard. I should be suspicious—I am—yet I no longer think she means to harm our team. That doesn’t mean I trust her completely, but I also don’t want to see any harm come to her either.
“What do you think demons will gain by siring half-breeds?” Porter leans forward, resting his forearms on the steering wheel as he navigates the narrow forest road.
“Honestly?” Anita straightens and looks over at him. “I have no clue. It depends on the demon. Only certain breeds are compatible enough to procreate with humans. Maybe that’s why there are so many of us at the same time—they are testing to see what type of demons are compatible and can survive the transition.”
She pinches the bridge of her nose. “Demons deal in blood. They sign contracts in it, bind humans with it. Some are said to be able to even control humans by drinking it. Many consider blood the source of our power.”
“How do you know all this?” I ask, doing my best not to sound suspicious. If the annoyed and slightly exasperated look everyone shoots my way is any indication, I failed miserably.
I scowl back.
I’m fucking trying, but I never learned to be nice to anyone before.
It wasn’t a skill that I ever needed.
Apparently, it’s something that takes a while to learn.
Used to my asshole ways, Anita answers anyway. “My family looks into everything that might be useful to them, and ways to gain more power is definitely something they researched extensively. There is an entire library on the subject.”
She peers at Darby, her expression lightening a little. “You would like the collection.”
“What else did you find?” Soren asks, his voice rough and growly as his beast hovers close to the surface. If it were anyone else, I would be worried for their safety, but the hellhound would never hurt the girl.
“Some of the ancient texts hint that demons used to live in this realm before they were banished to the underworld. Some people think that’s why they need to possess humans—our blood allows them to return.”
“But only for a limited time,” Darby adds, his tablet forgotten in his lap. “The human body eventually dies, unable to sustain hosting a demon for any extended length of time.”
“That’s not strictly true,” Soren mutters, refusing to look anyone in the eye. He tightens his grip on Anita’s hand and plays with her fingers. “A demon can possess a human for longer. The body decays faster when possessed, so to stop it, they need?—”
“Blood,” Anita blurts out, her eyes wide.
Soren’s head jerks up, meeting her gaze, then he nods slowly. “Vampires are considered myths, something that’s only real in books or movies. They are actually demons who decided to live in this realm.
