Page 54 of Wrongfully Magicked
“Demons don’t often remain in the human realm. They are not as strong here. Unfortunately, some demons have no other place to go if they get into trouble, while others genuinely like living amongst mages and beastlings. They thrive off blood anddeath, but they need to feed regularly from other humans to be able to remain in this realm and keep their host alive.”
Soren rubs his thumb back and forth over the back of Anita’s hand, and I’m not sure if it’s to soothe himself or her. “Being possessed changes a human body. The longer the demon remains, the less human they become. Even if the demon eventually gets bored and leaves, the host will forever remain a vampire.”
Anita stares at him unblinking. When she speaks, the words are barely a breath of air. “Vampires are real.”
A hint of awe and more than a touch of fear colors her voice.
“Vampires are real,” Soren confirms, then his expression turns grim. “And if we want to figure out why demons are hunting you, then we need to find one and demand answers.”
ANITA
Well, fuck me.
That is totally not what I was expecting.
Ominous silence descends in the truck, and I guess I’m not the only one taken by surprise.
“Vampires are real.” What the fuck? I harrumph, my mind completely blown. I collapse against my seat, then tilt my head back and gaze blankly up at the ceiling. I absently run my fingertips over my bottom lip, then drop my hand with a breathless laugh. “That was one thing I never expected to cross off my bingo card.”
I lean forward, propping my elbows on my knees, and glance between the guys. “So how does one go about finding a vampire? Especially one who would be willing to talk to us and not eat us?”
I can’t believe that sentence just came out of my mouth.
Darby doesn’t even bother to lift his tablet, he just shakes his head, an unreadable expression on his face.
I think we broke him.
I snap my fingers in front of his face. He blinks at me, his gorgeous robin’s-egg blue eyes coming into focus. The teal color darkens, and I can practically see his brain reengage. “I’ll check the MID servers.”
“I can check my contacts,” Porter says, his eyes locked on the side mirrors. “But we need to be careful. The information isn’t common knowledge for a reason. People kill to keep it quiet.”
Darby is already nodding his head. “I’m using the backdoor into the system and covering my tracks. The last thing we need is for MID to get wind of what we’re doing.”
Cassius shifts, invading my space, and I stiffen, instantly feeling crowded. The scent of desert with a touch of thunderstorms fills my senses, and I turn my head away, trying to get a clear breath of air.
It’s not that I don’t like it—I like it too much.
He’s made his opinion of me obvious. The last thing I want to do is fall any further under his spell. I don’t think my ego can withstand any more harsh rejections at the moment.
Cassius speaks over my head to Soren, and I hate that I’m disappointed.
That’s when I notice Porter checking the mirrors again.
Unease swirls in my gut like a stormy ride on the back of a wild griffin. I stiffen, tension creeping through my muscles, and I unconsciously brace for an attack. I glance behind us. While I don’t see anything suspicious, I’m not sure I know what to lookfor in the sea of trees. There are just too many places to hide, and I grit my teeth in frustration.
I’m a city girl.
All the trees look the fucking same to me.
When I turn to face forward, Porter’s expression is grim. “What did you?—”
“Brace yourselves!” At Porter’s harsh command, the men go into action. Cassius reaches behind the seat, rips up the mat, and begins distributing spelled guns that shoot magic-nulling bullets.
As the truck lurches and bucks over various trees and brush, Soren reaches under the seat and presses some buttons. Something clicks, then the floor shifts, revealing a hidden cache of even more weapons directly below our feet. He lifts out a heavy metal rod, then hits the bar in a way that has a low hum vibrating in the air.
He tosses a small pebble at it, causing energy to crackle around the edge when it makes contact, and apotchlike a bulb blowing echoes in the small space. The pebble is reduced to dust. My wide eyes gaze lands on Soren, and he speaks before I can even formulate a question. “It will stop a beastling dead.”
Then he promptly hands me one.
