26

I did my best to keep my mind in check while Barrett helped me learn the new machines. A new experience for me. I hadn’t set foot in a real gym in my life. The yoga studio Naomi had in our spare room didn’t include much in the way of weight training.

What the hell was up with Guy? I didn’t even say that much, but it was enough to make him leave in a hurry. We were about to have an adult conversation and everything.

Barrett stood over me while I pushed a metal bar up at him. Admittedly, all my frustration was what helped the bar move. He had to remind me to breathe a couple of times. “Not bad,” he said, “This is almost how much I lift.”

“You’re pretty strong.” I breathed out. He gripped the metal with one hand and helped me finish the last rep.

“So are you. I flopped my first exam so Max is on my ass. Being stronger can make a life or death difference.”

I remained flat on the bench even after he’d secured the bar in the placeholder above my head. “Zak said I should get stronger before using anything magical.”

“Makes sense. People underestimate that kind of power and what it does to your body. My first wolf shift sucked because I didn’t listen. Should’ve stretched more like my mom said, but I thought yoga was for losers. I do the splits now!”

We were in the same building they assigned our suits but all the training equipment had been returned. I didn’t have Guy but Barrett was a good buffer from the other people at the gym. No one gave us dirty looks, and if they did, it didn’t last long. He stood taller and broader than most, looking more threatening than I did.

No one would try killing me in front of so many witness es. Hopefully.

Barrett had said we were there to meet up with Max but I hadn’t seen him yet. Not until I wanted a drink and then I spot ted him with his weights. His low and angry grunts might as well have been snarls.

I made the mistake of catching his eye. There was a moment of blood-pumping unease. Max didn’t like me but he was no purifier. And besides, he had been too busy carrying the weight of our entire team by rescuing Jarmiel during the games.

He wasn’t my man.

The wolf moved to a large mat in the back of the room where other trainees sparred like we would on a normal day. Max’s presence made them scurry like a flock of spooked doves.

Geez. I hurried toward the fountains and was surprised to see Darren there. The vampire watched the water flow in an arch shape. Could he even drink it?

When he sensed me he swept brown strands from his face. “Oh. Hey.”

“Hi.” My reply sounded just as awkward as the tension around us. The last time I saw him, he had offered me to his sister. Mallory must have had other plans that day that didn’t involve sweating at the gym. Thank the gods.

“About yesterday,” he started, “I was out of line.”

I hadn’t expected an apology, although he didn’t look torn up about it.

“Thanks, I guess,” I said.

Darren rubbed the back of his neck, speaking to my toes instead of my face. “Listen. Aiden and Mallory are like… recovering addicts. I know I said she could help and that might be true but I was just trying to prevent another episode. I thought she’d calm down.”

An addiction would explain the crazed look in her eye when she attacked me. Shouldn’t Mallory have gone feral around Zak, then? She was the one getting tickled by our scent. I never noticed any such eagerness during training, though.

“Does she have episodes often?” I asked.

“Not lately.” Darren’s voice fell even softer. I’d always thought that an addiction to blood came with being a vampire. Before vampires came out, the ones with less self control fed violently, killing their targets. Did certain blood types give vampires a high, like catnip?

The Blaxill family history wasn’t my place but I asked, “Is that normal for any vampire?”

“Depends on the blood,” he said, ending on a solemn note, “Don’t let my brother bite you…”

“Didn’t plan on it. But why?” At least, I hadn’t been tempted to until yesterday.

“Just don’t.”

Darren wandered off with a worn face. All three of the Blaxill kids were so strangely different that it was easy to forget they were related. I wondered then if what Darren’s siblings went through impacted his particular diet.

Maybe he didn’t want to end up like them.

I was finally about to enjoy my cool refreshment when some thing soft bumped into my heels. My eyes went to the bear hugging my ankles.

“Tori?” I doubted that she came to lift weights with her plushy arms.

Her girlish joy was missing from her voice. The buttons on her eyes morphed from their forever, round shape to reflect her concern. “What are you doing here?” she asked, “Guy’s not with you?”

I did my best to take her seriously as her whispering became more urgent. “No, he took off mysteriously.”

“Jess, you need to get out of here.”

It was then I noticed a few heads from the weight machines turning in our direction. The group kept glancing at us but also down in the middle of their circle. Screens sat in their hands. Everyone had a phone or was looking over the shoulder of another. I could hear the sounds of the Ghoul attack from where I stood.

They were watching my video.

Again.

How had it not been taken down?

“Uh-oh…” Tori mumbled. Both of us jolted when we heard one voice roaring over the others. A pair of thick shoulders and fiery, blue eyes came charging at us.

No. Just me.

“Uh-oh,” I said in agreement.

“What do we do?” Tori clung tighter to my calves.

“What’re you scared of? You’re made of cotton balls.” When I turned, Max’s iconic scowl had already reached critical levels. Whatever his anger was about, he came in hot. I nudged Tori away with my leg before she got trampled on.

“Hey, Max.” I did my best to brace for his dominant impact. Everyone else closed in, making the situation a million times worse.

“What the hell are you up to, demon?” Max asked.

“I—” But he cut me off. He grabbed me by the arms and pulled me to his face. A puff of hot air assaulted my face. I should’ve been more scared, but I was too bewildered by the sensation of his grip.

It felt like my skin was on fire.

The time he’d caught me sleepwalking had been similar. He was hot to the touch, but what I experienced felt… explosive . Max had intense spirit energy, which suited him. My body re sponded immediately to the overflow of hot rage.

I wanted to devour it all.

The teeth he bore at me made a brief retreat. Could Max sense something strange happening with me too? Even stranger was my focus on his lips. I couldn’t look away. It hurt when I dragged my eyeballs back up.

A different kind of pull called to me that felt as natural as breathing. Maybe it wasn’t him that I found appealing. Just his energy. His scorching, wild fury…

Max snapped out of his trance but I remained in mine; stuck in his orbit.

“Is this a joke to you?” he asked.

I blinked. “What is?”

“Quit playing stupid.” Max’s grip would’ve broken the skin if I were human.

I used my strength to push him back, rescuing my poor arms. “Touch me again, you’ll regret it.”

Not a bluff.

Max laughed darkly. His pupils dilated. “Yeah? Have you been waiting for us to let our guard down before making your move?”

“ What are you talking about?”

“Sure. Keep acting like a useless freak when you’re capable of that .” Max flung one arm toward the others with their phones. “What else are you hiding?”

Tori pushed her way through the sea of legs in her tiny, plush form. I still wasn’t sure how her ghost form worked, but it seemed like she was stuck as a bear for now. Which meant very little help for me.

Barrett had a much easier time getting bodies to move. He plowed through the small crowd with his shoulders. His eyes were large and glossy as he stared between the two of us. “Max. Don’t do this.”

“You and me. On the mat.” Max ignored him, not breaking eye contact.

A challenge. For some reason, the idea excited me. More than it should have. My pulse sounded like the drums of war, fueling my sudden itch for a brawl. “You have the wrong idea,” I said.

“Show me then.”

No one outwardly protested; fighting on the mat being socially more acceptable as opposed to an abrupt attack. He could beat the shit out of me now that it was a fair fight. I’d avoided sparring with him but I knew how he fought. No defense, only offense. Fast. Ruthless.

I followed behind him like we were walking the gallows. Barrett said if I ever beat him in a fight that he’d respect me. If I beat him. The outcome could get him off my back, but Max was already a peacekeeper with more training.

I outran him before… He wasn’t invincible.

I felt an animalistic surge when Max chucked his black shirt away. So much skin . Too many vulnerable spots. He wasn’t even trying to protect himself from me. My fingers twitched, like eager little knives ready to cut into his soul.

Gods… I silenced the outrageous urges in my head. How was I supposed to focus? Did I let my demon instincts get the better of me?

I could win, at the risk of killing him.

Max paced slowly in front of me, eyes scanning me and likely searching for a weak spot. He’d rescued Jarmiel on his own during the game, proving he was able to handle every peacekeeper and trainee who came his way. I was in for it.

His voice lowered and I shivered. “What was the other night? Are you and The Necromancer best pals?”

I was even less prepared for him that time. He sprang for ward, feet never touching the ground until he reached me. A second later and I was pinned on the floor like a dead frog ready to be dissected. The impact was impressive; like he’d built up enough force to break through the ground. He trapped my wrists on either side of my head with his large hands.

“Max!” Barrett called his friend. Again, Max ignored him. His focus was on me, and potentially setting me on fire with his rage.

“I know it’s all an act. Just admit it,” Max said, and his canines extended. More of his harsh breathing blew the loose hair around my face. I could feel an intense heat radiating from his chest and from his palms. An irritated flush covered my skin like I’d baked in the sun for too long.

Dizzy with power, I spotted thick hairs sprouting from his arms.

Was he about to shift?

“Yeah, I’m a demon but you knew that. So, what’s your actual problem?” I asked.

His nails broke the surface of the mat, further securing us in place. I hissed, feeling the sharp points threatening my flesh too. Like many times before, I tried using my legs to save me, but when I kicked up, he slammed his knee down on my thigh. The force and strain on my leg almost had me in tears.

“Some random demon doesn’t use magic like that,” he said, “I’m sick of you getting overlooked because Zak’s a pushover.”

Barrett broke from the crowd and put a hand on Max’s shoulder. “Seriously, Max. Let her go.”

“Get back .”

Even I retreated at his bark. Again, it didn’t look like Barrett could oppose his friend. He bit his lip and dropped his arm. I was beginning to understand their relationship more. Mallory made mention of Max’s alpha position before but since it was only him and Barrett, not a whole pack, I thought it’d been a joke. Max may actually be Barrett’s alpha.

Damn werewolf hierarchy.

Max was back to demanding. “No more games. Show me what you really are.”

He released my wrists. I could tell by the group’s lack of effort in interfering that their curiosity was shared. As demon hunters, they had every right to want answers but I had a feeling nothing was going to satisfy Max.

The muscles in his arms flexed, pushing his veins to the surface. I heard joints popping. His ragged breaths came from somewhere deeper. More hair grew from areas that were normally smooth. With my back still on the mat, I used the brief moment of freedom to make my move. I had more power thanks to Max and rolled him off my legs. He was quick to recover and nearly had me pinned a second time.

I was able to catch his hands that time and I thought my fingerprints would melt off. It was like he had an endless sup ply of manic vitality, pumping and pumping through his veins. The longer I held him, the stronger I became. I pushed us into a standing position again.

His foot slid back.

With a growl, he twisted our arms to the side and caught me with his shoulder. I flew over his back. Tori cried out somewhere when my back hit the mat. No time for pain. I knew he’d be on me in a second. My swift turn over narrowly saved me from a slash of his claws.

“Quit running and fight me already!” he said. Draining him of energy didn’t seem to slow him down at all. His anger served as his fuel as much as it had me.

I targeted Max’s mouth again, and the pages from Jarmiel’s books flipped aggressively in my mind. The Kingdom of Lust… Succubi… They were all part of me. I felt it now with my entire being. I imagined what a great incubus or succubus on a battlefield would’ve done. Using hellish wings to dive at him from the sky, tearing his flesh with whips soaked in hellfire. I didn’t have either of those things. Never wanted them…

I wanted it all.

Now.

“Ignoring me?” Max scoffed at my silent pondering. His body had gotten hairier and claws sharper but something was possessing me as well; a different kind of monster.

“Why not?” My response caused him to go deathly quiet. “I’ve done nothing to you unless you’re still butthurt about the night you failed to arrest me. Sorry about your ego, but get over it.”

I struck first that time. Someone who only wanted to attack would leave their defenses wide open, and Max didn’t disappoint. I spotted several target spots left exposed, ones Zak kindly pointed out to me during training. My fists flew to the first, reaching his stomach and then his chin.

His dazed face mirrored the surprise I felt, but quickly van ished behind new aggression. Max’s massive arms made low whooshing sounds as they soared around my body, missing me every time by a hair. I punched him again in his stone-hard jaw, causing him to let up.

“We could’ve just talked but no, you’d rather act like an animal.” I paused to catch my breath and delivered my next sentence with an icy punch that would make Mallory proud. “Come on, then. But we both know you’re too slow.”

Max’s anger turned a shade of maniacal. He smiled. If blood lust was a smell, it covered him and suffocated me. “Animal, huh?”

I wanted to take back everything I said but it was too late.

Shit.

The next sound from Max’s core rumbled my bones. He’d be harder to touch once he fully transformed and was covered in fur. I blocked his next hit that had only been a distraction. My legs were swept out from under me and the full weight of his body crushed me into the padded floor. The rips in the fabric left from his claws scratched my face, as if preparing me for what I was about to look like.

Heat . Buzzing. His skin flooded mine with more of his internal wrath. I was drunk off it or in so much pain from being squashed that I was losing myself. As soon as I focused on the pain, I healed. Numbed.

I shut off the part of my brain that allowed common sense; succumbing to a dark and carnal drive. It should’ve frightened me how easily I was able to do so, but I felt nothing.

“Show. Me,” he seethed, “Show them how twisted your soul really is.”

He really wants to see? Fine.

Before Max could do anything else, I grabbed both sides of his head, using his big ears as handles. I had to be quick before he flung me off.

“The hell?” He grunted, but I shut him up with my own mouth. There was nothing romantic about it as I dove in for the kiss. There was heat and passion, sure. I tasted something truly delicious that compared to nothing I’d had before. It came from his potent fury. Flames danced on my tongue and sparked through my veins.

“Jess, stop!”

I tossed Max off me and he dropped like a rock. The connection was severed. At first, it annoyed me that someone interrupted my feeding. Who had gotten in my way? I could tell I’d almost gotten to the best part; like the tart, candied cherry hidden in a thick, chocolate shell.

Then, reality came rushing back.

I felt sick. What have I done?

“Everyone get out of the way!” Tori screeched and her bear slipped through the final obstacle of legs. Voices muttered in shock while others laughed at Max’s defeat. I looked down at the werewolf at my feet.

He wasn’t conscious yet but struggled to keep his head up. His eyes fluttered; weak and heavy like his breathing. My body’s response to what I’d done was thrilled. Rejuvenated . I felt more like a machine than organic matter, running on electricity.

No. A lightning storm.

But inside, I fell apart like a castle made of sand.

“Are you okay?” Tori asked while gazing up at me. She had to see Max next to her. He groaned and coughed like he had the worst cold of his life. Shouldn’t she be concerned about him ? He was the one on the ground dying.

Dying.

Panic seized my chest. Something else happened to me at the same time. My heart felt like I’d injected it with a syringe full of caffeine. I didn’t want it anymore or even craved it, but it kept coming.

Barrett approached us on the mat and crouched by his friend, slipping a hand under his neck to hold him up. It’s happening again. I wiped my hands on my pant legs, trying to scrub murder from my skin. The murmuring grew louder along with a ringing in my head. I grasped the hairs closest to my ears and used them to muffle the noise.

Tori hopped onto Barrett’s back to gain some height. “Everyone stay back,” she said, “Give them some air.”

She was right. Everyone needed to go.

They all needed to run.

“Jess?”

Run from me.

My eyes shot up. Guy came rushing forward. I didn’t know where he came from but then, he had a knack for showing up at random. I drowned in my worry, but his face brought air to my lungs. Once he’d gotten close enough, he raised his hands as if calming a tiger.

“It’s okay,” he said, “He’s going to be fine.”

But all I saw was Peter, not Max, writhing there. I blocked the vision from my eyes by hiding behind my hands. That only made my imagination worsen. Max threatened me first, but I’d gone too far.

Barrett asked something. Guy shushed him but I hadn’t heard anyway. Everyone wanted to help Max, but the closer they got, the more of their energy I could sense. No one touched me but I could feel all of them.

“Stay away!” I urged. The hairs on my arms stood on end like I rubbed a latex balloon. The sound of crinkling paper came from somewhere inside my head. I could feel movement like ants crawling around my eardrums.

“Jess, he’s fine ,” Guy said, creeping forward regardless of my warning. I couldn’t see his truth, only the version that lived in my head.

Monster. I’m a monster. He’s dead.

And I enjoyed killing him…

I pressed myself further into the wall, desperate for them all to go away.

My forehead broke into a sweat. I’d always taken minimal energy from Zak or Guy, but now, I felt like I was a hot teapot spilling over. Something was about to happen, something I wasn’t sure I could control.

And then, darkness sprang from my hands with a loud hiss.

The malevolent cloud walled me off from the others. My fingernails blackened, and streaks of light reached my elbows. Golden lights danced within an onyx galaxy. Popping sounds bounced harsh echoes off the gym walls.

My skin split open at my bicep and I saw red. It burned and bled while something else forced its way out. Dark matter wriggled free from my meaty vessel, lashing about in every direction. I fell to my knees, hoping it would stop or aim low enough that it wouldn’t hit anyone.

I heard the same sickening pop of my flesh opening somewhere on my thigh. At the rate I was going, my body would explode all over the walls. Through the less saturated sections of black, I watched Guy drag Max away. He dodged another strike from the darkness and snatched Tori as well. “Jess, you have to stop, now!”

“I-I don’t know how,” I stated but it was a plea. The dark ness had no leash. It continued to flail around like a wild beast. I pressed my fingers into the hard floor, wishing I could grip onto it for dear life and bury the next wave of attacks.

Like a call from heaven, Zak’s voice rang out. “What’s going on?”

I wanted to cry. Zak . He’d finally see the grave mistake he’d made in bringing me to EXO. I carefully lifted my head to see, but then, the angel was whipped by one of the erratic forms of matter. He shook his hand like it had actually hurt him.

“Everyone, out ,” he ordered. Lisha came with him. The dragoness unsheathed a pair of ebony wings from her shoulder blades. Her violet eyes observed my chaos, attentive and calculative like she was looking for an opening.

“Can you hear me in there, Jess?” Zak was emitting a glow that allowed me to see him more clearly. “Hey. Let’s get this under control, yeah?”

He sounded like his usual self. As if I wasn’t currently blowing up in front of him. I shook my head. “I’m trying…”

“You need to breathe.” Lisha stepped in. “Big breaths for me. Count the seconds in your head. Do it with me, kid. One. Two…”

I didn’t realize how bad my breathing was until I tried to count and it took several attempts to stop hyperventilating. It seemed to be helping. The matter drew into me, but the occasional spark of light still jumped at random.

Guy followed the cloud as it circled tighter around me.

“Guy, I can’t —” I insisted but that didn’t stop him.

“Reach for me.”

Blood pooled around my knees from the openings created by the matter. Gravity felt like an anchor and the only thing keeping me from getting everyone swept up in the darkness. If I moved, I could get swept away.

Guy stood his ground while my cloud swirled threateningly around him. His hair blew free from his short ponytail and I saw a thin pink line appear on his cheek.

If he was going to endure…

I should too.

With trembling fingers, I found his hand. The cool dread of Death felt like ice over a fire; countering the hell thriving in my blood. Slowly but surely, my breathing slowed. The dark mat ter warped and retreated inward until it became one with my body again.

A single golden spark let me know it wasn’t gone forever.

Guy caught my head as I fell. He lowered me down but kept his fingers between my hair and the cold floor. Everything felt heavy, including my eyelids. I got a quick glance at the sizzling, black markings along the walls before my eyes closed for good.