Chapter 4

We fled the cinema massacre,walking quickly away from the scene of carnage, not wanting to be around when the cops showed up. I somehow doubted saying demons did it would go over well, especially given the fact I'd been a suspect in previous murder cases—also caused by demons—and as far as the world knew, I'd died in my apartment building explosion.

I kept my head ducked, watching the ground, trying to ignore the splotch of blood on the toe of my shoe. The demon gore that had spattered me had already vanished. I'd yet to learn why they never left a trace upon death, but it explained how people knew so little about them. Hard to claim demons were real when no one could ever produce a body as evidence, which led me to wonder why no one had ever tried capturing one. Surely studying them might help in the fight. Imagine if the witches could somehow remove their camouflaging fogging ability. The demons wouldn't be so quick to kill if humans could fight back. It might have given those murdered in the theatre a chance.

Instead, they all died because I'd wanted a break from the warehouse.

I hugged my upper body to try and stop the trembling within. Cain and Vance flanked me, swiveling to look behind to see if the demons followed. They didn't, yet that didn't ease my protectors. On the contrary, they stiffened each time we walked past someone. Suspicious. Ready to act. Never mind the fact our necklaces no longer glowed; they didn't trust anyone.

I couldn't blame them. The demons had come after me. During the day. In a room full of people. And they'd been prepared. How else to explain the barricaded doors?

"It's not your fault," Vance murmured by my side.

I didn't even realize I was crying until I felt fat tears rolling down my cheeks and dripping from my chin. My voice emerged raspy through my choked throat. "If I hadn't gone—"

"They might have still died." Cain's blunt assessment. "There are demons all over the city. Every day our squads are finding and killing them but not always in time. These aren't the first casualties."

"But would they have been in that specific place at that specific time if not for me?" I countered.

"Possibly not," Vance grudgingly admitted.

It led to me uttering a bitter chuckle. "Guess I'm about to see how Rapunzel felt trapped in her tower, never able to leave."

"Or you can figure out how to use your power and put a stop to it." Cain's blunt counter to my pity party.

I whirled on him, almost yelling. "Don't you think I've been trying? Every goddamned day I try to use this magic everyone says I have, and every fucking day nothing happens. Not a single spark. Nada. Zilch."

"It takes—"

I interrupted. "Time? Everyone keeps saying that, but what if it doesn't? I have all these people looking to me to be special. To do something. To suddenly turn into someone I'm not." My lips trembled. "I'm not a hero. I'm not even a fighter. And today just proved that."

The men opened their mouths to argue, but I started walking rapidly, almost unseeing for the tears in my eyes. I marched into the warehouse, the reapers on guard duty standing aside to let me in. I ignored everyone in my haste to escape, racing up the stairs, welcoming the burn in my thighs. Wanting the stitching pain in my lungs and chest.

I burst onto the rooftop to find people hanging out. Mizuki with Yara, the youngest witch in the sisterhood. A few reapers hung near an edge, having a smoke.

A smoke I suddenly craved. Never mind the fact I'd stopped in my early twenties. I headed for Dustin, an older guy with gray in his beard at odds with the black atop his head.

"Can I have one?" I asked, holding out an unsteady hand.

Without a word, he handed over a cancer stick, and when I held it to my lips, he lit it for me.

"Thanks," I muttered before wandering off. I stood by myself, overlooking the parking lot to the warehouse. It held several cars and trucks, some holding supplies that were currently being unloaded.

I sucked on the cigarette, the acrid burn of the smoke tasting like shit, but I did enjoy the way the nicotine hit my body and caused me to involuntarily relax. I wavered on my feet, but when Cain reached out to steady me, I snapped, "Don't touch me."

Fuck being comforted. Fuck everything.

My lips clung to that cigarette, and I puffed until I hit the filter and had to grind it out. I immediately craved another. I wouldn't have minded a bottle of something alcoholic either. Anything to numb me.

I startled when a soft voice said, "I hear your outing didn't go well."

As I whirled to face Nova, I noticed the rooftop had cleared. Only a stony-faced Cain remained standing by the entrance to the building.

For a second, I stared at Nova, a beautiful woman with mahogany-hued skin, her hair bound in braids atop her head. She always oozed supreme confidence. She should, given her elevated rank as head witch. I'd even heard her called sorceress. Apparently, wielding multiple elements of magic gave her added status.

My lips twisted when I replied. "People died because of me."

"People died because demons are murderous creatures," she rebutted.

"Those monsters wouldn't have been in that movie theatre if I'd stayed in the warehouse."

At my claim, Nova lightly shook her head. "Don't be so sure. It appears the entire place was targeted. Preliminary reports indicate attacks in all the active rooms in that cinema. Yours was not the only one hit."

"All of them?" I repeated faintly. There'd been about a half-dozen movies playing. "How many dead?"

"A lot," was her grim reply. "And we can't hide it this time. The authorities arrived on the scene too quickly. The media is already running wild with the story."

"What of the demons?"

"Fled before their arrival. And that theatre wasn't the only place hit in the last twenty-four hours. Police scanners indicate three more massacres. A dance studio located in a basement. A pub, also located below street level, and a laundry room in an apartment building."

"What's happening?" I asked.

Nova's shoulders lifted and fell. "I don't know. I've never seen demons attack in this fashion before. They're usually more careful about hiding their actions because they know we'll hunt them down and terminate them. The princep has sent teams out to track and eliminate those who infiltrated the cinema, but I fear that won't make much of a difference."

"Because there's too many," I murmured.

Nova nodded. "They're flooding this city. Gates keep opening faster than we can track and are bigger than we're used to. Asher also seems to think they're travelling here from other locations on Earth."

"They're coming here for me." My grim assessment.

"We don't know that for sure."

I arched a brow. "What else does Toronto have that would be drawing them?"

"For all we know, Toronto was built atop an ancient portal that will release Moloch when the planets align."

I snorted. "We both know you don't believe that. They need my blood to free their demon king."

"Which they can't have." Nova's firm reply should have reassured, but I couldn't help recalling the lady outside the park.

"And how will you stop them? You just said they're flooding the city in great numbers. How long before they overwhelm the reapers?" Before she could reply, I added, "Oh, that's right, they're already at that point. The city is going to get massacred unless we do something." I said ‘we,' but I really meant ‘you all.' Honestly, the simplest solution would be to kill me before Moloch could use me, because what if just removing my magic wasn't enough? If I didn't exist, then Moloch stayed in prison. Something that had been preying on my mind since the night I almost died. How long did I have until someone, either reaper or witch, realized that and suggested it as a solution? Would anyone even argue against it?

Rather than address my concern, Nova sidetracked. "Any luck using your power?"

"No."

"Surprising. I thought for sure today's incident might trigger it."

The odd reply took me a second to figure out. "Hold on, you expected me to be attacked?"

"I thought it might be a possibility."

The answer dropped my jaw. "Why would you have sent me out there then?"

Her lips twisted. "Because keeping you cooped up under guard isn't working. Thus far, your magic has only manifested when in peril."

"If by peril you mean imminent death. So you're telling me you wanted me to have a near-death experience because you hoped it would get my magic to work? That's fucking sick."

"I'll admit it might have been drastic—"

I cut her off. "Drastic? You put my life and that of everyone around me in danger for an experiment. And guess what? It failed! Not only did I not conjure up anything useful, but I also cowered like a pathetic bitch."

"Vance and Cain said you wanted to help those people."

"Wanted to but didn't because I'm not the hero you want me to be. I'm nothing but a middle-aged store clerk whose only real skill in life is not living up to my full potential." A bitter reminder of what my parents thought of me.

"With more training—"

"I'll still be useless. How many times do I have to tell you I'm not a fighter? You're wasting your time."

"I'm sorry you think that. But I'm not giving up. It's only been a month."

"A month of no results. At all," I pointed out. "I've not managed to even light a candle. How long before you finally acknowledge what I already know?"

Nova's lips pinched. "I'll admit you're harder to train than most, but I'm sure we'll find a way to unlock your power."

"Going to toss me to some more demons and see what happens?"

"Maybe."

My eyes widened. "You're serious."

"We have to do something to help you past this mental block you have."

"You think I'm doing it on purpose?" I exclaimed.

Nova's expression hardened. In that moment, with her stony expression, I saw a leader and not an almost-friend. "Your attitude has been one of negativity from day one. You're so convinced you can't do magic, that you can't be heroic, that you're impeding your own ability to learn."

Ouch. It especially hurt because she might be right. "If I'm such a nuisance, take it away from me."

"What?" Nova blinked.

"You heard me. Take my magic. Remove it. Make me into a normal person who doesn't see demons again."

"You don't mean that."

"I do. Ever since that night when I first saw them, my life has been turned upside down. My boss and countless people are dead because of me. I lost my apartment. My life. I'm living like a prisoner in a warehouse with strangers under this weighted expectation that's crushing me. I can't do it anymore. I never asked for any of this, so take it."

"You're only saying that because you're frustrated and upset."

"Fucking right I am. People. Died," I emphasized.

"And more will die if you give up," she countered, finally sparking with anger. "You're the only hope we have."

"Then you're fucked because it ain't working. So maybe it's time to call it quits and just get rid of it. Maybe whatever fluke gift I got will pass on to someone else."

"It doesn't work like that."

"Don't care. Take it away from me."

Her lips flattened into a thin line. "You're emotional right now, and with reason. Why don't you get some rest? We can talk in the morning."

"I won't change my mind. I don't want to do this anymore."

"You'll feel better once you wake," Nova said with a wave of her hand.

Suddenly my eyelids felt super heavy, and a yawn cracked my jaw. I couldn't help slumping to the rooftop.

"You bitch. You magicked me," I slurred before slumber claimed me.