The gate in the chain link fence was open, and I crossed through. I climbed the steps onto the front porch, where Mr. Esposito stored his cans and newspapers. On the porch, water dripped through the overhang onto rotting wood.
As I waited, shivering, I listened to the shuffling behind the door, accompanied by the sound of a walker hitting the wooden floor.
Even if my magic was fading in the mortal world, I could still hear like a demon. Was this why my mom had always seemed to know everything I was up to? I couldn’t get up in the night to check my phone without her overhearing it.
After a few moments, Mr. Esposito opened the door. His thick white eyebrows crept up his forehead, questioning, and he peered at me through his glasses. “Rowan!”
I held up the bag of sweatpants. “I brought you something, Mr. Esposito. I accidentally ordered a bunch of men’s sweatpants, and they don’t fit. I thought they might fit you. I’m too lazy to mail them back, you know?”
“Oh.” He smiled. “That’s nice of you to think of me.”
Mr. Esposito and I were alike. Neither of us had any other friends in Osborne, and we could barely manage getting through normal life without a series of disasters befalling us. When we had nothing to do, we sometimes ended up at a coffee shop for chess. He played slowly and deliberately and was a million times better than me.
With a shaking hand, he took the bag from me and gave me a feeble smile. “Do you want to come in for tea?”
The warmth sounded nice, but he looked exhausted. “I’ve got to run, but thanks. Chess soon?”
He nodded. “That would be lovely, Rowan.”
I watched as he tied the plastic bag around the top of his walker. “You should get out of the rain. Night is falling fast.” He frowned. “I don’t think it’s a good night for you to be out.” His eyes became unfocused, his forehead furrowed. “Rowan, I think…there’s something…something’s not right.”
Maybe he could tell I was a demon now. “Yeah. It’s grim weather, isn’t it? I’ll see you soon, Mr. Esposito.”
I waved goodbye as he scooted back to shut the door.
As he did, I felt the hair rising on my nape. My demon instincts screamed that I was being watched by a malign presence.
Orion?
Chapter 2—Rowan
For one moment, I thought—hoped?—that it was my former incubus friend. Maybe he’d realized his mistake. Maybe, any minute now, I’d be back in the City of Thorns, looking out at the Atlantic.
But when I turned around, I found something much worse than Orion hurtling down the sidewalk. Five demon hunters were headed toward me, each one wearing the little hammer insignia of the Malleus Daemoniorum—Hammer of the Demons.
They stopped at the fence’s opening, blocking me in. Jack was among them, along with his dad—an older, white-haired version of him who I’d seen in political ads. I was pretty sure I recognized two of the other guys from Jack’s fraternity—large, red-cheeked men in white baseball caps, Patriots sweatshirts, and beaded necklaces. Basically interchangeable, except that one of them was drinking a beer. They didn’t look threatening, and yet—
“Is this her?” Jack’s dad asked quietly, his voice sending a shudder up my spine. He took a step closer onto the crumbling footpath. “Is this the one you saw in the City of Thorns?”
“Congressman Corwin.” I cleared my throat. “Nice to meet you.” I glanced to the right, wondering if I should run that way to leap the fence. Right now, they had me blocked in.
The fastest way, I thought, might be to the left—over the fence and into the driveway.
The congressman wore a navy blazer with a bright red tie. His hair was slicked back. He didn’t seem to notice the rain picking up, drenching his neat hair. Over his shoulder, he carried a leather satchel.
Behind him, Jack nodded. “That’s her. She seemed to know the other demons. They thought she was one of them. I said she wasn’t.”
The congressman took another step closer. I considered calling for help, but the only help available to me would be Mr. Esposito and his walker. If I knocked on the door and tried to get inside, there was a good chance these guys would follow me in.
Right now, my phone was dead in my pocket, so there weren’t many options.
The congressman’s nostrils flared as he sniffed the air. With a cock of his head, his jaw tightened.
Lightning cracked the dark sky, and my stomach clenched.
“Nice to meet you, but I need to go, so…” I trailed off.
I bounded down the stairs and ran for the fence. The jagged metal top cut into my palms as I leapt over it. I landed hard on the driveway, stumbling. But as I tried to break into a run, one of the frat boys blocked my path. Towering above me, he shoved me hard, slamming me onto the wet pavement. As I scrambled back to my feet, the rest of the guys surrounded me.
The younger ones parted, and the congressmen crossed over to me. Lips curling, he gripped me by the shoulder, his fingers clutching me tightly. He sniffed the air again, eyes gleaming with anger. “Jack? I thought you said she was mortal.”
Adrenaline started to pump. Shit. I wondered how much magic I had in my system right now. Three days outside the City of Thorns—was I still stronger than a mortal at all?
I smiled blandly. “I am mortal, of course.” I blinked innocently. “It’s not my fault the demons kidnapped me. Ask your son. He was there. He told them all I’m mortal, and that’s how I ended up here in Osborne again, where I belong.”
Narrowing his eyes, Jack moved closer. He inhaled deeply, his face growing red. “She smells different now, Dad. She was mortal before, but she’s changed. How was I supposed to know they could change?”
I swallowed hard. “Can you both stop sniffing me? Also, can you…” I paused, trying to think of a polite way to say fuck off. “Fuck off,” I blurted. “Please.”
The congressmen let go of me and opened his little leather satchel. “Are you sure she was mortal before, Jack?”
“I’m sure,” he replied.
“The problem is, son, you’re usually dead fucking wrong about things,” his dad shot back, shocking me. We agreed on that, at least. “I want to take her alive for an interrogation.”
My heart thundered. I didn’t know precisely how demon hunters interrogated demons, but I had a strong suspicion it involved a whole lot of torture. “I’m going to have to decline that invitation, Congressman Corwin. I’m trying to cut down on the amount of time I spend being kidnapped and prodded with knives.”
“I’m not asking.” He reached into his bag and pulled out a metallic hook. It took a moment for me to register exactly what it was. Mortals didn’t have claws like demons to carve out hearts, so they used implements instead. The sight of the instrument—like a small metallic scythe—sent a shiver of ice through my bones.
I hadn’t actually tried to control my claws yet. Right now, I wished I’d been practicing that for the past few days instead of drinking boxed wine in a basement.
I moved to the left, trying to get around the hunters, but the congressman knocked me back again, and my head smacked against the pavement. Pain shot through my skull, and along with it, fury. I gripped my head, anger simmering. These could be the very people who’d murdered Mom.